S.M. Ashkinazi, professor, Dr.Hab.
National State University of Physical Culture, Sport and Health named after P.F. Lesgaft, St. Petersburg
Military Institute of Physical Culture, St. Petersburg

Key words: hand-to-hand combat, theory and practice of hand-to-hand combat, pedagogical conditions and rules of effective hand-to-hand fighting training.

Introduction.

The present level of development of military technology is characterized by the abundance of high-precision mass-destruction weapons. However, despite the constant improvement of weapons, on the one hand, and a significant reduction of the likelihood of hand-to-hand fights on the battlefield - on the other, hand-to-hand fight is still an important section of their training in the combat and physical training system of the leading armies of the world. This is due to its fully preserved role as an indispensable method of formation in servicemen of moral and fighting qualities and mental resistance to stress factors of close combat.

The purpose of the study was to formulate pedagogical conditions and rules of effective hand-to-hand fighting training of servicemen on the basis of the generalization of results of theoretical and experimental studies of the pressing problems of hand-to-hand fighting training of servicemen for the last 30 years.

Results and discussion.

The dialectics of the interrelation in the educational process of such categories as opportunity and reality, an opportunity turning into reality, are defined by the existence of the corresponding conditions. The situation, whether physical and mental activities provide full value training for a fight with an opponent, depends on the degree of compliance of conditions in which training process is being carried out, and the factors characterizing the real hand-to-hand fight. Conditions of the teaching process are that important component which to a great extent promotes early adaptation of servicemen to a real hand-to-hand fight and provides corresponding physical and mental loads to be transferred to the category of learnt ones.  Among these conditions one can allocate the following:

1. required and optimal extent of reproduction of real hand-to-hand fight in the course of training;

2. required time for training;

3. frequency (frequency rate) of training sessions;                                                                     

4. required number of bouts and free fights which trainees have to perform or time to be allocated for this.

The didactic justification of the first condition is the objective of optimization, that is a problem of search of that level of convention from the real fight, at which the threat of life is lacking during training and at the same time when such a level of readiness to hand-to-hand fight, development of moral and fighting qualities is achieved at optimum expenses (time, material, etc.), which provide early adaptation to close combat with an opponent.

It should be noticed that the domestic didactics has been constantly dealing with the issues of scientific justification of educational conditions of the training process. In particular, in the 80s of the last century academician Yu.K. Babansky formulated the new principle of creation of necessary conditions for training, which naturally depends on existence of, at least, four main groups of conditions: educational and material, school and hygienic, moral and psychological and esthetic [3, 14].

Physical training is a special type of learning, in many parameters similar to sports training, and intended, first of all, for the formation of motor skills and development of physical and special qualities of servicemen. In sports theory the role and influence of specific conditions of the training process on its efficiency are also highlighted. For example, in boxing such conditions are: place and form of conduct of a duel, degree of conditionality of actions of an opponent while mastering them, existing competition between sparring-partners, etc. [10].

In the theory of physical training it is common that the so-called transfer of fitness is an objective basis of using its means and methods to increase combat readiness of servicemen. In the context of the theory of functional systems of P.K. Anokhin this phenomenon is based on "the community of adequate key elements of specific functional systems and corresponding modes of their functioning developed during physical training and displayed in different educational fighting activities" [4]. According to this definition, the necessary condition of transfer is same key elements of functional systems, and sufficient one - same modes of their functioning.

While developing these ideas of transfer of fitness in relation to the problem of choice of training methods, V.Yu. Verkhoshansky introduced the term “specificity of training influence of these methods [5,6]. It characterizes the degree of their compliance with competitive conditions, both regarding motor structure, and operating mode of the musculoskeletal system and mechanism of its power supply.

On the basis of the author’s researches of 1984-2014 in collaboration with professor Marishchuk V.L. and followers (Kosachev A.A., Tsed N. G., Borshchevoy I.L., Kireev I.O., Prokopchuk S.S., Kuz’min A.V., Klimov K.V., Kochergin A.N., Nikiforov M.Yu., et al.) it was noted that many methods applied during this period of time during the hand-to-hand fighting training of servicemen were insufficiently specific. It was seen in the low efficiency of transfer of skills and abilities formed in the course of training, for the conditions close to real fight and thus the prolonged process of formation of skills [1,2,9,10].

Weak specificity was caused by the “simulating” teaching methodology, when performance of holds and actions in partner exercises with an opponent "is only designated", that is conducted with continuous violation of spatio-temporal, kinematic and dynamic characteristics of offensive actions and defensive counteractions. At the same time psychological and tactical aspects of training are violated. Servicemen do not feel it properly when performing technical actions with a live opponent and don't have a complete idea of holds and possible situations of hand-to-hand combat and, what is more important, they don't get due mental load.

Therefore, the methodology must involve a set of rules, the implementation of which is a prerequisite for effective hand-to-hand fighting training.

First rule. As force and accuracy of blow are integrated indicators of efficiency of offensive actions and defensive counteractions, hand-to-hand fighting exercises have to be done taking into account the rule of speed and power compliance, meaning they should be real.

 For this purpose it is necessary:

- to use protective equipment at all stages of training;

- to use weapon mock-ups ensuring safety during contact training;

- to alternate mock-ups and standard weapons when doing exercises;

- to practice offensive actions by turns with a partner and with targets.

The first two points concern material security of the educational process, the third and the fourth - sequences of training sessions and altogether are to promote formation of systems of real movements when performing holds and actions of hand-to-hand combat at all phases: from practicing a specific hold to improve the tactical situation of combat.

Implementation of this rule is one of the key aspects in the training technique, without which hand-to-hand fighting skills (technical and tactical, moral and psychological, etc.) of servicemen will be insufficiently improved in many respects.

