DERMOT PAT O’NEILL’S WWII EXTREME CLOSE QUARTER FIGHTING METHOD

DERMOT PAT O'NEILL TRAINING THE FSSF FIGHTING FROM THE CROSS ARM GUARD

The cross-arm guard, referred to in combatives circles as he O’Neill Cover is often credited to Pat O’Neill. Dermot Pat O’Neill was the legendary hand to hand combat instructor for the FSSF First Special Service Force the precursor special forces group to the Green berets and army special forces. O’Neill’s methods differed from his mentor Fairbairn as in that O’Neill was tasked to train commandoes to fight in close quarter combat behind enemy lines. On this type of mission taking on multiple combatants from all angles and directions was a distinct possibility. What O’Neill came up with turned out to be an extremely effective fighting method for extreme close quarter fighting......CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING

DERMOT PAT O'NEILL'S KNIFE METHOD

The purpose of the study of O’Neill’s only knife technique is to provide a specific knowledge regarding the use of the knife in Hand-To-Hand combat; to describe positions and movements used in attack and defense/counter offense, and to set forth a program for instruction in the O’Neill system of Hand to Hand combat...…..CLICK TO CONTINUE READING

IN MEMORY OF SAMUEL JOSEPH LONEWOLF 11/28/1948 - 1/10/2013

It has been almost 8 years since Sensei Sam Lonewolf passed away on January 10th 2013. Sadly it appears that some online "unofficial biographies" have cropped up from people who took advantage of Lonewolf's passing and falsely claimed to have trained and received rank from him. Some claimed to be partnered or affiliated with Lonewolf and promoted themselves to higher rank abusing Lonewolf's name and actual martial arts rank. 

I feel the need to somewhat try and clear some things up. 

Lonewolf was an 8th Dan black belt in Kajukenbo Kenpo karate, he also held 6th (1990) and 7th degree black belts (1997) in Tracy Kenpo. His name is found on both Kajukenbo and  Tracey kenpo family trees. Lonewolf did have some honorary ranks awarded him but he didn't consider himself as tenth degree or master, even in his own system he only claimed a 8th degree Black Belt. 

https://web.archive.org/web/20030826061145/http://www.tracyskarate.com/Tracytree/Shichidan.htm

7th Black 1997

6th Black 1990

Over the years he had operated schools in Florida then later Texas. His approach to Kajukenbo and kenpo was unique not just for its technical aspects but also for its deliberate inclusion of Native American traditions, culture, faith, and values in his teaching and personal philosophy.  

Lonewolf identified with Native American culture and he explicitly merged his Kajukenbo Kenpo Karate  with Native American philosophy and traditions. Lonewolf openly credited the strength and resilience he drew from Native American spirituality as crucial not just in martial arts, but also in overcoming personal adversities such as illness and family hardship. 

Lonewolf’s Native American beliefs shaped his martial arts by instilling values of spiritual balance, respect, service, and adaptability, blending combat techniques with indigenous wisdom and social responsibility. This synthesis set his philosophy apart from more traditional Asian martial arts approaches. He emphasized the importance of spirituality and respect for nature, drawing from Lakota and Apache traditions. This was reflected in his connection to animals (such as running a wolf sanctuary) and using martial arts not just for fighting but for healing, empowerment, and community service.

His blend of Native American philosophy with his Kajukenbo kenpo practice formed the foundation of his teachings, school ethos, and approach to life. Lonewolf’s training involved both the physical techniques of Native American weapon use (tomahawk) and survival skills and Kajukenbo. This resulted in a unique, practical self-defense system. His system emphasized survival and practical self-defense, paralleling warrior traditions from Native cultures that focused on real-world threats and adaptability. Traditional Native fighting methods include the use of weapons such as knife and tomahawk. Lonewolf’s curriculum adapted these tools into both historical study and modern application. 

Traditional weapons like the tomahawk were taught with emphasis on flow and adaptability in combat reflective of Native American fighting techniques. Lonewolf adapted Native American weapons techniques alongside Kenpo/Kajukenbo weapons work to create realistic, versatile weapons and modern applications. 

