There is a big difference between martial arts and hand to hand combat (also called “unarmed combat” although Soldiers are rarely unarmed).  Marital arts techniques are usually complex and require extensive study to master.  Most also assume the practitioner is unarmed.  Military hand to hand combat (now called combatives) is what a Soldier employs when involved in a close quarters fight or when employing a less than lethal option on noncombatants.  The techniques Soldiers employ must be quick, effective, and easily learned and mastered.  Spinning back kicks, arm bars, or hard to locate pressure points simply do not work when a Soldier is wearing all of his combat gear and engaged with an opponent who is fighting back.  The latest trends in the martial arts world are “reality fighting” programs and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).  Of course, as all civilian trends have a tendency to do; these have become integrated into the way the military trains.  Policy makers often buy off on these programs without seeing the big picture or having a solid grasp on what actually works and is needed in combat compared to what works inside a dojo or in MMA competitions. 

There is nothing wrong or unrealistic with most reality fighting programs.  Some of them are actually quite effective.  Most are hybrids of traditional martial arts and teach effective, street proven combat techniques.  In addition, there is nothing inherently wrong with MMA and the popularity in ground fighting.  In the 1980’s, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was a wake-up call to many martial artists.  They discovered their ground fighting skills were lacking as they were dominated by Jiu-Jitsu stylists.  The Army also got onboard and revamped their combatives manual (then FM 25-150) and created the Modern Army Combatives Program (MACP) because of it.  The MACP replaced traditional unarmed combat in the Army with Jiu-Jitsu and other martial arts to create the MACP.  At the time, Jiu-Jitsu was considered the quintessential fighting system by many in the martial arts community.  Not only because of the success of the system in the UFC, but also because of the ingenious marketing and publicity campaign of the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Family.  

The problem, however, is with martial arts as a solution to hand to hand/unarmed combat training for the military.  Soldiers need to be instructed in simple techniques that do not require hours and hours of practice and refresher training to work.  The techniques must be applicable to situations Soldiers will face on the battlefield or in other contingency operations, not in competitions.  The techniques must be able to be employed while in full combat uniform while carrying a weapon and they must fit into different rules of engagement scenarios.  No traditional martial arts or sport fighting programs currently fit this bill.   

Another problem with hand to hand combat training in the military is the instruction itself.  Most units find their unarmed combat instructor by finding a Soldier who is a proficient martial artist.  Many times, these martial-artists-turned-instructors make the mistake of instructing in their particular martial discipline.  The problem is they cannot effectively “dumb down” their training to Soldiers who may not have years of martial art experience under their belt.  Additionally, many cannot tailor their fighting system to the needs of their Soldiers.  Many times, instructors want to teach the “cool” or “sexy” techniques (the ones that took them years to learn) to impress their Soldiers.  These “wow” techniques may have a place at the beginning of a training session, to capture the Soldier’s attention, but fancy techniques have no part in real hand to hand combat training.  Hand to hand combat training is repetitious.  It focuses on basic techniques to achieve muscle memory in Soldiers.  The training is conducted for the benefit of Soldiers, not the inflation of the instructor’s ego.

Hand to hand combat for the Army needs to go back to the drawing board.  It needs to be revamped and then standardized across the Army.  It needs to focus (again) on the basics; weapon retention, the butt stroke, the head butt, clearing the line of fire of non combatants, simple blocks, strikes and take downs.  Soldiers on the battlefield do not submit their opponents with arm bars while wrestling around on the ground.  In a hand to hand combat situation, Soldiers protect themselves from being incapacitated, create space and employ a weapon system or they bring an opponent to the ground and apply restraints. 

With that said, the Army’s current hand to hand combat training is not all bad.  It does an excellent job of instilling the “warrior spirit” in Soldiers and implements a standard across the Army for unarmed combat competitions.  Many of the techniques presented are practical and work well in combat.  It has also shed light on how important unarmed combat training is for Soldiers, both in practicality and in building the warrior ethos.  It does not, however, effectively prepare Soldiers for the reality of actual hand to hand combat.  MMA type sporting events and the current Army combatives training are great tools for Soldiers in many ways, but marital arts should never be confused with martial training for the military.

- Donald Lawson, First Sergeant, United States Army