2003-08-16, 04:58
#1
I samband med en diskussion om självförsvar gick jag in på de metoder som utvecklades och finjusterades under andra världskriget, och jag tänkte därför att det kunde vara intressant att se exakt vad det var som lärdes ut, om inte annat så av historiskt intresse och som kuriosa.
Eftersom jag inte har kunnat hitta det berömda "Silent Killing Syllabus" på Internet, så citerar jag nedan relevanta stycken ur det. Det här är EXAKT vad som lärdes ut till de allierades agenter, spioner och kommandosoldater. Det finns ytterligare en del avsnitt, men de handlar mer om överfall på vaktposter och hur man hanterar fångar, men även om aväpning. Finns det intresse kan jag skriva in dem med.
Källa: SOE Syllabus -- Lessons in ungentlemanly warfare, World War II, Public Record Office
Close combat
I.4.
December 1943
PREFACE.
1. Designed to teach how to fight and kill without firearms. Since the course includes the use of the knife, “close combat” is not strictly correct. “Silent Killing” is a more appropriate description.
2. Time available to students is limited. It is essential, therefore, to confine the teaching to what is simple, easily learned and deadly. With that object, all holds, throws, etc., that do not merit this description have been rigorously excluded. The syllabus which follows must now be regarded as a standard and instructors, therefore, will please not deviate from it in any way whatever. It is plainly undesirable that students should be taught one method in one place and another method somewhere else.
3. The syllabus includes various suggestions by instructors themselves. Further suggestions, if they constitute improvements, will be welcomed. Such suggestions must be put forward through the proper channels and must not be taught to students until sanction has been received.
4. Dummies are essential. Six should be provided, slung irregularly in a space approximately 10 to 12 feet in square. In addition, each instructor must make a straw-filled dummy for practice with the knife.
5. Other Equipment. German steel helmets are available and each instructor should have one, for practice in sentry attacks. Dummy knifes are useful but care should be taken that they are of some material which will not cause injury. Wood, for that reason, is not permissible. Rubber is unobtainable. The most practical solutions appears to be short lenagths of suitably thick rope.
6. Kit, etc. Ordinary P.T. kit is best though, at suitable intervals, students should practice in the kit that they are most likely to wear in the field. Students should not always be paired off in equal sizes. Sometimes, small men should be paired with big men.
7. When commencing the course of untrained students, the instructor should make a short introduction, not necessarily in the same words but to the same effect as the following:
“This system of combat is designed for the use when you have lost your firearms, which is something you should not do, or when the use of firearms is undesirable for fear of raising an alarm.
“At some time or other, most of you, probably, have been taught at least the rudiments of boxing, under the Queensbury rules. That training was useful because it taught you to think and move quickly and how to hit hard. The Queensbury rules enumerate, under the heading of “fouls”, some good targets which the boxer is not trained to defend.
“This, however, is WAR, not sport. Your aim is to kill your opponent as quickly as possible. A prisoner is generally a handicap and a source of danger, particularly if you are without weapons. So forget the Queensbury rules; forget the term “foul methods”. That may sound cruel to you but it is still more cruel to take longer than necessary to kill your opponent. “Foul methods” so-called, help you to kill quickly. Attack your opponent’s weakest points, therefore. He will attack yours if he gets a chance.
“There have been many famous boxers and wrestlers who time after time have won their contests with their favourite blows or holds. The reason is that they had so perfected those particular blows and holds that few could withstand them. The same applies to you. If you will take the trouble to perfect one method of attack, you will be far more formidable than if you only become fairly good at all the methods you will be shown.
“Since this course of instruction is meant to teach you to kill, it will be plain to you that its methods are dangerous. Your object here is to learn how to kill but it is quite unnecessary to kill or damage your sparring partner, you will get no credit if you do. In learning and practicing, therefore, you will avoid taking any risks of that kind. You must never disregard the submission signal – two taps on your opponent’s body or on your own, or on the floor. It is the signal to stop instantly and that is a rule which must never be broken.”
8. The syllabus is divided into six progressive sections. This arrangement is to be regarded, however, as elastic. Depending on such considerations as time available, progress made by students or their standard of knowledge, there is no reason, for example, why two or more sections should not be amalgamated.
9. One of the primary objects of the instructor is to make his students attack-minded, and dangerously so. No effort should be spared to realise this object, which should be regarded as on of the instructor’s chief responsibilities. No instructor should be satisfied unless his students become thoroughly proficient in the performance of the few simple things enumerated in the syllabus. Dull as it may become, constant repetition is the only road to proficiency and constant repetition the must be, no matter how much the students complain of boredom. Their business is to learn, at any cost. By proficiency is meant the ability to execute all the requirements of the syllabus swiftly, effectively and neatly, without having to stop to think.