Second rule. The tactical-situational compliance of fighting exercises with a partner should be followed during the real hand-to-hand fight, which is displayed in the sudden, quick, active counteraction of the opponent, possible tactical inequality of conditions for the opponents when it occurs, as well as in possible inconvenience to maneuver, move (ruins, narrow room, slippery surface etc.), etc.

The third rule of effective hand-to-hand fighting training is result compliance. It means that the result of combat has to be summed up by the trainer not simply based on a traditional 4-point scale ("excellent", "good", "satisfactory" and "poor"), and possible alternatives of the real fight are as follows:

- I struck the opponent and remained safe ("excellent");

- I struck the opponent, but was “slightly injured” ("good");

- I struck the opponent, fulfilled the fighting task, but was “injured” ("satisfactory");

- I struck the opponent, but “died” ("poor");

- I didn't manage to strike the opponent, and “died” ("poor").

It is very important to keep in line with this rule to develop the moral and fighting and psychological qualities necessary for close combat. This circumstance has a special value in the context of hand-to-hand fighting training, such as training soldier, fighter.

Thus, one of conditions of effective hand-to-hand fighting training of servicemen can be formulated as "carrying out partner fighting exercises in accordance with the rules of speed and power, tactical and situational and result compliance to a real hand-to-hand fight" (Fig. 1). However, it is quite obvious that other condition, in turn, acts as a prerequisite for its implementation: "use in the training process of weapon mock-ups and protective equipment to practice holds and actions with real kinematic and dynamic characteristics and to fix their result".

All in all, the use of protective equipment and corresponding mock-ups will help implement in the technique of training of the major cybernetic principle - the feedback principle when trainees get adequate information (both from the outside – from the trainer, and internal – via personal feelings) about the quality of holds and actions they perform, and also creates prerequisites to make training more diverse.

It is known that fights - fighting exercises with a partner are the main means of improvement of all aspects of readiness in martial arts and in hand-to-hand combat. Each phase of training has its features of organization and conditions of their conduct. In the practice of martial arts, to improve tactical and technical skills at various phases of training for competitions special attention [8,11,13, et al.] is paid to the issues of planning of amount of competitive exercises and practices.

As proved in some specialized researches, the third condition of efficiency of hand-to-hand fighting training is "planning and considering of the diachronic structure of fighting exercises with a partner, along with allocating at least 10-15% of all school hours for semi-caused fights and free combats" [1].    

It is very important for the trainees, participating in similar fights, to experience due mental loads [1,9,10, et al.].  It is the fourth condition which can be formulated as:  "creation of extreme conditions when doing fighting exercises with a partner".  First of all it can be realized by creating a situation of risk and danger, understanding the opportunity to get injured. "The extreme conditions" are reached at the final phases of training by using the real weapon when performing holds, complicating the situation by conditions such as height, fire mock-up weapons, light and noise, surprise elements when fights are started, fight with several opponents, etc. [1,7,12].

However, the question of frequency rate of hand-to-hand fighting sessions to maintain the reached level of readiness or to increase it is still relevant. This question is directly related with the problem of justification of necessary time spent for training. 

The conducted research on the dynamics of loss of hand-to-hand fighting skills among servicemen [1] proved that 1-2 sessions a week (not less than 3 in two weeks) are needed to maintain the developed skill level in servicemen, and 2-3 sessions a week (not less than 5 sessions in two weeks) - to develop and improve skills. Taking into account tight time allowed for sessions, practice of holds has to be planned and carried out weekly without fail during morning exercises and during mass sports activities, as well as on drills before going mounting guard.

The stipulated above conditions are interconnected in many respects. However, the leading ones among them are introduction in the training process of protective equipment and special weapon mock-ups. Realization of all the variety of considered conditions contributes to considerable improvement of the quality and level of hand-to-hand fighting skills of servicemen without spending extra time.

As seen from the findings of our researches in collaboration with A.N. Kochergin, the technique of technical and tactical training of servicemen during hand-to-hand fighting training has to be based on the power domination principle, realizing the active offensive orientation of the fight, ability to gain an initiative from the opponent from first seconds, to continuously attack and not give him any chances to carry out effective offensive actions himself [1,9,10].   

Teaching rules of organization and hold of hand-to-hand fights for effective training of servicemen

Conclusion. Practice of hand-to-hand combat and applied martial arts is unique for servicemen. Its phenomenon consists in the fact that during sessions with various degrees of conditionality the situations of direct, face to face counteraction with the opponent are simulated. The psychological aspect of this situation is invaluable to servicemen, and having skillfully organized hand-to-hand fighting sessions, major qualities such as courage, determination in actions, persistence and perseverance, self-confidence when getting closer to the opponent, strive to be first to attack and win can be formed and improved [15,16]. Therefore, it is possible to predict that thanks to these opportunities hand-to-hand combat will always take an important place in combat training and system of military training and education.
The generalized findings of specialized studies of the last 30 years show that the main factors affecting improvement of hand-to-hand fighting skills of servicemen and ensuring the high skill level of personnel are as follows:
* creation of the essence and technique of training on the basis of uniform basic technique and teaching basic algorithms of solution of tactical situations of close combat;
* focus of training at the beginning;
* obligatory allocation of at least 10-15% of all school hours for semi-caused combats and free fights;
* applying in training of rules of speed and power, tactical and situational and result compliance with the use of special weapon mock-ups and protective equipment and the principle of power domination;
* creation of extreme conditions when performing fighting exercises with a partner;
* ensuring systematic character and coherence in hand-to-hand fighting training via the rational combination of various forms of physical training to tactical (special tactical) training.

References

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