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Medieval UnarmedCombatExamples of the fighting style, with parallels to modern techniques
At first glance, the unarmed combat shown in old Medieval "fight books" is comical. It looks like an awkward attempt at grappling. That isbecause of the stylized art used by Medieval illustrators. A closer look reveals a strong fighting system designed to put an adversary on theground quickly. Some of these techniques are brutally efficient. Many are familiar to students of another combative art: Jujitsu. The Medieval
methods are identical to many Jujitsu techniques with one difference. Medieval technique is utterly ruthless.
To help you understand the nuance of Medieval fighting, I have placed them alongside identical techniques from modern military combativesystems. I will be preparing a printed resource in the future that gives an in-depth look at Medieval and Renaissance techniques from varioussources.
A chop
From a World War II era guidebook jujitsu book
Using a palm or claw to the face to break a bear hug
Palm heel defense from a World War II German manual.
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Applying an arm bar
Arm bar defense from the 1971 Army manual.
Lift and drop on the knee. It is not so much a lift as wheeling theperson off his feet.
This same technique. The soldier is not carrying his opponent, but has spun himand is about to drop him.
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The "Figure 4" armlock.
A well-known Jujitsu technique, here is a variant of the armlock from an Army
manual.
Bent arm armlock
The same armlock is shown in a 1943 Army manual. Here it is used to countera downward knife attack.
Attacker on right grabs or chokes his opponent. The defender onthe left uses a left hand strike to break the choke. Simultaneously,he grabs the attacker's wrist so as to be able to apply a hold.
This 1946 Danish manual depicts the Fairbairn Technique for breaking achoke. It is identical to the Medieval trick. He chops at the inside of theattacker's elbow and knees him. The next move would be to grip attacker's
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wrist and apply an arm bar.
The "flying mare" is an overshoulder throw.
Here is the same technique in a 1942 Canadian manual. This throw is acommon trick of 20th Century hand-to-hand combat.
Medieval Disarming Techniques
Medieval fighters learned to fight with a variety of weapons. Wrestling included techniques to be used alone, or in conjunction with weapons.There were also last-resort techniques by which an unarmed man might protect himself from an armed adversary. The Medieval fighters were
pragmatic. They knew that an armed man had a distinct advantage over an unarmed one, no matter how well trained. However, they also knowthat having something to use against an opponent was better than having nothing.
The techniques shown here are very old. In a weird twist, similar methods were found in Jujitsu and made their way into military unarmedcombat. It is as if we have come full circle, discovering that the best of modern unarmed combat turns out to be our old Medieval wrestling.
While it is nice to look at these techniques, I would NOT advise trying them. Those so inclined should seek the instruction of a qualifiedteacher. These methods are the same as well-known Jujitsu and wrestling techniques.
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The defender falls back, kicking and then levering his opponent onto theground. Here is the same maneuver in an Army manual. It is a popular Judo
trick.
Bent armlock takedown.
The same technique from a 1953 Army manual.
Armlock takedown.
Similar technique from 1943 Army manual. The armlock is calledan arm bar.
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Life and drop onto the knee. Here the defender lifts the enemy's knee withthe right hand and pushes with the left. He wheels the opponent overrather than lifts him.
Similar technique. The soldier lifted the knee, and pushed hisopponent's face to wheel him. Again, he did not lift him, but wheeledhim over.
Knee jerk and trip. The man on the left pulls his opponent's knees, forcinghim to fall onto his back.
The same technique used in an old Swedish Army manual from the1950s.
The defender on the right blocks an upward thrust with a cross-arm block.This manual was written in the early to mid-15th Century
In this World War II German manual, the soldier defends with the
same technique.
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Knight on the right uses a cross-arm defense against a downward thrust.The same defense in the German manual. This manual was writtenabout 500 years after the preceding Medieval text.
Two fighters in a Medieval version of a clinch. Note the block used by theman on the left
The same technique as it appeared in a Canadian manual, circa 1941
