This post will start serious and then most likely end up the gutter but that’s just how I roll. Let’s start with a post I saw over at Danny’s blog:
“This reminded me of a program not so long ago about the secret training set up in Scotland for the Commandoes during World War II. The chief instructor was W. E. Fairburn. I have also seen his original instruction manual which is no longer in print. His system still forms the back bone of Western military close combat fighting which is designed to take an enemy out or to kill.”
With the help of Skykes, Fairburn would latter develop something called Defendu.
“The original Defendu was oriented towards self-defence and restraint, while the Close Quarters Combat system concentrated on rapid disabling of an opponent, with potentially lethal force. The militarised version of Defendu is described in Rex Applegate’s book Kill or Get Killed.”
Here’s a video that purports to demonstrate Defendu techniques:
Next, from the Crap You Can’t Make Up Department, I give you a pirate terrorist:
Arrrrrrrrrrr!
“Hamza, who wears a distinctive metal hook after losing his right hand in an explosion in Afghanistan may lose the prosthesis under a prison regime which prevent prisoners having access to improvised weapons.”
Lastly, let us close with a masterful demonstration of skill and dexterity:
I call bullshit on that Defendu video. Flying armbars and omo (or gogo, I can never remember) platas as WWII combatives techniques? I think not.
The juxtaposition of the obviously talented young lady and the flying armbars has me all aflutter.
I also tend to support Jake’s assertion. If I can stretch my memories all the material I’ve seen from Fairbanks and company have been incredibly straightforward. I figured they needed to keep it simple because they had limited time to get folks up to speed. Perhaps these fellows in Poland have simply evolved to keep up with the times.
Yeah I suspect as much, too. I’m guessing the Polish dudes have embellished some things.
Wikipedia says Fairbairn studied jujitsu (also TCMA). A lot of this stuff in the video looks like high-level jujitsu stuff, with maybe some twists. My system was developed in Hawaii in the 20′s, and it has some of these elements – though not in this particular form.
Furthermore, it is said that the founder, Henry Okazaki, had gone to Japan on a musha shugyo and brought back over 600 techniques. Given that Fairbairn learned this stuff in Shanghai, I don’t think it’s implausible that he had some of these elements. This stuff always changes over time, of course, but I think it’s more likely than not that Fairbairn was doing some of this stuff.
For example, I have the video frozen at 3:29 where he is using an alternate entry to a technique on our black belt list. Mostly his entry is more difficult to practice safely, also it requires the ability to kick high. We throw them down then do the technique, it’s much easier. So is that Fairbairn, or some added sex appeal?
Hey Jay,
Not sure. I always assumed that the WWII era self-defense had less flash. However, to be honest, I’ve not delved too deep. Also, this conversation involves jujitsu and I’m definitely out of my element there.
There is some cool stuff in the video which is why I posted it.
I think that if you are teaching a 12-week course to someone who’s going into battle, you keep things simple. Most of these advanced techniques, in my ryu, are “secret” and not shown directly to outsiders. (This is probably why we think of some of this stuff as “new”, though improvements are inevitable, even likely). They also can be seen as “overtraining”, meant to solidify basic skills by putting them in a more difficult context.
As a fascinating side note, Okazaki was interned durning WWII, and while in internment, taught a list of “bokkendo” to American GI’s in Honolulu. Bokken were used as dummy rifles, and GI’s were taught to strike and thrust with them, as well as roll and fall. As you say, it was simple stuff.
But none of this means that Fairfield didn’t know stuff that was more complex. And furthermore, at some point you are encouraged to “mix and match” entries and techniques. So the Polish guys could well be working within their tradition.
I stand by statement; yes, Fairbairn was exposed to traditional Japanese and Chinese martial arts, but his focus was always on teaching folks to fight in the shortest, most efficient time frame possible. He was generally teaching either police, military, or untrained citizens.
While Fairbairn himself may have been exposed to, or even familiar with, some of those movements, everything I’ve ever read by or about the man would suggest to me that he would bother teaching this stuff. If people want to bolt it on, they could, but it doesn’t seem consistent with Fairbairn’s teachings in the slightest.