Fight Like Your Grandad Tommy Joe Moore

Imagine a martial art with pressure testing drills, improvised weapons, multiple opponents, mixed martial arts and scenario training. You might be tempted to think of Krav Maga or the latest in a long line of RSBD systems. In short, something decidedly modern.

Turn the dial back nearly 100 years and you’ve got just those ingredients happening in 1920s Shanghai and well into World War Two.

So jump in your time machine, as it’s time to learn to fight like your Grandad.

VICE CITY SHANGHAI

Enter Shanghai, 1900s — 1940s. You are now in the “vice city” of the world. A city managed by foreign interest, murky colonial politics, a decaying ancient empire and most of all…cold hard money.

From a muddy coastal dwelling to a global super-city, known as a place to run to or run away from. For some, Shanghai was paradise. For many others, it could be hell.

You’ve got the triad gangs. Vicious groups that specialise in drug running, kidnapping, extortion and murder. Leading gangs in the city at the time were the “Green Gang” and the “Red Gang” familial collections of thieves, crooks and serious villains.

Add into that pot representatives of the colonial militaries and police of powers like the UK, France and USA. All vying for power and influence. All amidst sky-rocketing rates of opium usage, prostitution, forced labour gangs, kidnapping, protection rackets, communist insurgents. The mob scene of New York or Chicago would in many ways pale in comparison to Shanghai.

The Shanghai Municipal Police (SMP) was one of the few organised bastions of law and order. An international police force compromised of Western, Indian, Japanese and Chinese officers / constables.

They became one of the world’s first SWAT style forces. Their Riot Squad being a famed as the “blueprint” for how police today operate in states of emergency.

The SMP heralded and furthered innovations in shooting for combat. The use of riot shields, body armour and the use of vans / vehicles. They used “kill houses” where people learned to shoot, fight, and survive in streets, opium dens, houses and other realistic environments.

They had their own armourers, snipers. They commissioned new and innovative weapon types. Crafted revolutionary new riot vans and street violence tactics. In short — they were a testing ground for what’s necessary to maintain the law in a city beset by vice and violence.

And the man primarily responsible for making this happen… one W. E. Fairbairn. *

*And naturally his partner in fighting crime, E.A Sykes

THE MAN HIMSELF

Born in England, Fairbairn led a rather ordinary existence until at the age of 15, where he joins the Royal Marines. He would have found himself immersed in a culture that includes weapons work, colonial policing, boxing, wrestling, bayonet fencing and all other pastimes popular during the period.

Following his career in the Marines, he began work with the SMP, rising rapidly through the ranks. Following a particularly brutal encounter with a “tong," he found himself being tended to by a Japanese Bone Setter and Ju Jitsuka, one Sensei Okada.

Thus, begins Fairbairn’s supercharged interest in the martial arts and their practical applications. Fairbairn was neither a large or intimidating man. Looking more like a librarian than the Shanghai Buster name he was given.

Shanghai’s and the SMP’s melting pot nature meant that Fairbairn could access a huge wealth of martial knowledge from the East and the West. Fairbairn went on to study, practice and be exposed to, amongst many other arts:

• Judo and Ju Jitsu (and other Japanese arts) • Gung Fu (Primarily Internal Chinese Martial arts) • Use of the Lathi (Indian nightstick via Sikh sergeants and constables) • Western Boxing, Savate (French Kickboxing), Wrestling, Bayonet

Fairbairn’s amiable nature and love for the martial arts meant that he could access skills and sensei / sifus that many others would struggle to meet.

Thus, Fairbairn managed to accrue an impressive array of skills. Adding these “passions” to his day job of being a very-hands on leader and officer of the SMP – meant that everything Fairbairn learned could be pressure tested, altered, optimised and deployed.

Fairbairn was prolific cross trainer and a prolific teacher. After many years of work and study, he began to solidify his “syllabus” of techniques for the Police Officers of the SMP.

Later in life he went on to craft guides for civilian self-defence, women’s self-defence and most famously, as an older man back in 1940s Britain and Canada – training commandos and SOE personnel to fight the Third Reich.

It is for his work in WW2 helping train what would become the intelligence and special forces (Commandos, SOE, OSS et al.) of the allies. Fairbairn and his team (Notably E.A Sykes) trained men and women of all specialisms how to fight and survive using pistols, tommy guns, knives, garrottes and their bare hands.

LEARN TO FIGHT LIKE YOUR GRANDAD:

Fairbairn had various names for his martial material. From Defendu and All in Fighting, through to ‘Gutterfighting’!

When you fight properly, it’s about more than just punches and kicks. One must explore the psychology of fighting and of trauma. W. E. Fairbairn understood this and factored ahead of his time views on pressure testing, simplification and teaching methodologies.

