Charles Nelson

[BoarSpear]

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[Uke]

WHAT IS DEFENDU?
By Carl Cestari



What is DEFENDU? DEFENDU is a complete method of armed and unarmed Close-Quarters Combat. The foundation of the DEFENDU method is rooted in the harsh and brutal realities of real world violence. The origin and development of this method rests in great part with the famed Lt. Colonel William Ewart Fairbairn.

HISTORY:

Fairbairn's experience is unparalleled in the annuals of close combat. As a teenager Fairbairn enlisted with the British Royal Marines. During his tour of duty he successfully competed in and developed new methods for bayonet fighting, for which annual international military competitions were held. He also served as part of the legation guard for the British Consul in Seoul, Korea. After his discharge from the Royal Marines, Fairbairn made his way to Shanghai, China and joined the Shanghai Municipal Police force of the International Settlement.

Shanghai during this period was considered by most authorities to be the roughest police beat in the world. The International Settlement was an open "port" city that was rife with every imaginable criminal activity and vice. Tong wars, dope smuggling, murder for hire, political assassination, prostitution, kidnapping, and a host of other underworld endeavors made Shanghai one of the most dangerous places in the world.

It was this violent and deadly environment that forced W.E. Fairbairn to develop effective and practical methods of survival. Fairbairn had always been considered by his peers to be a "good man in a dust-up" or brawl. His record established the fact that he was already a rough customer in close combat in bayonet fighting while with the British Royal Marines. In Shanghai however, the odds against him proved greater. While on routine foot patrol assigned to one of the notorious "Red light" districts of Shanghai waterfront he fell afoul of a group of Tong members. The Chinese Tong and their infamous "Hatchet-men" were legend for their brutal and lethal manner of dealing with any opposition. Fairbairn was overpowered, severely beaten, and left for dead.

After a fairly lengthy recovery, Fairbairn was directed to the services of Professor Okada, a Japanese Jujutsu expert & bonesetter teaching in Shanghai, and at one time, personal instructor to the Emperor of Japan. Prof. Okada's school was situated in a dirty alley down which Fairbairn passed for the next 3 1/2 years every day. Fairbairn entered into his new found passion completely, determined to never again suffer a similar fate, in great part because he realized the next time he may not be so fortunate.

In the years that followed he studied and became proficient in Chinese systems under the direction of Tsai Ching Tung, who at one time was employed at the Imperial Palace, Peking, as an Instructor to the Retainers of the late Dowager Empress. In 1918 Fairbairn applied for entrance to and was accepted by the Kodokan Judo University in Tokyo. Fairbairn received a 3rd degree brown belt in January 1919, a 1st degree black belt in February 1926 and a 2nd degree black belt in February 1931. Fairbairn's certificates are signed by Jigoro Kano.

Throughout his over thirty year career with S.M.P., Fairbairn not only made an in depth study of almost every known form of close-combat, but was also able to test these methods in actual combat against determined and often armed criminals who would rather kill an officer and make good an escape than be captured and face almost certain execution.

Fairbairn rose through the ranks and was charged with the duty of instructing firearms and hand-to-hand combat. He revised completely the firearms training previously employed and instituted a method, which reflected actual conditions of real gun-fighting. In 1920, Fairbairn took an extended leave, during which time he was attached as a captain to the New York City Police Department for a ten-week period of observation. During this period he participated in everything from routine patrol duty to major gambling raids, in order to absorb as much as he could.

His innovations in unarmed combat were taught not only to the nine thousand (9000) officers of the Shanghai Police, but also the famed 4th Marine Regiment known as the "China" Marines. He founded, developed, trained, and headed the Shanghai Riot Squad called the Reserve Unit (RU). This was the first ever Special Weapons & Tactics Unit, and served as the prototype for today's S.W.A.T., and S.R.T. teams. Along with his friend and colleague Eric Anthony Sykes (reserve officer in the S.M.P. chief of the Riot Squad Sniper unit, and later Major with the British Army assigned as close-combat instructor for the Commandos and Special Operation), and then Lieutenant Samuel Yeaton (U.S.M.C.), Fairbairn began work on the prototypes of what would become the most famous combat knife in the world, the F/S fighting knife.

Fairbairn's career with the S.M.P. came to a close in 1940. He retired with the rank of Assistant Commissioner. During his tenure of over three decades he had been involved with hundreds upon hundreds of violent clashes between Mao Tse Tungs communist "Red" army and Chiang Kai Shek's "Kumontong" forces. He had seen the invasion of China by the Japanese and the bloody and brutal siege of Shanghai and the surrounding provinces by the Imperial Japanese Army. He had worked closely with the S.M.P. "Special Branch"; an intelligence gathering unit that operated covertly throughout Shanghai. It was with this tremendous amount of experience and real-world savvy that Fairbairn would enter into the next phase of his life.

