Military Combatives

In 2001, Matt Larsen, established the United States Army Combatives School at Fort Benning. Students are taught techniques from the 2002 version of Field Manual 3-25.150 (Combatives), also written by Larsen. The regimen focused on small, easily repeatable drills, in which practitioners could learn multiple related techniques rapidly.

For example, Drill One teaches several techniques: escaping blows, maintaining the mount, escaping the mount, maintaining the guard, passing the guard, assuming side control, maintaining side control, preventing and assuming the mount. The drill can be completed in less than a minute and can be done repeatedly with varying levels of resistance to maximize training benefits.

The Combatives School teaches four instructor certification courses. Students of the first course are not expected to have any knowledge of combatives upon arrival. They are taught fundamental techniques in a series of grappling drills. The basic techniques form a framework upon which the rest of the program can build and are taught as a series of drills, which can be performed as a part of daily physical training. While the course is heavy on grappling, it does not lose sight of the fact that it is a course designed for soldiers going into combat. It is made clear that while combatives can be used to kill or disable, the man that typically wins a hand-to-hand fight in combat is the one whose allies arrive with guns first.

Subsequent courses build upon the framework by adding throws and takedowns from wrestling and Judo, striking skills from boxing and Muay Thai, weapons fighting from eskrima and the western martial arts, all of that combined with how to conduct scenario training and referee the various levels of Combatives competitions.

There are several reasons that the combatives course is taught:

* To educate soldiers on how to protect themselves against threats without using their firearms
* To provide a non-lethal response to situations on the battlefield
* To instill the ‘warrior instinct’ to provide the necessary aggression to meet the enemy unflinchingly

Combatives FM 3-25.150 (Complete Manual)

Below is an excerpt from Army FM/3-25-150/

3-6. FINISHING MOVES

When dominant body position has been achieved the fighter can attempt to finish the fight secure in the knowledge that if an attempt fails, as long as he maintains dominant position, he may simply try again.

a. Rear Naked Choke. Chokes are the most effective method of disabling an enemy. This technique should only be executed from the back mount after both leg hooks are in place.

(1) Step 1 (Figure 3-36). Leaving the weak hand in place, the fighter reaches around the enemy’s neck and under his chin with the strong hand.

Figure 3-36. Rear naked choke, step 1.

(2) Step 2 (Figure 3-37). The fighter now places the biceps of the weak hand under the strong hand, moves the weak hand to the back of the enemy’s head, and completes the choke by expanding his chest.

Figure 3-37. Rear naked choke, step 2.

b. Cross Collar Choke from the Mount and Guard. This technique can only be executed from the guard or the mount.

(1) Step 1 (Figure 3-38). With the weak hand, the fighter grasps the enemy’s collar and pulls it open.

Figure 3-38. Cross collar choke from the mount, step 1.

(2) Step 2 (Figure 3-39). While keeping a hold with the weak hand, the fighter now inserts his strong hand, fingers first, onto the collar. The hand should be relaxed and reach around to the back of the neck grasping the collar.

Figure 3-39. Cross collar choke from the mount, step 2.

(3) Step 3 (Figure 3-40). After grasping the back of the enemy’s collar, the fighter inserts the weak hand under the strong hand and into the collar, fingers first, touching or very close to the first hand.

Figure 3-40. Cross collar choke from the mount, step 3.

(4) Step 4 (Figure 3-41). The fighter turns his wrists so that the palms face toward him, and brings his elbows to his side. He will complete the choke by expanding his chest and pulling with the muscles of his back.

Figure 3-41. Cross collar choke from the mount, step 4.

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