The Syllabus
SECTION 1
Blows with the side of the hand. Explain that the most deadly blows without the aid of weapons are those with the side of the hand. To deliver them effectively the fingers must be together, thumb up, and the whole hand tensed. The blow is struck with the side of the hand, all the force being concentrated in one small area, i.e. approximately half-way between the base of the little finger and the wrist joint, or where the hand is broadest. If striking sideways, the back of the hand must be uppermost. No force can be obtained if the palm is uppermost.
Explain that with these blows, it is possible to kill, temporarily paralyse, break bones or badly hurt, depending on the part of the body that is struck. The effect of these blows is obtained by the speed with which they are delivered rather than the weight behind them. They can be made from almost any position, whether the striker is on balance or not, and thus can be delivered more quickly than any other blow.
Having explained these blows, the instructor should demonstrate them on the dummies and get the students to practice after him. His main point here is to bring out the speed of the blows and to see that students deliver them correctly.
Students should now be shown where to strike, as follows, explaining the effect on each particular point.
1. On the back of the neck, immediately on either side of the spine.
2. From the bridge of the nose to the base of the throat.
3. On either side of the head and throat, from the base of the throat to the temple area.
4. On the upper arm.
5. On the fore arm.
6. The kidney region.
Students should practice on the dummies again, keeping in mind the vulnerable points listed above. Strike with either hand.
SECTION 2
Other blows.
How to kick. As a general rule, kick with the side of the foot and unless you possess unusually good foot work and balance, don’t kick above knee height. Never kick toe foremost unless your opponent have both hands occupied. In that case, it is safe to kick to the fork. Once the opponent is down, kill by kicking the side or the back of the head (not the top of the head).
The boxing blows
The open-hand chin jab, fingers held back and apart ready to follow up to the eyes. Utilise the occasion to obtain some improvement in foot-work, explaining that the body must be properly positioned in order to obtain telling effect from either boxing blows or the open-hand chin jab. Explain, too, that neither can secure more than a knock-out, which should be followed up instantly by a killing attack.
Use of the Knee, often in simultaneous combination with other attacks (e.g. with the chin-jab). Show how, while being used for attack, it is an excellent guard for oneself.
Use of the head and elbows, for attach when the opponent is not in position for more effective blows.
Finger-tip jabs, to solar plexus, base of throat, or eyes, when nothing more effective can be done.
All the blows listed should be practiced on the dummies.
Conclude this section by telling students, as emphatically as possible:
a) That they should never go to ground if they can help it. If they have to, they should get up again as soon as they can. While a man is killing his opponent on the ground, the opponent’s friends could walk up and kick his brains out. Again, while on the ground, it is difficult to go on attacking.
b) That if their knowledge of the subject is confined to the contents of Sections 1 and 2, they will have made themselves extremely dangerous, even to highly trained adversaries, if only they will attack first and keep on attacking. Don’t stop just because the opponent is crippled. If you have broken his arm, for instance, that is only valuable because it is then easier to kill.
SECTION 3
Releases from holds
Explain first that, in general, nobody should be so slow in wits or body as to allow someone else to get a hold of him. In case of misfortune, however, show how to effect release from:
A wrist hold, taken with one hand
A wrist hold, taken with two hands
A throat hold, taken with one hand
A throat hold, taken with two hands.
Show here how, instead of the customary wrist-and-elbow release or one of its variants, it is far simpler, quicker and more effective to attack, e.g. knee to the fork and fingers to the eyes, simultaneously.
A body hold, from the front or rear, arms free and arms pinioned.
Police of “come-along” holds.
The whole idea of releasing yourself from a hold is to enable you to attack and kill your adversary. Whenever possible, the disengaging movement should form the commencement of an attack. In any case, there must be an effective and instant follow-up attack after every release. The instructor should demonstrate most carefully every detail to do with this Section and then insist on students practising until not only the mode of release but the subsequent attack becomes a matter of instinct, to be carried out at lightning speed. The instructor should emphasise the importance of footwork, and, where necessary, try to improve it.
SECTION 4
Crowd Fighting
One cannot always choose when one will fight and it may sometimes happen that one is faced with several opponents at once. On such occasions, unarmed yourself, your object is not so much to kill your opponents as to get quickly away from them so that you do not get killed. Pride is expensive if it entails defeat and death.
To escape from circumstances like these, a special technique is necessary.
For the technique, balance is essential and the instructor should now demonstrate how to keep on balance when swift movement is necessary in kicking while standing on one foot. Students can be paired off and, standing on one foot, arms folded, they should try to kick each other off balance whilst maintaining their own balance.