Fairbairn returned to England in 1940. England was at war with Nazi Germany and was hanging on by a thread. The devastation of Dunkirk, and North Africa, and soon to be felt defeat in the Far East by Japanese forces, would render Great Britain almost incapable of fighting a conventional war. It was the genius and steely resolve of Sir Winston Churchill that would pave the way for W.E. Fairbairn to once again put his talents and knowledge to excellent use.

Churchill's declaration to "set Europe ablaze" was the war cry of the neophyte covert and Special Forces operations that would strike at the Nazi forces with daring and deadly speed, guile, and audacity. Fairbairn was tasked with the responsibility of turning these men into deadly foes at Close-quarters.

Fairbairn and Sykes, as well as other former Shanghai Police officers who were likewise expert in Fairbairn's methods were assigned as instructors to various elite forces and covert intelligence units. These included the numerous Commando units, Secret Intelligence Service (SIS/MI6), Special Operations Executive (SOE), Royal Marines, and the "Paras", as well as giving special instruction to the British Home Guard. Fairbairn and Sykes taught not only unarmed combat, and small arms, but devised a number of nasty methods for dealing with an enemy which were classified under the heading of "Silent Killing".

In March 1942, Fairbairn was ordered to temporary duty, assigned to Canada, where at the behest of the BSC (British Security Co-ordinator) he taught his methods to covert operatives at Camp X, [also know as Special Training School No. 103]. While Fairbairn was at Camp X, Sykes remained in England engaged as a supervisor to SOE personnel engaged in underground action, sabotage, espionage, and assassination in German occupied Europe.

Soon after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the United States entry into the war against the axis powers, Fairbairn was engaged in instructing U.S. personnel at a secret training camp in Maryland, known as Area B (some suggest that was already taking place before the official declaration of war). This camp was one of several "schools" that were set up to train covert operatives assigned to the Office of Strategic Services. For a time Fairbairn divided his schedule between Camp X, and Area B in Maryland. Soon, however, the O.S.S. would have him full time.

Fairbairn's contributions to the field of close combat are numerous. Virtually every allied military force adopted his methods. These included the U.S. Army Special Forces, Army Rangers, Paratroopers, Marine Raiders & Scouts, (ONI) Office of Naval Intelligence, (CIC) Counter Intelligence Corps), (MID) Military Intelligence Division and the First Special Service Force, also know as the "Devil's Brigade" or "Black Devil's", (taught by former S.M.P. Detective Sergeant and Fairbairn's protégé (Capt. Dermot M. "Pat" O'Neill).

Another driving force in close combat during this period was Fairbairn's U.S. counterpart Colonel Rex Applegate. Col. Applegate was given the specific job of learning all there was to learn about close-quarter combat. Col. Applegate is responsible for numerous innovations in all fields of Close Combat, armed and unarmed. His work at the Military Intelligence Training Center (MITC) which adjoined Area B is legend.

As the war ended, Fairbairn was 60 years of age. In the mid-1950's, he found himself in Singapore, employed by the Singapore Police to create a riot squad. In 1956, at the age of 71 he was employed in Cyprus, by the Cyprus Police, teaching riot work, point shooting, authoring a riot manual, and developing a bulletproof shield he called the "STONE". It was also while working in Cyprus, that Fairbairn introduced a new knife that he had been working on for sometime, to be used for riot work. Fairbairn called his new knife the "COBRA" fighting knife. His interest in this weapon, and the system of knife fighting it supported, continued after he left Cyprus, and returned to England, and occupied his time up until his death. William Ewart Fairbairn died at his home in England on June 20th, 1960.

To put it simply, Fairbairn's methods worked. His system of unarmed combat made it possible for a person of average strength and skills to meet and win against a highly trained opponent in the martial arts. His unparalleled experience with knife attacks and attacks with blunt instruments, unlikely to be duplicated in this day and age, proved a sound basis for instruction in the use of or defense against edged weapons, batons and clubs. His theories of close-quarter use of the gun represent the first systematic approach to combat pistol-craft ever devised, and remains valid to this very day. The same may be said for his riot work, his concepts of countersniping, and his development of the police role in urban combat.

WWII was the Zenith of all methods of Close-Quarters Combat. The contributions made by these men are of enormous value to us today. Methods of close combat that were battle tested and have been proven effective under conditions of actual combat are obviously of great importance to anyone seeking realistic and effective training in personal combat.


The DEFENDU method is an effective & battle proven system of Close-Quarters Combat. It is NOT a "Martial-Art", it is NOT a "Sport", it is NOT for amusement or recreation!

