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29-405: Combat within close quarters, to a range just beyond grappling distance, is commonly termed close combat or close-quarters combat. It may include lethal and non-lethal weapons and methods depending upon the restrictions imposed by civilian law , military rules of engagement , or ethical codes . Close combat using firearms or other distance weapons by military combatants at the tactical level

58-402: A ranged weapon . Hand-to-hand combat can be further divided into three sections depending on the distance and positioning of the combatants: Military combat always involves between two or more opposing military forces in warfare . Military combat situations can involve multiple groups, such as guerilla groups, insurgents , domestic and/or foreign governments . A military combat situation

87-508: A persistent aspect of modern warfare. Hand-to-hand combat is the principal form of combat during skirmishes between Indian Army and Chinese People's Liberation Army soldiers along the disputed Himalayan border between India and the People's Republic of China. While Chinese and Indian soldiers carry firearms, due to decades of tradition designed to reduce the possibility of an escalation, agreements disallow usage of firearms along this border. In

116-762: A winning edge. They found one such edge in Fairbairn's system. Immediately, Fairbairn was commissioned in the British Commandos and ordered to teach a lethal version of his system at the Commando school in Scotland . It was at this top secret Scottish location that Colonel Rex Applegate of the U.S. Army studied under Fairbairn. Through Col. Applegate and other instructors such as Col. Anthony Biddle , these highly effective skills were taught to U.S. troops including US Marines and Rangers , as well as OSS operatives and later to

145-448: Is known either as a battle or a war, depending on the size of the fighting and which geographical areas in which it occurs. Combat effectiveness has always demanded that the personnel maintain strategic preparedness by being sufficiently trained , armed , equipped , and funded to carry out combat operations in the unit to which they are assigned. Warfare falls under the law of war , which govern its purposes and conduct, and protect

174-525: Is referred to in contemporary parlance as close-quarters battle . The United States Army uses the term combatives to describe various military fighting systems used in hand-to-hand combat training, systems which may incorporate eclectic techniques from several different martial arts and combat sports . Hand-to-hand combat is the most ancient form of fighting known. A majority of cultures have their own particular histories related to close combat, and their own methods of practice. The pankration , which

203-490: Is resorted to either as a method of self-defense or to impose one's will upon others. An instance of combat can be a standalone confrontation or part of a wider conflict, and its scale can range from a fight between individuals to a war between organized groups. Combat may also be benign and recreational , as in the cases of combat sports and mock combat . Combat may comply with, or be in violation of, local or international laws regarding conflict. Examples of rules include

232-443: The 2020 China–India skirmishes , hand-to-hand combat involving stones, batons, iron rods, and other makeshift weapons resulted in the deaths of over 50 soldiers on both sides over six hours of fighting. Combat Combat ( French for fight ) is a purposeful violent conflict between multiple combatants with the intent to harm the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons ) or unarmed ( not using weapons ). Combat

261-639: The FBI and CIA as the foundation of their basic training. Once the British Commando School in Scotland was able to produce its own Fairbairn/Sykes qualified instructors, both men were transferred. Fairbairn to North America , and Sykes to SOE, where he trained special agents for behind the lines duties . Fairbairn's 'special assignment' in Oshawa , Ontario, Canada, was to teach his system to Allied special forces at

290-534: The Geneva Conventions (covering the treatment of people in war), medieval chivalry , the Marquess of Queensberry Rules (covering boxing), and the individual rulesets of various combat sports. Hand-to-hand combat ( melee ) is combat at very close range, attacking the opponent with the body ( striking , kicking , strangling , etc.) and/or with a melee weapon ( knives , swords , batons , etc.), as opposed to

319-639: The Iraq and Afghanistan wars found that the majority of hand-to-hand combat involved grappling techniques instead of striking. Most combat sports involve hand-to-hand combat. A 2014 study found that, amongst US soldiers deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan between 2004 and 2008, 19% reported the use of hand-to-hand techniques in at least one encounter, in a variety of circumstances and contexts (such as close combat, prisoner handling, crowd control and security checkpoints), supporting prior research that indicated that, despite advances in technology, hand-to-hand combat remained

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348-602: The Zhou dynasty (1022 BCE to 256 BCE). Despite major technological changes such as the use of gunpowder, the machine gun in the Russo-Japanese War and the trench warfare of World War I , hand-to-hand fighting methods with the knife and bayonet remain common in modern military training, though the importance of formal training declined after 1918. By 1944 some German rifles were being produced without bayonet lugs. Close Quarters Combat (CQC), or World War II combatives ,

377-503: The 12th century AD when the Normans invaded. Other historical forms of close combat include the gladiator spectacles of ancient Rome and medieval tournament events such as jousting or medieval martial arts . Military organizations have always taught some sort of unarmed combat for conditioning and as a supplement to armed combat. Soldiers in China were trained in unarmed combat as early as

406-619: The effective use of more ad hoc weapons such as chairs or table legs. During the Second World War , Fairbairn was brought back to Britain, and, after demonstrating the effectiveness of his techniques, was recruited to train the British commandos in his combat method. During this period, he expanded his 'Shanghai Method' into the 'Silent Killing Close Quarters Combat method' for military application. This became standard combat training for all British Special Operations personnel. He also designed

435-539: The most highly classified training operation of WWII, Camp X . Agents were trained in depth to dispose of their enemy quickly and quietly with brutal effectiveness. Following his instruction at Camp X, Fairbairn was rejoined by Col. Applegate to form the United States Camp B, now known as Camp David . This introduction of 'The Fairbairn Fighting System' at Camp X in conjunction with input from many highly skilled instructors with various backgrounds and fighting skills

