Close Quarters Combat Fundamentals

Understanding the Dynamics of CQC

• Analyzing threat assessment in confined spaces, including identifying potential weapons, escape routes, and vulnerable points.
• Defining the reactionary gap and its impact on decision-making and response time. Understanding how to manipulate the reactionary gap to your advantage.
• Learning the principles of controlling distance and managing proximity to minimize threats and maximize offensive opportunities.
• Mastering situational awareness and maintaining a 360-degree view to detect and respond to multiple attackers.

Stance, Movement, and Footwork

• Developing a stable and balanced fighting stance that allows for quick reactions and powerful strikes.
• Implementing footwork patterns for efficient movement, evasion, and closing the distance on an opponent.
• Practicing pivoting, shuffling, and angling techniques to maintain optimal positioning and control the engagement.
• Understanding the importance of maintaining a low center of gravity for stability and power generation.

Striking Techniques

Hand Strikes

• Delivering precise and powerful punches, including jabs, crosses, hooks, and uppercuts, targeting vital areas.
• Executing open-hand strikes, such as palm strikes, hammer fists, and ridge hand strikes, for maximum impact and versatility.
• Utilizing elbow strikes for devastating close-range attacks, focusing on precision and force generation.
• Mastering combinations of punches, open-hand strikes, and elbow strikes for fluid and effective offensive maneuvers.

Kicking Techniques

• Executing front kicks, side kicks, and roundhouse kicks with proper technique and power, targeting vulnerable areas.
• Using knee strikes for devastating close-range attacks, emphasizing precision and force.
• Developing kicking combinations for fluid and effective offensive maneuvers.
• Understanding the trade-offs and risks associated with different kicking techniques in a CQC environment.

Grappling and Clinch Work

Clinch Control

• Establishing and maintaining a dominant clinch position to control an opponent's movement and create opportunities for strikes and takedowns.
• Using underhooks, overhooks, and body locks to control an opponent's upper body and limit their offensive capabilities.
• Employing knee strikes and short punches from the clinch to inflict damage and disrupt an opponent's balance.
• Breaking an opponent's clinch using strikes, movement, and leverage.

Takedowns and Throws

• Executing a variety of takedowns, including single-leg takedowns, double-leg takedowns, and hip throws, to bring an opponent to the ground.
• Controlling an opponent's body weight and momentum to execute throws and sweeps.
• Transitioning smoothly from standing to ground positions while maintaining control and minimizing risk.
• Defending against common takedown attempts, including sprawling, stuffing, and circling.

Ground Fighting and Submissions

• Maintaining dominant positions on the ground, such as mount, side control, and back control.
• Escaping from disadvantageous positions on the ground, such as guard and bottom mount.
• Applying a variety of submissions, including chokes, joint locks, and leg locks, to force an opponent to submit.
• Defending against common submission attempts, including escapes, counters, and positional control.

Weapon Defense and Disarming

Edged Weapon Defense

• Developing awareness of common edged weapon attacks and identifying potential threats.
• Employing evasive footwork and body movement to avoid edged weapon strikes.
• Using blocks, parries, and deflections to intercept edged weapon attacks.
• Executing disarming techniques to remove an edged weapon from an attacker's control.

Firearm Defense

• Identifying different types of firearms and understanding their capabilities.
• Reacting to a firearm threat by moving off the line of fire and creating distance.
• Using cover and concealment to protect oneself from gunfire.
• Employing disarming techniques to remove a firearm from an attacker's control.

Improvised Weapons

• Identifying and utilizing common objects as improvised weapons, such as chairs, bottles, and keys.
• Adapting striking and grappling techniques to maximize the effectiveness of improvised weapons.
• Using improvised weapons for both offensive and defensive purposes.
• Understanding the legal considerations associated with using improvised weapons in self-defense scenarios.

Tactical Considerations

Room Clearing

• Understanding the principles of dynamic entry and room clearing.
• Utilizing pieing techniques to visually assess a room before entry.
• Moving safely and efficiently through a room while maintaining situational awareness.
• Communicating effectively with teammates during a room-clearing operation.

Hostage Rescue

• Prioritizing the safety of the hostage in all actions and decisions.
• Utilizing stealth and surprise to gain a tactical advantage.
• Executing controlled and precise strikes to neutralize threats without harming the hostage.
• Coordinating with teammates to secure the area and provide medical assistance to the hostage.

Multiple Attacker Scenarios

• Maintaining situational awareness to track the movements of multiple attackers.
• Prioritizing threats and focusing on the most immediate danger.
• Using footwork and movement to create space and avoid being surrounded.
• Employing effective striking and grappling techniques to control and neutralize multiple attackers.