IT'S FOR SURVIVAL!

Wanna hear something funny, Boar? I had this article all loaded up on the forum 4 hours ago to post and decided not to. I knew you would as soon as someone asked what it was comprised of. LMAOOO. Turns out I was right.

Good going, Bro.

[BoarSpear]

What is defendo? Any relation to defendu?

Defendo is a creation of Bill Underwood he also called it Combato he designed it for the police in 1945 I think he published a book on it about 1950.


Defundu is not in any way related, to Defendo. The name Defendu stop being used about 1940 when CQB became the preferred term.

[BoarSpear]

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This is Bill Wolfe's Version of Defendo...there are some real gems (videos).

[DickHardman]

http://www.defendo.com/history.htm

This is Bill Wolfe's Version of Defendo...there are some real gems (videos).

in the bayonet video, they even show how boxing could be used to show the proper footwork for bayonet fighting as well as how to use the rifle to strike. sport arts can be used to create effective self defense/combat skills as that video proves.

awesome videos btw.

[BoarSpear]

in the bayonet video, they even show how boxing could be used to show the proper footwork for bayonet fighting as well as how to use the rifle to strike. sport arts can be used to create effective self defense/combat skills as that video proves.

I've posted those before, I just wanted to see how long it took for you to show your intent of asking...purely to try to prove your own point....I never denied boxing and wrestling were encouraged during WW2 combatives..EVER...because they are the most common skill set the instructors had to work with...the men had never used a bayonet but they had all seen boxers...it didn't mean it was the best tool for the job, it meant take whats available and build on it, we're at war!! Again reference Draeger, "The more remote a system remains from sportive endeavor the more positively it identifies itself with combative effectiveness."

[DickHardman]

it didn't mean it was the best tool for the job, it meant take whats available and build on it

hmm, that sounds a lot like what im doing. dont really see a difference.

[BoarSpear]

hmm, that sounds a lot like what im doing. dont really see a difference.

If you say so, after all you're the only one that needs to be happy with your training. UNLESS you take your sport mentality into the real world and your interference in a crime gets innocents killed. If you get yourself killed I really don't care its Darwinism at its best, but when people pull Rambo/ Bruce Lee moves on possibly armed criminals its not heroic, it's criminal itself.

[DickHardman]

If you say so, after all you're the only one that needs to be happy with your training. UNLESS you take your sport mentality into the real world and your interference in a crime gets innocents killed. If you get yourself killed I really don't care its Darwinism at its best, but when people pull Rambo/ Bruce Lee moves on possibly armed criminals its not heroic, it's criminal itself.

u see, you and uke do nothing but generalize entire groups of people and make assumptions about people you dont know. the fact is, i never ever had a sport mentality, i always had a self defense mentality. i may train in a sport art, but that doesnt mean my mentality is sport. its anything but and i have made that pretty clear.

and yeah, go ahead and tell me about how im going to get myself into trouble, when the fact of the matter is you have stated yourself on this forum how you used to hang out at strip clubs and pornography shops were you were around shady people and it caused you to have multiple altercations with people. i myself have kept myself nice and safe ever since i started training, so i must be doing something right. unlike you, i have a true self defense mentality were i stay away from bad places and shady people as much as possible, you on the other hand... well, you get the picture.

[BoarSpear]

u see, you and uke do nothing but generalize entire groups of people and make assumptions about people you dont know. the fact is, i never ever had a sport mentality, i always had a self defense mentality. i may train in a sport art, but that doesnt mean my mentality is sport. its anything but and i have made that pretty clear.

and yeah, go ahead and tell me about how im going to get myself into trouble, when the fact of the matter is you have stated yourself on this forum how you used to hang out at strip clubs and pornography shops were you were around shady people and it caused you to have multiple altercations with people. i myself have kept myself nice and safe ever since i started training, so i must be doing something right. unlike you, i have a true self defense mentality were i stay away from bad places and shady people as much as possible, you on the other hand... well, you get the picture.

Uh huh...And you posted a freakin video game you play in the military tactics thread under a review of the weapons function in combat...you agreed based on your video game experience...but you dont think you have a game mentality about warfare and its tools....I wont even comment on your safe lifestyle...good thing someone sometime hung out there...Go back and reread the histories of the men who founded the combatives systems...betcha every one of them hit titty bars and such...stay safe now....and pray trouble never comes to your safe world.