Once this is mastered, it should be explained that, surrounded by a crowd, your only chance of escape lies in continual movement. This is so because, after you have taken up a new position it requires a second for an opponent to turn and balance before he is able to strike you with any force. If one moves at least three feet in each second, there is obviously little chance of an opponent scoring an effective hit on you. At the same time, by the use of blows previously learned, you will be able to do considerable damage while you are moving.
NOTE: 1. In addition to forward, backward, and lateral movement, move also at different levels, sometimes with the knees very much bent. It all helps, if done at speed, to bewilder your adversaries.
2. Of necessity, there will be little room for movement, so make room by moving against one opponent after the another, attacking as you do. Point out the value of the balance and foot work in which the students should have been practised at the beginning of this section.
The information contained in the two above notes should suffice to prepare students for the actual practice, which is now outlined.
Six dummies should be suspended as indicated in the preface. One student at the time should enter the ring and, with all the speed of which he is capable, should then attack the dummies at random, using every kind of blow with hand, foot, knee, elbow, and head, from any position.
The practice is exhausting and it is difficult to keep it up for more than a minute.
The instructor must watch carefully for faults so that he can give advice afterwards.
Before the student tires he should be told to leave the ring and he will do so at speed, exactly as if he were actually making an escape.
To derive the maximum benefit from this exercise it should first be done both by the instructor and the student in slow time, paying careful attention to footwork.
It should then be followed by many short periods in the ring and only an occasional longer one. It must always be remembered that the aim is to get out of the place and not to fight any longer than necessary.
SECTION 5
Knife Fightning
The knife is a silent and deadly weapon that is easily concealed and against which in the hands of an expert, there is no sure defence, except fire-arms or by running like hell.
Students should be taught how to hold a knife, how to pass it from one hand to another, to thrust and how to use the disengaged hand to feint and parry. It is unnecessary to be ambidextrous to be able to use the knife with either hand.
Show the vulnerable points, emphasising that the abdominal is the principal target. Show how to make an opening for a thrust in the region, e.g. by slashing across face, hands, wrist and forearms, by flinging gravel, a stone, a hat, a handkerchief, etc., in the opponent’s face.
Explain the value of a really sharp point and edge, the latter, particularly with a double-edged knife, being as much to prevent the knife from being seized as for slashing.
Show the ham-string slash at the back of the knee.
Make students now practice thrusts at the straw-filled dummies.
Eftersom jag inte har kunnat hitta det berömda "Silent Killing Syllabus" på Internet, så citerar jag nedan relevanta stycken ur det. Det här är EXAKT vad som lärdes ut till de allierades agenter, spioner och kommandosoldater. Det finns ytterligare en del avsnitt, men de handlar mer om överfall på vaktposter och hur man hanterar fångar, men även om aväpning. Finns det intresse kan jag skriva in dem med.
Källa: SOE Syllabus -- Lessons in ungentlemanly warfare, World War II, Public Record Office
Close combat
I.4.
December 1943
PREFACE.
1. Designed to teach how to fight and kill without firearms. Since the course includes the use of the knife, “close combat” is not strictly correct. “Silent Killing” is a more appropriate description.
2. Time available to students is limited. It is essential, therefore, to confine the teaching to what is simple, easily learned and deadly. With that object, all holds, throws, etc., that do not merit this description have been rigorously excluded. The syllabus which follows must now be regarded as a standard and instructors, therefore, will please not deviate from it in any way whatever. It is plainly undesirable that students should be taught one method in one place and another method somewhere else.
3. The syllabus includes various suggestions by instructors themselves. Further suggestions, if they constitute improvements, will be welcomed. Such suggestions must be put forward through the proper channels and must not be taught to students until sanction has been received.
4. Dummies are essential. Six should be provided, slung irregularly in a space approximately 10 to 12 feet in square. In addition, each instructor must make a straw-filled dummy for practice with the knife.
5. Other Equipment. German steel helmets are available and each instructor should have one, for practice in sentry attacks. Dummy knifes are useful but care should be taken that they are of some material which will not cause injury. Wood, for that reason, is not permissible. Rubber is unobtainable. The most practical solutions appears to be short lenagths of suitably thick rope.
6. Kit, etc. Ordinary P.T. kit is best though, at suitable intervals, students should practice in the kit that they are most likely to wear in the field. Students should not always be paired off in equal sizes. Sometimes, small men should be paired with big men.
7. When commencing the course of untrained students, the instructor should make a short introduction, not necessarily in the same words but to the same effect as the following:
“This system of combat is designed for the use when you have lost your firearms, which is something you should not do, or when the use of firearms is undesirable for fear of raising an alarm.