He integrated Native American fighting skills with Kajukenbo/Kenpo striking and joint work for a comprehensive stand-up and close quarter system. (Some tribes, such as the Apache, practiced grappling, wrestling, and striking as both training and real combat skills). Lonewolf’s teachings stressed quick adaptability, using environment and situation awareness alongside mixed martial techniques.

Lonewolf was known for his no-nonsense and direct approach to his martial arts system which was dear to him. Because he held it so close he only promoted a couple of people to the level of black belt within it.  I was one of the two and I along with his daughter were solely left in charge of his system. This was verified by Lonewolf in his own words. 

COMBAT JUDO: THE STRAIGHT PUNCH

LEAD HAND STRAIGHT PUNCH 

By Barron Shepherd

COMBAT JUDO was originally developed to address the needs of military personnel, facing new hand-to-hand combat challenges, as a way to ensure a streamlined, tested, and effective method of self-defense. Combat judo’s roots stem from WWI. It was established as a combination of judo and boxing that was extremely effective in trench warfare during the latter half of WWI. It wasn't until WWII that it was referred to as Combat Judo this was done to distinguish it from traditional martial arts systems. 

Basic Punches for Combat Judo

In the early stages of learning techniques, all punches, straight punches, the hook, and uppercut must be practiced in standing position. Then practice the punches together with boxing steps. The training approach for punches must be in following sequence:

● Punch in standing position

● Punch with forward and backward step

● Punch with side steps.

First learn single punch with boxing stance and then with movement. Then learn the next punch with boxing stance and then with movement. After mastering at least two punches (in this case the  straight punch with lead and rear hand) with both standing and with movement, learn to use these two punches as a combination by standing, then with the movement. Example Lead hand straight punch to head followed with rear hand straight punch to stomach or solar plexus.

The following is some common mistakes to look out for:

● Punching without rotating body

● Bodyweight shifted to the wrong side

● Lifting chin upward

● Chin not protected

● Head leaned forward, backward, or sideways

● Legs in wrong position before and after punching with steps

● Fists not rotated correctly

● Retract arm low or sideways after striking a blow

● Slow retracting hand to base position

 

Straight Punches

Straight punches are very useful against an opponent standing at long distance. Long distance refers to the distance between two fighters being far enough that the one cannot deliver the punch without stepping forward.

In SSGT Robert Carlin’s book entitled "Combat Judo", he describes combat Judo to be a streamlined fighting method and Carlin shares example after example of what he classified as "streamlined". Some very often misinterpret the word "streamlined" used in the description of Carlin’s Combat Judo to mean "simple" or "easy", something that one can be proficient in with little to no training. One description of combat judo that gets bantered around the internet a lot is that “combat judo is a easily learned dirty trick fighting method".  This really couldn't be any further from the truth. 

Streamlined techniques are techniques that share the same tactics, strategy, principles and movement. The straight punch is no exception to this rule. The straight punch is an important mechanical movement that can be used to prepare for the main attack whether it be used as a strike or utilized to set up a throw. 

USING THE STRAIGHT LEAD TO SET UP HIP THROW

The utilization of the straight punch's same exact mechanics can be used to set up a throw. In relation to Combat Judo as opposed to boxing, the straight punch also be used as a heel of palm strike to one of both of the shoulders to disturb the opponent’s actions and disrupt the opponents balance before executing a throw. 

In order to effectively train the following sequence of training is recommended:

● Lead arm straight punch to the head in standing position

● Lead arm straight punch to the head with forward step

● Lead arm straight punch to the head with backward step and side steps

● Rear arm straight punch to the head in standing position

● Rear arm straight punch to the head with forward step

● Rear arm straight punch to the head with backward step and side steps

REAR HAND STRAIGHT PUNCH 

After the fighter masters the straight punches with movement, you should begin training basic defense against and counter attack setting up to execute throws. 

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

Barron Shepherd is an instructor and member of USA JUDO, USJA (the United States Judo Association) and the USJF (the United States Judo Federation), the National Governing Bodies for Judo in the United States.