Let’s begin with Ju Jitsu principles that Fairbairn exemplifies, in the classic Ju Jitsu triad of Kazushi, Tsukiri and Kake.

Kazushi:

To disrupt, distract or otherwise unbalance. An opponent that doesn’t see a move coming, often wakes up after a long spell of unconsciousness. Kazushi can be anything from “Excuse me mate, have you got the time?” before a sock in the jaw, all the way through to the physical act of pulling an opponent’s head down so he’s easier to throw.

Kazushi is about never missing a chance to confuse, disorientate, disrupt or distract an enemy.

For example:

• Asking questions / being offensive / being timid / making odd or baffling statements or noises or actions (such as pointing) • Pushing, pulling, dragging an opponent in a desirable direction • Walking or subtly guiding an enemy into disadvantageous places (near stairs, by obstacles etc)

Putting the opponent in the worst place possible for them and ensuring they don’t see your next move coming is key.

Tsukiri:

This means to “enter”. This is our first phase of the conflict. Often when we’re fighting for our lives, or think we might be, we need to act first. When we “enter” we can be:

• Throwing a strike / kick / headbutt etc • Attaining a hold or grab (such as the label, sleeve, wrist, hair, backpack etc) • Aggressively enter a space (closing down the range between you and the enemy)

Tuskiri should be fast, explosive and if we used Kazushi, they should not predict it coming.

Kake:

This is the execution. This can be the ending of the technique or the sequence of moves you intend to deliver. I.e. (ask a distracting question (Kazushi), make a collar grab (tsukiri), deliver a powerful blow to the throat (kake). It’s important to know what to do, after we’ve done what we wanted. Always have a next plan. Our plans should never end at “I’ve thrown the punch” or “I’ve landed the throw”. We must always be planning our next attack, our escape, our access to a weapon or whatever we need to thrive.

Offensive Mindset:

You’ll note that in his manuals and film footage, Fairbairn offers little in the way of “defences”. Sure, he showcases how to escape holds. Evade blows. But he does not typically teach blocking or traditional defences.

He is to the core a military man. Concerned not just with techniques, but attributes and mindset too. Just take one look at a modern bayonet course today.

It’s not really about learning to thrust the bayonet. It’s about having a warrior mindset and being ferocious. Fairbairn knew the value of soldierly training.

There is an offensive mindset to Fairbairn. Often it is kill or be killed. Or kill or be injured. In the Tong houses of Shanghai or the street fighting of Holland, there is little room for timidity. It’s advised to attack before you’re attacked (take the initiative) and don’t stop attacking, until the threat is over.

Techniques in Fairbairn guides are typically shown singularly. The real art is in learning how to “chain” techniques so that they flow. It often takes many blows to put an opponent away. That requires the cultivation of an offensive mindset that can see you through delivering multiple edge of hand blows, chin jabs , etc.

Never give up:

It’s not over till it’s over. Often fights happen when you are at a disadvantage. You’re injured. You’re tired. You weren’t ready. It’s vital to develop a strong combative spirit. That’s why Fairbairn did many “Milling” exercises. Fights (boxing or gutterfighting) lasting 30 seconds to a minute. All in. All power. All aggression! Sometimes many against one! You need to foster a strong fighting spirit. That means training against the odds, because often fighting is against the odds.

Pain vs damage:

Many techniques in Fairbairn’s early work are designed for the policeman. Even in a city like Shanghai, there are rules. Typically, we want prisoners taken alive. In his WW2 materials, things naturally change to a more deadly tact. It’s important as a martial artist to know if you want to cause pain (temporary hurt) or damage (lasting or fatal injury). Knowing what techniques align to pain or damage, and how to flow these up or down is key. It’s always important to know both in case you need them.

Whilst a modern interpolation - I think the acronym SAS best describes the Fairbairn method in spirit…

• Surprise • Attack • Sustain

Get them when they’re not looking or aren’t ready. Hit them with something that could and should end the fight. And if that doesn’t work, keep on hitting, grappling, attacking until the job’s done. Simple.

SIGNATURE TECHNIQUES:

Technique 1. Chin Jab

Also known as the palm heel, the chin jab uses the lower central part of the palm to strike into the opponent’s jaw, nose or behind the opponent’s ear. It is designed to:

• Concuss or shake the brain • Unbalance the opponent

This is best delivered well within 2ft of the opponent, at close range. It works best by rising up, underneath the enemy’s field of vision. The chin jab’s power comes from pushing upwards with the elbow, knee and shoulder.

If the head is pushed backwards beyond the neck, often a person falls down — adding more injury and chance to escape or attack.