“At some time or other, most of you, probably, have been taught at least the rudiments of boxing, under the Queensbury rules. That training was useful because it taught you to think and move quickly and how to hit hard. The Queensbury rules enumerate, under the heading of “fouls”, some good targets which the boxer is not trained to defend.
“This, however, is WAR, not sport. Your aim is to kill your opponent as quickly as possible. A prisoner is generally a handicap and a source of danger, particularly if you are without weapons. So forget the Queensbury rules; forget the term “foul methods”. That may sound cruel to you but it is still more cruel to take longer than necessary to kill your opponent. “Foul methods” so-called, help you to kill quickly. Attack your opponent’s weakest points, therefore. He will attack yours if he gets a chance.
“There have been many famous boxers and wrestlers who time after time have won their contests with their favourite blows or holds. The reason is that they had so perfected those particular blows and holds that few could withstand them. The same applies to you. If you will take the trouble to perfect one method of attack, you will be far more formidable than if you only become fairly good at all the methods you will be shown.
“Since this course of instruction is meant to teach you to kill, it will be plain to you that its methods are dangerous. Your object here is to learn how to kill but it is quite unnecessary to kill or damage your sparring partner, you will get no credit if you do. In learning and practicing, therefore, you will avoid taking any risks of that kind. You must never disregard the submission signal – two taps on your opponent’s body or on your own, or on the floor. It is the signal to stop instantly and that is a rule which must never be broken.”
8. The syllabus is divided into six progressive sections. This arrangement is to be regarded, however, as elastic. Depending on such considerations as time available, progress made by students or their standard of knowledge, there is no reason, for example, why two or more sections should not be amalgamated.
9. One of the primary objects of the instructor is to make his students attack-minded, and dangerously so. No effort should be spared to realise this object, which should be regarded as on of the instructor’s chief responsibilities. No instructor should be satisfied unless his students become thoroughly proficient in the performance of the few simple things enumerated in the syllabus. Dull as it may become, constant repetition is the only road to proficiency and constant repetition the must be, no matter how much the students complain of boredom. Their business is to learn, at any cost. By proficiency is meant the ability to execute all the requirements of the syllabus swiftly, effectively and neatly, without having to stop to think.
The Syllabus
SECTION 1
Blows with the side of the hand. Explain that the most deadly blows without the aid of weapons are those with the side of the hand. To deliver them effectively the fingers must be together, thumb up, and the whole hand tensed. The blow is struck with the side of the hand, all the force being concentrated in one small area, i.e. approximately half-way between the base of the little finger and the wrist joint, or where the hand is broadest. If striking sideways, the back of the hand must be uppermost. No force can be obtained if the palm is uppermost.
Explain that with these blows, it is possible to kill, temporarily paralyse, break bones or badly hurt, depending on the part of the body that is struck. The effect of these blows is obtained by the speed with which they are delivered rather than the weight behind them. They can be made from almost any position, whether the striker is on balance or not, and thus can be delivered more quickly than any other blow.
Having explained these blows, the instructor should demonstrate them on the dummies and get the students to practice after him. His main point here is to bring out the speed of the blows and to see that students deliver them correctly.
Students should now be shown where to strike, as follows, explaining the effect on each particular point.
1. On the back of the neck, immediately on either side of the spine.
2. From the bridge of the nose to the base of the throat.
3. On either side of the head and throat, from the base of the throat to the temple area.
4. On the upper arm.
5. On the fore arm.
6. The kidney region.
Students should practice on the dummies again, keeping in mind the vulnerable points listed above. Strike with either hand.
SECTION 2
Other blows.
How to kick. As a general rule, kick with the side of the foot and unless you possess unusually good foot work and balance, don’t kick above knee height. Never kick toe foremost unless your opponent have both hands occupied. In that case, it is safe to kick to the fork. Once the opponent is down, kill by kicking the side or the back of the head (not the top of the head).
The boxing blows
The open-hand chin jab, fingers held back and apart ready to follow up to the eyes. Utilise the occasion to obtain some improvement in foot-work, explaining that the body must be properly positioned in order to obtain telling effect from either boxing blows or the open-hand chin jab. Explain, too, that neither can secure more than a knock-out, which should be followed up instantly by a killing attack.
Use of the Knee, often in simultaneous combination with other attacks (e.g. with the chin-jab). Show how, while being used for attack, it is an excellent guard for oneself.
Use of the head and elbows, for attach when the opponent is not in position for more effective blows.
Finger-tip jabs, to solar plexus, base of throat, or eyes, when nothing more effective can be done.