464-705: The name Get Tough! How To Win In Hand-To-Hand Fighting. As Taught To The British Commandos And The U.S. Armed Forces . Fairbairn's CQC-system is also described in Rex Applegate 's book Kill or Get Killed . Fairbairn published several more books on the subject of self-defense, all of which refer to Defendu only in relation to the earlier book. The start of the Second World War saw the Allied forces needing every advantage to give their soldiers and special forces

493-664: The originality of Fairbairn's material, the term did not appear in the 1931 edition of the book. Fairbairn was called upon by the British to help train Allied troops in World War II. Fairbairn and others expanded on this system to create the Close Quarters Combat system that was then taught to the troops. This system was built on Defendu, but modified for military applications, rather than police and riot control . The original Defendu

522-571: The pioneering Fairbairn–Sykes fighting knife , which was adopted for use by British and American Special Forces . In 1942, he published a textbook for close quarters combat training called Get Tough . U.S. Army officers Rex Applegate and Anthony Biddle were taught Fairbairn's methods at a training facility in Scotland , and adopted the program for the training of OSS operatives at a newly opened camp near Lake Ontario in Canada . Applegate published his work in 1943, called Kill or Get Killed . During

551-476: The rights of combatants and non-combatants . Defendu Close Quarters Combat System (also known as Defendu ) is a modern martial art developed by William E. Fairbairn and Eric A. Sykes prior to World War II . It is a hand-to-hand combat system based on practical experience mixed with Jujutsu and boxing that was developed to train the Shanghai Municipal Police , and

580-491: The streets of Shanghai; Fairbairn himself used his combat system effectively in over 2,000 documented encounters, including over 600 lethal-force engagements. The aim of his combat system was simply to be as brutally effective as possible. It was also a system that, unlike traditional Eastern martial-arts that required years of intensive training, could be digested by recruits relatively quickly. The method incorporated training in point shooting and gun combat techniques, as well as

609-653: The war, training was provided to British Commandos , the Devil's Brigade , OSS , U.S. Army Rangers and Marine Raiders . Other combat systems designed for military combat were introduced elsewhere, including European Unifight , Soviet/Russian Sambo , Army hand-to-hand fight , Chinese military Sanshou / Sanda , Israeli Kapap and Krav Maga . The prevalence and style of hand-to-hand combat training often changes based on perceived need. Elite units such as special forces and commando units tend to place higher emphasis on hand-to-hand combat training. Although hand-to-hand fighting

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638-552: Was accorded less importance in major militaries after World War II , insurgency conflicts such as the Vietnam War , low intensity conflict and urban warfare have prompted many armies to pay more attention to this form of combat. When such fighting includes firearms designed for close-in fighting, it is often referred to as Close Quarters Battle (CQB) at the platoon or squad level, or Military Operations on Urban Terrain (MOUT) at higher tactical levels. A 2023 study using data from

667-544: Was derived from a mixture of judo , jujutsu , boxing , savate , wrestling and street fighting . After the May Thirtieth Movement , Fairbairn was charged with developing an auxiliary squad for riot control . After absorbing the most appropriate elements from a variety of martial arts experts, from China , Japan and elsewhere, he condensed these arts into a practical combat system he called Defendu . He and his police team went on to field test these skills on

696-491: Was designed to be simple to learn and to provide effective results. Fairbairn published his book, Defendu , in 1926 (re-printed as Scientific Self Defence in 1931), illustrating this method and it is here that the term "Defendu" first appeared. This confused early readers of the book, who assumed that the techniques within had been based mainly in the Eastern martial arts that Fairbairn had learned. Thus, in an attempt to highlight

725-548: Was largely codified by William Ewart Fairbairn and Eric Anthony Sykes . Also known for their eponymous Fairbairn–Sykes fighting knife , Fairbairn and Sykes had worked in the Shanghai Municipal Police of the International Settlement (1854–1943) of Shanghai in the 1920s, widely acknowledged as the most dangerous port city in the world due to a heavy opium trade run by organized crime (the Chinese Triads ). CQC

754-412: Was later taught in expanded form to Office of Strategic Services and Special Operations Executive members during World War II. Based on his training and knowledge in boxing, wrestling, Savate, Jujutsu, Judo, street fighting, and Chinese martial arts he was involved in during his police work, Fairbairn began to develop his own system of hand to hand combat , initially referring to it as "Defendu". It

783-433: Was oriented towards self-defense and restraint , while the Close Quarters Combat system concentrated on rapid disabling of an opponent, with potentially lethal force . The militarized version of Defendu is described in the military manual All in fighting 1942 , used as a supplement during WW2 CQB-training. This book was later published in a civilian edition, missing the chapters on bayonet-fighting and rifle sighting, under

812-646: Was practiced in Ancient Greece and Rome , is an example of a form which involved nearly all strikes and holds, with biting and gouging being the only exceptions (although allowed in Sparta ). Many modern varieties of martial arts and combat sports, such as some boxing styles, wrestling and MMA , were also practiced historically. For example, Celtic wrestling is mentioned in the Tailteann Games dating back from somewhere between 1839 BC to 632 BC (academics disagree) to

841-491: Was the beginning of the evolution of Defendu. As close quarters battle or unarmed combat training progressed throughout this period, it was added and refined utilising western fighting principles. Defendu encourages its practitioner to end a confrontation as quickly as possible using "rude" means by rapidly attacking vital spot area (such as the groin, throat, side of the neck, shin, eyes, ears, etc.) by using only several pragmatic and powerful strikes. These strikes are taught as

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