COMBAT JUDO: SSG CARLIN'S DROP KICK

Article by Barron Shepherd 

The problem with the combatives industry is that too many people will simply read a book on WWII combatives and then deem themselves an authority on the subject, refer to themselves “subject matter experts”. Most of these types have zero experience, have never been in the military. 

Most recently a couple of so called experts shared their personal analysis of Carlin's book Combat Judo calling it a questionable inclusion and referring to it as a WWE professional wrestling  type of technique. The following is a quote from their book: “Also of questionable inclusion is the drop kick. Yes a WWE style drop kick, against a knife no less. WWII era combatives are always touted as bare bones, direct and absent of flash. What happened here? Why do combatives experts ignore Carlin’s obvious mistake with the drop kick? This however can be forgiven as a sign of the times.”  

I have to ask now, what exactly is there to be forgiven? Of course, these “know it alls” never answer or even try and answer their own question. Instead they just second guess Carlin's methods. Carlin’s inclusion of the drop kick made no sense to these self titled “experts” so they attempt to explain it away as some sort of glaring tactical error or misjudgment on Carlin's part. They literally seem to suggest that Carlin, after spending two years putting this book together, out of nowhere, all of a sudden, in the middle of it, had a brain freeze and apparently forgot all his training or something.  

Simply addressing Carlin’s drop kick lesson as a "WWE" style pro wrestling type move is very telling as to how little research was actually put into understanding Carlin's Combat judo method.  Professional wrestling was kind of popular back during this time but the fact that this may have influenced Carlin I find to be very highly unlikely. As mentioned in an earlier article Carlin was a man extensively trained in Judo and Hand to hand combat, a man who had literally taught thousands of Marines. So just throwing something in there that is all of a sudden out in left field or just as "filler" doesn’t make any sense. What does make sense is that martial arts is an athletic endeavor regardless if it is tai chi or judo. It is ALL athletic movement. Some movements are complex and some are gross motor based movements. Actions like the drop kick, running, jumping, etc. are all primal gross motor actions. Combatives are generally primal gross motor movements these movements function optimally when under duress, like the duress of war. 

There were more than a few reasons for Carlin to include the drop kick in his book. Unarmed hand to hand combat techniques were taught because the soldier on the battle field may need a means to fight if he has somehow found himself not being able to use his weapons or was without a weapon. If we look at old combatives manuals we very often see techniques that are made up of primal gross motor action. 

Long range unarmed fighting techniques like kicks were used against a knife and bayonet wielding enemy. A leg kick is a natural choice as a long-range weapon if there was no other choice, when no other type of weapon could be picked up or used.  Parrying and countering a bayonet thrust, or knife thrusts and slashes with kicks were quite commonly seen in many military combatives field training manuals. A drop kick/scissor takedown actually shows up in the knife disarm section of the 1963 US Army FM 21-150.

Carlin’s book describes combat Judo to be a streamlined fighting method and Carlin shares example after example of what he classified as "streamlined". They were techniques that share the same tactics, strategy, principles and movement. For an example one can look at lessons 16 and 17 in Carlin’s book. Lesson #16 utilizes a front kick to the groin to stop a forward assault, in lesson 17 in the same type of attack the front kick is executed in the same way as it is in lesson #16 and it simultaneously sets up the wheel throw/Tomo nage.

KANI BASAMI - LEG SCISSOR TAKEDOWN

Bearing Carlin's definition of streamlined in mind, it isn’t a huge transition to go from a technique like Kani basami (pictured left) to turning it into a drop kick. They both require the same basic athletic movement to execute (see video below). Now some who are used to seeing a lot of vids on you tube will see Kani basami executed by posting a hand on the ground and then executing the take down. I was taught kani basami as more of a leaping technique or motion. This execution of it is indeed very athletic. Looking at it in this light I can possibly see why Carlin interjected his drop kick method. In all likelihood, being a judoka, it was or he saw it as a variation of Kani Basami. 

Here is a clip of Royal Marines doing a Combatives demonstration. Look at the movement that pops up throughout the video both the drop kick and kani Basami/scissor takedown...…

Lastly, another reason Carlin likely put this in the book is because what was known as Combat Judo was taught during the later part of WWI. It had gained a reputation as being extremely effective in trench warfare. Fighting in the trenches (Imagine yourself fighting in a narrow corridor.) meant there was no room to circle your opponent and in a lot of cases not even get an angle on the enemy. The only option was to go straight in.  We actually see an example of this in old combatives training footage from WWI. In a clip we see the soldiers training run in and throw their training partner to the ground quickly.  

Taking the adversary off his feet as quickly as possible gave the soldier a tactical advantage, this was an ideal that carried on to WWII and beyond. It definitely would have given you and your unit some tactical advantages. Hitting someone with a drop kick when fighting in a trench would have sent the adversary reeling backgrounds knocking him down and had the potential to knock others down behind him. It would have definitely slowed the enemy's forward movement thru the trench and created a myriad of problems. Having the enemy momentarily have to negotiate how to get over or around a fallen comrade would have definitely given the soldier another fighting advantage. How much sense does a long range kicking technique like a drop kick make now?

The drop kick was just good old primal gross motor athletic movement based on sound tactics and strategy. As Carlin says in his opening pages; 
"A combatant on the battlefield who is unarmed must use the tools he has on him."

Carlin’s inclusion of the drop kick certainly fits the bill. 

Barron Shepherd is a Judo 3rd degree black belt instructor, trainer and coach, a certified boxing coach and certified NASM Sports Performance Enhancement Specialist.

Member of USA Judo and USJA (the United States Judo Association) the National Governing Bodies for Judo.