All the blows listed should be practiced on the dummies.
Conclude this section by telling students, as emphatically as possible:
a) That they should never go to ground if they can help it. If they have to, they should get up again as soon as they can. While a man is killing his opponent on the ground, the opponent’s friends could walk up and kick his brains out. Again, while on the ground, it is difficult to go on attacking.
b) That if their knowledge of the subject is confined to the contents of Sections 1 and 2, they will have made themselves extremely dangerous, even to highly trained adversaries, if only they will attack first and keep on attacking. Don’t stop just because the opponent is crippled. If you have broken his arm, for instance, that is only valuable because it is then easier to kill.
SECTION 3
Releases from holds
Explain first that, in general, nobody should be so slow in wits or body as to allow someone else to get a hold of him. In case of misfortune, however, show how to effect release from:
A wrist hold, taken with one hand
A wrist hold, taken with two hands
A throat hold, taken with one hand
A throat hold, taken with two hands.
Show here how, instead of the customary wrist-and-elbow release or one of its variants, it is far simpler, quicker and more effective to attack, e.g. knee to the fork and fingers to the eyes, simultaneously.
A body hold, from the front or rear, arms free and arms pinioned.
Police of “come-along” holds.
The whole idea of releasing yourself from a hold is to enable you to attack and kill your adversary. Whenever possible, the disengaging movement should form the commencement of an attack. In any case, there must be an effective and instant follow-up attack after every release. The instructor should demonstrate most carefully every detail to do with this Section and then insist on students practising until not only the mode of release but the subsequent attack becomes a matter of instinct, to be carried out at lightning speed. The instructor should emphasise the importance of footwork, and, where necessary, try to improve it.
SECTION 4
Crowd Fighting
One cannot always choose when one will fight and it may sometimes happen that one is faced with several opponents at once. On such occasions, unarmed yourself, your object is not so much to kill your opponents as to get quickly away from them so that you do not get killed. Pride is expensive if it entails defeat and death.
To escape from circumstances like these, a special technique is necessary.
For the technique, balance is essential and the instructor should now demonstrate how to keep on balance when swift movement is necessary in kicking while standing on one foot. Students can be paired off and, standing on one foot, arms folded, they should try to kick each other off balance whilst maintaining their own balance.
Once this is mastered, it should be explained that, surrounded by a crowd, your only chance of escape lies in continual movement. This is so because, after you have taken up a new position it requires a second for an opponent to turn and balance before he is able to strike you with any force. If one moves at least three feet in each second, there is obviously little chance of an opponent scoring an effective hit on you. At the same time, by the use of blows previously learned, you will be able to do considerable damage while you are moving.
NOTE: 1. In addition to forward, backward, and lateral movement, move also at different levels, sometimes with the knees very much bent. It all helps, if done at speed, to bewilder your adversaries.
2. Of necessity, there will be little room for movement, so make room by moving against one opponent after the another, attacking as you do. Point out the value of the balance and foot work in which the students should have been practised at the beginning of this section.
The information contained in the two above notes should suffice to prepare students for the actual practice, which is now outlined.
Six dummies should be suspended as indicated in the preface. One student at the time should enter the ring and, with all the speed of which he is capable, should then attack the dummies at random, using every kind of blow with hand, foot, knee, elbow, and head, from any position.
The practice is exhausting and it is difficult to keep it up for more than a minute.
The instructor must watch carefully for faults so that he can give advice afterwards.
Before the student tires he should be told to leave the ring and he will do so at speed, exactly as if he were actually making an escape.
To derive the maximum benefit from this exercise it should first be done both by the instructor and the student in slow time, paying careful attention to footwork.
It should then be followed by many short periods in the ring and only an occasional longer one. It must always be remembered that the aim is to get out of the place and not to fight any longer than necessary.
SECTION 5
Knife Fightning
The knife is a silent and deadly weapon that is easily concealed and against which in the hands of an expert, there is no sure defence, except fire-arms or by running like hell.
Students should be taught how to hold a knife, how to pass it from one hand to another, to thrust and how to use the disengaged hand to feint and parry. It is unnecessary to be ambidextrous to be able to use the knife with either hand.
Show the vulnerable points, emphasising that the abdominal is the principal target. Show how to make an opening for a thrust in the region, e.g. by slashing across face, hands, wrist and forearms, by flinging gravel, a stone, a hat, a handkerchief, etc., in the opponent’s face.
Explain the value of a really sharp point and edge, the latter, particularly with a double-edged knife, being as much to prevent the knife from being seized as for slashing.
Show the ham-string slash at the back of the knee.
Make students now practice thrusts at the straw-filled dummies.
