Martial arts and melee combat techniques

Martial arts or fighting arts are systems of codified practices and traditions of training for combat. Martial arts all have a very similar objective: defend oneself or others from a physical threat. In addition, some martial arts are linked to beliefs such as Hinduism while others follow a particular code of honour. Martial arts are considered as both an art and a science. The term martial arts refers to the art of warfare (derived from Mars, the Roman god of war) and comes from a 15th-century European term referring to what are now known as historical European martial arts. Europe is home to many extensive systems of fighting, both living traditions that have existed through the present and others which are now being reconstructed.

A common characteristic of martial art is the systematization of fighting techniques. Methods of training vary and may include sparring (simulated combat). This includes such styles as sword and shield, two-handed sword fighting, halberd fighting and other types of melee weapons combat. European martial arts have mostly adapted to changing technology so that while some traditional arts still exist, military personnel are trained in skills like bayonet combat and marksmanship.

My own country, Norway, has a millennium-long tradition in Viking-sword techniques or more popularly referred to as broad-sword techniques. A forward, basic heavy thrust with a Viking sword, could f example cut a man in two. It usually takes 3 years of hard training to fully master a broad-sword. However, regardless of how patriotic it would be to become a master of my Dyback Wiking sword replica (excellent combat-ready replicas, using traditional crafting methods are still produced in Toledo, Spain) we must sadly conclude that a majority of our traditional weapons and traditional European fighting techniques are obviously illogical and even counter-productive for current use.

Marksmanship and bayonet training

The most pragmatic approach for Justiciar Knight martial arts training includes marksmanship training, bayonet training (and simulations involving your additional defensive spikes/knives) and basic full contact fighting techniques for defensive and offensive purposes.

Muai Thai

As for basic, full contact, defensive and offensive fighting techniques I would highly recommend Muai Thai.

Muay Thai is a hard martial art from Thailand and is referred to as the " Art of Eight Limbs" or the " Science Of Eight Limbs" because it makes use of punches, kicks, elbows and knee strikes, thus using eight " points of contact", as opposed to " two points" (fists) in Western boxing and " four points" (hands and feet) used in sport-oriented martial arts.

Almost all techniques in Muay Thai use the entire body movement, rotating the hip with each kick, punch, elbow, block and includes the following techniques:

Punching

Jab, hook, swing, spinning backfist, uppercut and cobra.

Elbow

Elbow slash, horizontal elbow, uppercut elbow, forward elbow thrust, reverse horizontal elbow, spinning elbow, elbow chop, double elbow chop and mid-air elbow strike.

Kicking

Straight kick, roundhouse kick, half-knee kick, spinning heel kick, down roundhouse kick, axe heel kick, jump kick, step-up kick, straight knee strike, diagonal knee strike, curving knee strike, horizontal knee strike, knee slap, knee bomb, jumping knee, stap-up knee strike, straight foot-thrust, sideways foot-thrust, reverse foot-thrust, slapping foot-thrust and jumping foot-thrust.

Clinch and neck wrestling

In Western boxing the two fighters are separated when they clinch; in Muay Thai, however, they are not. It is often in the clinch where knee and elbow techniques are used. Normally, if you are in a clinch with someone and unable to use any of your weapons, always go for the neck. Simply punching the neck (Adam's apple) with a certain force should neutralise a majority of threats as the neck is the most vulnerable and potentially lethal point.