[DickHardman]

Uh huh...And you posted a freakin video game you play in the military tactics thread under a review of the weapons function in combat...you agreed based on your video game experience...but you dont think you have a game mentality about warfare and its tools....I wont even comment on your safe lifestyle...good thing someone sometime hung out there...Go back and reread the histories of the men who founded the combatives systems...betcha every one of them hit titty bars and such...stay safe now....and pray trouble never comes to your safe world.

lol that post in the military forum was a joke bro. i cant believe you took that seriously. how could you have? lighten up. if anything, that post was me making fun of my own ignorance about those weapons and combat.

and yeah, i agree that staying away from seedy places will keep you much safer than hanging out in them 24/7.

[Garland]

Boar, since you're going over the grandfathers of CQB and Combatives...tell me about Col. Rex Applegate.

Not just the gutterfighting bios and stuff...I know you's got some info...share the info's...I needs mo info's for my mofo knowledge. Woot woot.

[Tom Yum]

To obtain such detail those who investigate Fairbairn's work will do well to notice the slight similarity in his style with that of Pa-kua Chang, and the manner in which this is skillfully combined with elements of Jui-jitsu. Apart from observing the derivative character of his method, one must also recognize the fundamentally original contributions. His originality stems from inspired, direct experiance with the dynamics of personal combat over a considerable period of time. Close study of his methods reveals that he was not a mere theorist; rather he was a precise and careful empirical analyst with a flair for communication." ~Scientific Self-Defence, by William L. Cassidy~

Interesting.

Combatives is a compilation of bagua and jiu-jitsu, where Fairbairn dropped what he thought wasn't useful. Cool.

[Uke]

u see, you and uke do nothing but generalize entire groups of people and make assumptions about people you dont know. the fact is, i never ever had a sport mentality, i always had a self defense mentality. i may train in a sport art, but that doesnt mean my mentality is sport. its anything but and i have made that pretty clear.

That's an oxymoron. You train in sport arts for street survival purposes? Next you'll say that you study checkers for chess strategies. Sure, they're both board games and they both use pieces but two different games. Very different. Both use strategy, but one uses strategy to a much larger degree due to the larger amount of elements in its game. If you can't see the parallels here then you are just stubborn and choose to argue not to make any point, but to defend something that isn't being attacked.

You claim that you also want to take a weapons system to even out your training. Well this attitude and statement isn't new and I've already addressed it last year. That kind of crosstraining works for MMA, not combatives.

I suspect that most who train in MMA believe that its just a matter of mixing and matching ranges to equal what SD/UC has been doing for over a century. They believe that by simply adding some escrima drills, or by learning some knife techniques that they've become well rounded. They haven't because there's so much more to it. The beauty and science of a complete SD/UC system isn't in all the ranges and techniques you can cram in it. That's an easy way to over-complicate something that's ingenuity is supposed to lie in it's simplicity. The true worth of a system is in how it's put together. How the techniques have been refined. It's in the decades of trial and error searching for why to use and why not to use methods and techniques.

and yeah, go ahead and tell me about how im going to get myself into trouble, when the fact of the matter is you have stated yourself on this forum how you used to hang out at strip clubs and pornography shops were you were around shady people and it caused you to have multiple altercations with people. i myself have kept myself nice and safe ever since i started training, so i must be doing something right. unlike you, i have a true self defense mentality were i stay away from bad places and shady people as much as possible, you on the other hand... well, you get the picture.

Hiding yourself from the rest of the world does not qualify as de-escalation of violence. Violence happens at malls, movie theaters, amusement parks, grocery stores, parking lots, streets due to road rage, etc. You can pretend that you've acquired some skill by not having gotten into a fight, but what it really means is that all your talk about what you could or would do is theory.

You say that you're learning a sport art for self defense, and though its possible in ideal conditions, its improbable for someone who isn't extremely proficient. I can't stress extremely enough. What is laughable is that you speak of how average people wouldn't know what to do against BJJ, which means that you're training to face average people, which means that your mentality is NOT self defense. Self defense mentality would have you training to face someone equally good as yourself or better.

And your ideas about staying safe by locking yourself in your home are equally as laughable. So what if you and your woman go to see a play on Broadway and it doesn't end until midnight? Do you leave early? What if you have tickets to see a ball game and the game doesn't end until 11:00pm? Do you leave early? What if the people you're with want to get something to eat afterwards and a drink? Do you say no because your BJJ training teaches you to go straight home and barricade your doors?

What you and some others here have attempted to do is paint combative practitioners as paranoid and afraid when in all honesty its people like you who are full of fear and scared of life. You go home and lock your doors and can't have dinner with friends past 8:30pm because the thugs come out at night. You berate us for carrying weapons all the time when criminals carry weapons all the time. Luck favors the prepared, but in your eyes being unprepared is the acceptable cost of living in society.

Luckily that's only in your eyes.

[DickHardman]

What you and some others here have attempted to do is paint combative practitioners as paranoid and afraid

you have done this yourself.