Combatives

A Minimalist’s Toolbox for Street Survival

“If there’s one technique that’s more effective than anything else in a real fight, it’s punching.”

The Price of Piety: A Call for Open-Mindedness in Combat Training

Oct 17

The Price of Piety: A Call for Open-Mindedness in Combat Training

Fighting skill is one of the most unconventional abilities to quantify.

How Hard Should Your Combatives Training Be? Balancing Intensity and Safety

Sep 12

How Hard Should Your Combatives Training Be? Balancing Intensity and Safety

A question that invariably comes up in combatives training is, “How hard should I bang?”

Mark Hatmaker

Aug 28

Warrior Awareness: The Killing Hand

There is a 90-percent chance that you’re right-handed. I say that because statistics show left-handed people make up approximately..

Stop Overcomplicating Combative Techniques, Debunking Dual-Wielding Myths: Why Practical Combat Skills Outshine Trendy Tactics

Aug 13

Stop Overcomplicating Combative Techniques, Debunking Dual-Wielding Myths: Why Practical Combat Skills Outshine Trendy Tactics

For seven years, I worked for Guns & Ammo magazine, where I wrote the monthly Personal Security column under the byline Jim Grover...

Aug 1

The Most Dangerous Man in the World

I find it amusing when people get overly serious about fantasy football — imagining player trades, envisioning games between specific teams.

Training to Handle Sudden and Unexpected Violence

Jul 17

Training to Handle Sudden and Unexpected Violence

I don’t know the attribution for the following quote, but it applies perfectly to our course: “You can’t hide what you don’t know in here.”

Utility vs. Combat: Tomahawks and Trade Knives

Mark Hatmaker

Jun 29

Weapons Defense

Utility vs. Combat: Tomahawks and Trade Knives

A THOUGHTFUL QUESTION FROM MITCH MITCHELL, AN AFFILIATE COACH OF AMERICAN FRONTIER ROUGH AND TUMBLE, PROMPTED ME TO COMMIT TO PAPER SOME...

9 Ways You Can Follow in the Footsteps of the Special Forces!

RANDY McELWEE

Jun 27

9 Ways You Can Follow in the Footsteps of the Special Forces!

These tips were culled from the author’s 16 years with the Special Forces and 11 years as a combatives instructor...

Exploring the Evolving Landscape of Combatives: Tradition, Technology, and the Influence of Social Media

May 28

Exploring the Evolving Landscape of Combatives: Tradition, Technology, and the Influence of Social Media

Recently, someone said to me, “The combatives landscape is changing.” I immediately thought, That’s interesting. What exactly is changing?

5 Fighting Fallacies: Slicing Through the Myths that Surround Edged-Weapon Defense!

Patrick Vuong

Apr 30

5 Fighting Fallacies: Slicing Through the Myths that Surround Edged-Weapon Defense!

No matter which category a particular system belongs to, all instructors of these systems teach methods for stopping a blade-wielding psycho

Apr 29

Mixed Martial Arts

Keyboard Warriors by Kelly McCann

The pandemic made a plethora of videos available for people who wish to continue their training while in lockdown or near lockdown.

Weapon of Choice: Combatives Experts Weigh In

George Chung

Apr 12

Weapon of Choice: Combatives Experts Weigh In

It’s an all-out brawl, no guns allowed, what weapon would you bring to a fight and why? We asked some of the top experts in combatives...

On The Razor’s Edge: Lady Sensei on Knife-Defense

Gerry Chisolm

Apr 11

On The Razor’s Edge: Lady Sensei on Knife-Defense

There seems to be a culture of self-defense practitioners and enthusiasts who watch knife-defense videos on YouTube while exclaiming,...

CQC Sambo: Why You Should “Fill Your Cup” With Wisdom From This Russian Close-Quarters-Combat System!

Perry William Kelly

Mar 26

CQC Sambo: Why You Should “Fill Your Cup” With Wisdom From This Russian Close-Quarters-Combat System!

“In order to taste my cup of water, you must first empty your cup. My friend, drop all your preconceived and fixed ideas and be neutral....

Bill Bishop

Mar 14

Citizen Warrior

Photos by Rick Hustead Post-9/11, “combatives” has become the buzzword of the martial arts industry. However, many students don’t have a...

Combatives Corollaries and U.S. Marine Corps Field Manual 1 Warfighting

Mar 12

Combatives Corollaries and U.S. Marine Corps Field Manual 1 Warfighting

In life, drawing corollaries between related subjects is interesting and often enlightening. In particular, corollaries between...

Feb 15

10 Universal Truths of Martial Arts

Consider the following: “None of Morihei Ueshiba’s students has reached his level in aikido, and none is likely to.”

Krav Maga For When Reality is Cruel and Unpredictable

Nov 30, 2023

Krav Maga For When Reality is Cruel and Unpredictable

Train Right to Prepare Yourself to Survive By Jason Brick If you ask 100 different martial artists what kind of training is most...

PART 1: Maori to Martial Arts Master: Q&A Jared Wihongi

Nov 14, 2023

PART 1: Maori to Martial Arts Master: Q&A Jared Wihongi

Jared Wihongi is a full-time International Close-Quarters Combat (CQC) Instructor. His TRICOM combatives system is an integration of...

PART 2: Self-Preservation When Facing Armed Combatant: Jared Wihongi

Nov 12, 2023

PART 2: Self-Preservation When Facing Armed Combatant: Jared Wihongi

Jared Wihongi breaks down step-by-step how he'd handle an armed combatant: Jared Wihongi is a full-time International Close-Quarters...

PART 3: Jared Wihongi: On How "Good Technique" Can Get You Injured in Reality

Nov 11, 2023

PART 3: Jared Wihongi: On How "Good Technique" Can Get You Injured in Reality

In this interview, Jared and Tony Parrish shares a story about a combative real-world application of martial arts and how he'd do it...

FULL INTERVIEW: The Warrior's Way on Tactical Combat: Jared Wihongi Interview

Nov 8, 2023

FULL INTERVIEW: The Warrior's Way on Tactical Combat: Jared Wihongi Interview

Jared Wihongi is a full-time International Close-Quarters Combat (CQC) Instructor. His TRICOM combatives system is an integration of...

Best Pre-Emptive Strikes and Palms vs. Fists

Nov 3, 2023