TRAINING AND CONDITIONING FOR JUDO

In the book “Kodokan Judo” by Jigoro Kano, he specifically states that there are two methods of training in judo, Kata and Randori. Kata/forms teach the fundamentals of a technique and randori/free sparring teach how to apply those techniques in live situations on fully resistant partners. Of the two, Kano said "Randori is the most effective method of training". 

Kata was learned first and then training progressed to randori. Randori is practiced in training in methods of both attack and defense or as physical education, the improvement of health, in other words, physical fitness.

Judo can and does take different forms for different people. Some train in judo to learn self-defense while others train recreationally for fun or for fitness. There are those who train for social reasons and those who want to or wish to be competitive. There are retired judo athletes who still enjoy going to a judo club just to have fun doing randori with some of the younger members, these sessions are inturn enjoyed by the younger members as well.

I do encourage willing and able members to compete. I believe that competition judo offers an opportunity for personal growth unmatched by any other sports activities. Competing in judo however, is not a requirement. No professionally run judo club would make competition a requirement, but to the members that are competition oriented, strength and conditioning should be an important aspect of their overall training regimen.

Despite the need for individualized programs for each type of judoka, there are some common aspects in training that are important to Judo performance. For elite judo athletes and even the noncompetitive recreational judoka alike, sport specific training and conditioning is essential. For the recreational practitioner, a supplemental strength and conditioning program is a must and highly recommended. Staying in shape to do judo, rather than doing judo to get and stay in shape should be a general rule. 

A typical judo class even at the recreational level would be laid out something like this:

• Warm-up: 10–15 minutes.

• Conditioning: 30 minutes.

• Technique instruction and review:  10–15 minutes.

• Technique- or situation-specific drills: 10–15 minutes

• Randori: 30–45 minutes

My own personal training and conditioning program is very Judo specific. An average day consists of
three different workouts; a bodyweight/calisthenics and core workout in the morning, a conditioning workout at mid day and a strength workout mid after noon followed by judo in the evening. This generally is about 5 to 6 hours a day. 

The following is one of the conditioning routines:

JUDO MID DAY WORKOUT 

Judo specific training/conditioning.          

Battle rope workout with Seoi nage drills using bicycle inner tubes for resisstance at the end as finisher.

4 sets of 40 reps of each exercise. 30 seconds to 1 minute rest between sets. 1 superset of all 4 exercises 30 to 40 reps each no rest period between exercises. 

1. Alternating waves

2. Rope Slams

3. Hip toss

4. Snakes on the ground

For this partucular workout I will finish it off with specific throw uchikomi using bicycle inner tubes for resisstance.  I will pick a few different throws and  do five sets of 20 to 30 reps of each techniques with 30 seconds of rest between each set for more of a power uchikomi drill and then I will do 3 sets of each technique for speed.   

SEOI NAGE DRILLS

5 sets of 20 reps 30 seconds rest between sets

1. Right side Seoi Nage

2. Left side seoi nage

3. Right side Ippon seoi nage

4. Left side Ippon Seoi nage

4 sets to failure 30 seconds rest between sets.

 Alternating left side right to side seoi nage

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

BATTLE ROPE TRAINING FOR JUDO

Become a machine, train like a judoka with THE BATTLE ROPE. 

Judo is a rigorous and demanding physical activity and it’s demands are unique and rather complex.  A Judo fight is too long to be pure anaerobic effort, and too intense just to be purely aerobic . 

A judoka must be powerful and ALSO have great endurance, be fast and very strong in ALL planes of motion. The battle ropes have very quickly become one of my  all time favorite training and conditioning methods. It is a very versatile and eclectic piece of equipment and the varying degrees of workouts make the battle ropes extremely fun and enjoyable...not to mention extremely effective for judo. The versatiliy of the tempo and the intenisty of Battle rope training makes it possible to go back forth either gradually, suddenly and explosively from a pure muscle strengthening exercise into a collection of more mixed exercises going back forth ranging from pure strength to cardio to strength endurance, aerobic to anaerobic.

The battle rope is really an essential tool that is ultra-specific to the judoka. It simultaneously developes grip strength, wrist strenght, the muscles of the back, the rotator cuff, scapula stabilizers, abdominals, biceps, triceps and the forearms. A major cardiovascular and injury preventative dimension is added with the intense muscle engagement.

