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    U.S. Army Hand-to-Hand Combat
    U.S. Army Hand-to-Hand Combat
    U.S. Army Hand-to-Hand Combat
    Ebook265 pages1 hour

    U.S. Army Hand-to-Hand Combat

    By U.S. Department of the Army

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    About this ebook

    From the Advanced Threat Infrared Countermeasures to the XM320 grenade launcher, this comprehensive guide profiles nearly every weapon currently in use by the U.S. Army. In addition, it covers cutting-edge technology that will soon be employed by soldiers around the world. Missiles, small arms, biological detection systems, rockets, reconnaissance systems, radios, planes, bows and arrows (believe it or not)you name it, this book has it. Also included is a thorough discussion of Future Combat Systems (FCS), the system of systems that, when fully operational, will provide the army and the joint force with an unprecedented capability to see the enemy, engage him on their terms, and defeat him on the twenty-first-century battlefield.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSkyhorse
    Release dateNov 3, 2009
    ISBN9781628732566
    U.S. Army Hand-to-Hand Combat
    Author

    U.S. Department of the Army

    The  Department of the Army  (DA) is one of the three military departments within the  Department of Defense of the United States of America. Its mission is to fight and win our Nation’ s wars by providing prompt, sustained land dominance across the full range of military operations and spectrum of conflict in support of combatant commanders.

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    U.S. Army Hand-to-Hand Combat - U.S. Department of the Army

    CHAPTER 1

    INTRODUCTION

    1. Purpose and Scope

    This manual is written to teach you hand-to-hand combat. It describes the various blows, holds, footwork, armwork, and other maneuvers used to disable or kill an enemy in hand-to-hand fighting. It also explains how to use all available objects as weapons. Hand-to-hand combat stresses simple, aggressive tactics. You can subdue an opponent only through offensive measures.

    2. Necessity for Training

    The average soldier, if trained only in the use of his basic weapon, loses his effectiveness if his weapon fails to fire or if he should lose or break it. With a knowledge of hand-to-hand combat and the confidence and aggressiveness to fight hand-to-hand, the soldier is able to attack and dispose of his opponent. Training in hand-to-hand combat is also useful for night patrols and other occasions when silence is required. This type fighting is taught to soldiers in rear areas as well as those in front lines because of the threat of infiltration, airborne attacks, and guerilla warfare.

    CHAPTER 2

    FUNDAMENTALS OF HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT

    3. General

    Five fundamentals are used as a guide in learning hand-to-hand combat. These fundamentals are making full use of any available weapon; attacking aggressively by using your maximum strength against your enemy’s weakest point; maintaining your balance and destroying your opponent’s; using your opponent’s momentum to advantage; and learning each phase of all the movements precisely and accurately before attaining speed through constant practice.

    4. Using Available Weapons

    a. When fighting hand-to-hand, your life is always at stake. The use of any object as a weapon, therefore, is necessary to help subdue your enemy. You can make your opponent duck or turn aside by throwing sand or dirt in his face or by striking at him with an entrenching tool, a steel helmet, or a web belt. When no object is available, just the pretense of throwing something may cause an enemy to flinch and cover up. When he does this, you must take advantage of his distraction to attack aggressively with but one purpose in mind—TO KILL.

    b. If no objects are available to use as a weapon, you must make full use of your natural weapons. These are—

    The knife edge of your hand. Extend your fingers rigidly so the little finger edge of your hand is as hard as possible (fig. 1). Keep your thumb alongside your forefinger.

    e9781602397828_i0002.jpg

    Figure 1. With the knife edge of your hand, you can strike many killing and disabling blows.

    The fingers folded at the second knuckles. The average fist covers an area of about eight square inches. The fingers folded at the second knuckles gives a striking surface of about two square inches, producing a sharper, more penetrating blow. Keep your thumb tightly against the forefinger to stiffen your hand and keep your wrist straight (fig.2).

    The protruding second knuckle of your middle finger. Fold the middle finger at the second knuckle and wedge the second knuckles of your two adjacent fingers into its sides. Keep the end of the thumb over the fingernail of your middle finger and keep your wrist straight (fig. 3).

    e9781602397828_i0003.jpg

    Figure 2. Blows delivered with the fingers folded at the second knuckles produce sharp penetration.

    The heel of your hand. Fold your fingers at the second knuckles and force the back of your hand toward the wrist to make the heel of your hand as solid as possible (fig. 4). You can deliver a more damaging blow with the heel of your hand than with your fist.

    The little finger edge of your fist. Form a fist. When using the little finger edge of your fist as a weapon, strike blows in the same motion as when using an ice pick (fig. 5).

    e9781602397828_i0004.jpg

    Figure 3. Dangerous blows can be delivered to vulnerable points with the protruding second knuckle of the middle finger.

    e9781602397828_i0005.jpg

    Figure 4. The heel of the hand is particularly effective when attacking parts of the face.

    e9781602397828_i0006.jpg

    Figure 5. Powerful blows with the little finger edge of the fist can easily kill an opponent.

    Your boot. For most kicks, use the outside or inside edge of your boot rather than the toe. This provides a much larger striking surface with which to attack small, exposed bony areas (fig. 6).

    In addition to the natural weapons already mentioned, you can use your elbows, knees, head, shoulders, and teeth to disable an opponent.

    5. Maximum Strength Against Weakest Point

    Using maximum strength against your enemy’s weakest point is an axiom of war that equally applies to combat between two individuals. In every situation, some extremely vulnerable area of your opponent is open for attack. By aggressively as-saulting these vulnerable areas, using the maximum strength offered by your position, you can gain a quick victory. Attacking rather than defending is the keynote because only through the use of offensive tactics are you able to dispose of your enemy.

    e9781602397828_i0007.jpg

    Figure 6. The inside or outside edge of the boot is more effective than the toe, which may slip off small areas.

    6. Balance

    a. Keeping your own balance, while causing your opponent to lose his, is an important essential of successful fighting. Assume the guard position when engaging your opponent (fig. 7). This position is similar to a boxer’s crouch and enables you to react rapidly and move in any direction. Spread your feet about shoulder’s width apart, with your left heel generally on line with your right toe. If you are left handed, reverse this position and bring your left foot behind your right foot. Bend your body forward at the waist and at the knees slightly. Hold the hands at face level and slightly in front of it. Extend and join your fingers, with the thumbs along the forefingers and the palms facing inward. Face your opponent squarely. The guard position offers you the best

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