Copyright 2006 T. Sheil & A. Sheil All Rights Reserved
One of the claims of Judo was that an unarmed practitioner could defeat an armed attacker. Defenses against weapons were part of the old Jujitsu. They were taught in case a soldier lost his weapon on the battlefield. Back then, nobody expected the unarmed soldier to have an advantage over an armed enemy. All they wanted to do was give him something that might work, even if his chances were slim. The unarmed defenses shown in European fechtbuchs served the same purpose. Everyone knew it was better to be armed than unarmed. Otherwise, everybody would have abandoned weapons long ago. Judo inherited Jujitsu's unarmed defenses, and they did work against untrained adversaries. Things would be very different against at trained combatant.
The unarmed defenses of military close combat were there to give soldiers a fighting chance. Some of the techniques are overly optimistic. They are a unique part of military hand-to-hand combat which persist to this day..
Defenses Against the Knife
These defenses are well-known Judo and Jujitsu techniques. They can be found in military close combat manuals. They are often copied in many civilian self-defense books. From a World War II U.S.Army manual |
Defenses Against the Bayonet
These unarmed defenses against the bayonet are not as simple as they look. Nonetheless, they are often copied in newer military manuals. |
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These techniques came from a 1942 Soviet manual written for partisans. The "enemy" is actually wearing a British type helmet. |
Defense Against Knife
This is a common knife defense. The defender crosses his arms to block a strong upward thrust. |
The techniques depicted here are dangerous. Their practice can result in serious bodily harm. They are displayed here strictly for discussion of military history. They are not here for the instruction of close combat. Anyone who uses them does so at their own risk. We take no responsibility for any harm that may result from showing these methods.
If you wish to learn unarmed combat, seek a qualified instructor. Do not attempt to learn on your own.
