TMAs are battlefield proven.

[vigilus]

Anyone who makes the claim from hear on out must provide proof. I've only heard one story and:

You simply MUST.....or else...mrblackmagic will not believe you.

[nasreal]

You simply MUST.....or else...mrblackmagic will not believe you.

Dude, don't **** with him, he's obviously magical, he might like Gong Sao you, or give you a second asshole on your elbow or something.

[Hedgehogey]

Re: Cavalry, when I was with the Zapatistas I saw some pictures of Marcos and the other Commandantes (there's a commandante Bruce Li) riding about on horses in full gear, and I think they were in use during the brief active warfare phase of the insurrection. They were probably used to get the commandantes rapidly between points where they were needed and also to impress the **** out of gringo visitors like myself.

[attakmint]

While we're on the subject of WW2 hand-to-hand adventures:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Churchill
Cliffs: Jack Churchill was a crazy English soldier who was a Commando officer. He fought using a bow and arrow and a broadsword. He also carried a bagpipe into battle. He also had a pair of steel balls.

[DHNK]

While we're on the subject of WW2 hand-to-hand adventures:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Churchill
Cliffs: Jack Churchill was a crazy English soldier who was a Commando officer. He fought using a bow and arrow and a broadsword. He also carried a bagpipe into battle. He also had a pair of steel balls.

Goddamn! The man sounds like Action Jackson or something.:notworthy

[nifoc]

Re: cavalry in WWII

Both the Polish and Czeck cavalry actually assaulted the german tanks out of desperation. Some even trying to jam their sabers into the treads to stop them (like that would have worked).

They were losing the war and doing anything to stop their country from being overrun.

[M1K3]

When I went through Marine boot camp in 1971 our H2H consisted of Bayonet, the rifle as a blunt instrument, knife fighting and lastly empty hand. I think it was taught more as a part of your warrior heritage and to build your warrior spirit rather than a practical combat skill.

I also read a quote from Matt Thompson, not sure on the spelling, one of the leaders in the development of the Army Combatives program that the purpose of the H2H training was to keep a soldier alive long enough for his buddies with guns to get there.

Last but not least, just because an art was tested or used on the battlefield doesn’t mean it was successful! I am sure at some time a soldier probably threw rocks out of desperation, and it may have even worked once or twice. Still doesn’t mean I would build a martial art around it.

Although this could have been the beginning of ‘chi blasts’. Think about it. Someone survives a big battle by throwing rocks, it becomes a martial art, Because it is too deadly to train alive rock throwing katas are developed. Over time the rock is no longer part of the kata and after even more time they forget a rock was even involved. But they know this kata teaches you how to kill a distance!

[MGuns]

TMA are designed for individual self perfection not combat effectiveness. I do not remeber seeing an insurgent run up to a Marine in Fallujah, throw down his weapon and get into Neko Ashi-Dachi (cat stance) and get ready to engage. For Japanese Martial Arts, the Tokugawa Shoganate began curbing martial ardor by redirecting the Samurai to look inward and develop the self. Form over took function. While the roots may have been combat, the development and current practice are a far cry from the original combat application.

Most modern histories of martial arts are cross of marketing and myth. The best perspectives on Budo-Bujutsu-Koryu arts are written by Don Draeger (1922-1982). He wrote from an objective perspective.

For western arts, the advent of the gun replaced most true combative system. Function over form. What is the easiest way to defeat the enemy.

True martial arts were weapons based 1st. Martial Sports tend to be empty hand.