Think of it like throwing a shot-put at high speed. It needs your muscular structure behind the blow. Often the chin jab is combined with what’s called the Tiger Claw. This is where we use the fingers to claw at the eyes, seconds prior to the palm making contact.

The best Chin Jabs are delivered with some attachment to the opponent. Either grabbing:

• Their back • Their belt • Their clothing • Their shoulder

The grab and Chin Jab offers you added potential to knock an enemy over. Remember that Chin Jabs can be delivered in multiples, and often, more than one hit is required.

They can also be chained with other kicks and strikes.

Get comfortable using both hands equally and ensure you practice against targets such as boxing bags and “bob” dummies.

The best Chin Jabs:

• Are delivered with surprise • Have the full body behind the blow • Knock the opponent over via a companion grab • Cause some injury to the eyes of the opponent via the fingers

Perfect for: a surprise attack whilst pretending to give in / have your hands up or to take out an enemy at close range.

Technique 2: Double Ear Slap

This approach uses both hands in a “cupped fashion” against the ears or sides of the neck (the arteries). This disorientating blow can be done from the front or behind the enemy.

It causes confusion, pain, disorientation and allows you to follow through with other types of strike, or locks and throws.

We advise that this is done off a distraction from a verbal or physical cue. Be ready to have to turn this blow into a grapple such as a headlock or hip throw.

Ensure the attacking arms don’t flare outwards too much, both hands should shoot out relatively straight.

Perfect for: disorientating an enemy before a head grab-based throw

Technique 3: Edge of Hand Blows

Edge of hand blows (hereafter EOH), use the surface of the hand below the little finger. This robust part of the human hand makes a slim-line weapon that can take a fair amount of force, fit into gaps and around guards.

They allow for transfer of great force over a small surface area and can be as powerful as a punch when delivered with the correct body mechanics.

EOH blows are given in two ways:

Downwards / diagonal:

These strike directly down on an opponent or come in at a slight diagonal angle. We must make sure that we are just hitting with the arm power alone. Ensure that you twist your hips, shoulders and feet in the direction of the blow.

Make sure your weight follows the blow and that it’s not “arm only”. The edge of hand blow should make use of the hard part of the hand.

Horizontal:

This is a backhand version of the EOH which has the hand palm down, parallel to the ground. This technique requires to explode outwards using the whipping motion.

It’s important for both EOH types to use torque (twisting), speed and your own mass to do these powerfully. Seldom is a single edge of hand blow delivered alone.

Fairbairn was a huge advocate of the EOH blow because he deemed it:

• Safer on the hand • Easier to move into a grab or a grapple • Easier to fit into small spaces

In short, when it comes to striking, EOH blows have a huge part to play in how WW2 combatives approach combat. They are brutally effective blow if they are delivered with accuracy, power, speed and surprise.

Technique 4: Stick Combination

Fairbairn advises getting expert with the use of the small stick (18 – 24 inches, 1 inch in diameter). He sets out a basic attack which comes from a surprise position.

1. Deceptively hold the baton along the length of the leg 2. When the enemy is unaware transfer it to a two-handed grip 3. Strike hard from left to right, digging across the opponent’s torso. Your left hand should be ahead of your right. Push the front of the stick out across the enemy as the right pulls to the stick close to your own waist. The aim is to hit the gut and bring the chin forward and out… 4. Strike straight up into the throat, under the chin (a deadly blow) 5. If necessary or you miss, bring the top of the stick sharply back down, using the end to strike down the temple or jaw 6. Strike with the right-hand side to the opponent’s left-hand side, using the stick like a rifle butt (you can hit with the fist or the stick) 7. Drive the stick up as a “bar” up into the Adam’s apple

Fairbairn advises that at any juncture in an attack, if the neck is exposed, strike it with all your power and intent. This can be a killing blow or at the very least a knockout / knockdown blow.

He advises making use of the stick as a surprise attack. Use the relative innocuous nature of the weapon to catch the opponent unawares.

About the author:

Tommy Joe Moore is a highly experienced self-defence and martial arts instructor from the UK. He is a competitive boxer and judoka. He also studies a wide range of arts including Ju Jitsu, Savate, Muay Thai, JKD and many others. He is notable for being a key part of the “Bartitsu Revival” helping bring back the lost art of Bartitsu (a Victorian / Edwardian self defence system).

He has a keen in interest in historic, practical martial arts and self defence systems. His passion for WW2 Combatives stems from a love of military history and the how groups such as The Shanghai Municipal Police and SOE used unarmed combat to defend themselves.

He has written ‘Shanghai School of Street Fighting’ on WW2 combatives, and ‘Modern Bartitsu’ on the fighting arts of the late 1800s.

All images appear courtesy of Tommy Joe Moore