Also in Judo one has to use strength in situations where our base isnt stable and often we are even on one leg during throws. One of the neglected aspects in training is co-ordination of hands and feet. Battle ropes offer a great method of training because you can make both huge improvements in strength and stamina yet also incorporate the feet.

Benefits of battle rope training:

You can maintain a high intensity over an extended period of time

You can use it to get in a full-body workout

It increases lactic acid threshold in the upper body which is super unique because most of the time work like this is done with the lower body

You can alternate between low and high impact by the way you move the rope

Great for developing grip strength 

You’re able to work the upper body independently

You can engage the wrists to develop wrist strength

Helps improve balance and coordination

Circuit battle-rope exercises to boost arm and shoulder strength.

Effective exercise for grip-fight in Judo.

A battle rope is one of the few pieces of equipment that targets almost every major muscle group in the body. You can use these ropes for individual exercises, as a finisher, or as an entire training routine.

As a judoka, in practice one gives 100 percent and engages with the opponent constantly using everything you have physically in randori/free practice. The battle ropes can be used hundreds of different ways to “mimic” the exertion that a judoka has to put forth in randori/competitiion.

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

HOW IMPORTANT IS CONDITIONING IN SELF DEFENSE?

Physical conditioning is often over looked in a lot of dojo’s. My advice is that if you attend one of these dojos you should probably find another one. I am a firm believer in fitness and conditioning. I do resistance training with bodyweight exercises, resistance bands, weights, High Intensity interval training, the list goes on AND I advise my students do likewise.  Conditioning is a no brainer the better shape you’re in the better you will perform. My students perform their martial arts better the more fit they are. Be it Judo, Karate, any type of self defense training it is a physical endeavor and being strong and having good cardio endurance has a positive impact on how well they apply their specific skill set.

There is this prevailing thought amoung some that you don’t have to be in shape or fit when it comes to self-defense. The argument is that normally an attack doesn’t last long, it doesn’t last minutes, just seconds. Well newsflash!!!! It only takes seconds to become depleted, run out of gas, if your aren’t in shape.  Check out the following video. Pay particular attention to the drill at the 4 minute mark and the comment the instructor makes right after the drill at 4:13.

The drill in the video only lasted seconds, less than 20 seconds to be more exact and the participants had already become fatigued and were breathing heavily. As far as condtioning for street self-defense goes this video points out a glaring fact and exposes the fallacy that it isn’t important to be in good condition.  

It really cant be said enough that it is just good common sense to prepare for the possibility that we may not finish the fight in just a few seconds. Having a high level of endurance and the ability to outlast the bad guy can spell the difference between successfully defending ourselves and not.

WHAT TO DO. 

In terms of street fighting/self-defense, the training you get in a regular class may be enough as long as you are training minimum of 3 to 4 times a week and are constantly pushing yourself. You should be working up a sweat and be drenched in sweat by the end of the class.

If you can't train at least 3 days a week I would advise you to do calisthenics at home in addition to your training for 45 minutes each day. If you wish to supplement with cardio I recommend skipping hard for 5 sets of 2 minutes or swimming for 20 minutes, as they are typically low impact exercises. You can get in excellent shape by doing your martial art alone IF you train hard enough, but most people do not push themselves to this point (hence people with a black belt and an overly bloated waistline, the proverbial beer belly).

In terms of weight lifting, do 1-2 supplementary exercises a day aiming for 3 sets of high reps (15-20) to build muscle endurance. If you’re doing weight lifting, keep in mind you're not trying to develop strength to move the opponent rather you're developing explosiveness, the strength to move YOUR body quicker.  Also, street fighting body conditioning exercises such as knuckle push-ups, bare knuckle heavy-bag training, shin conditioning, etc. all build muscle. Furthermore, hard sparring, randori etc (about 20 rounds of 2 minutes a week) is important.

I would also point out that obesity, obesity related illnesses, Heart disease, diabetes, and others are far more likely to threaten our lives than any would be mugger or active shooter. A simple weight training and cardio plan along with a good diet will do wonders to help defeat those foes. Would this not be the ultimate form of self-defense for ourselves?

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