THE TECHNIQUES
Stomach Rake
The Stomach Rake involves running the bottom edge of the stick horizontally across the opponent's torso. This can either be carried out with a forward drop step or just an upper body twist depending on distance. Although the word "rake" is used I like to think of it as a horizontal gouge , really running the edge into the side of the stomach and viciously across at speed - trust me it hurts!!
It was once described to me as the same motion as "striking a match." The stomach rake is a real aggressive opener and can quite probably end a fight on its own merits providing that it is brought into play quickly from a low position.
Upward Jab
The follow on from this is the "Upward Jab" and involves jabbing the top of the stick up and through. The most likely target is the throat and jaw-line but can include a contact to the solar plexus area.
Again this is another vicious hit that can either kill or finish off an attacker.
Downward Slash
The third strike in the drill sequence is the "Downward Slash." This can be a follow on from the upward jab and involves whipping the lead edge of the stick down in a ruthless glancing blow to the side of the head, neck, etc. It can also be a useful recovery blow if for example your initial upward jab has missed or not had the desired effect and at least you can get something on the way down. This downward slash can also be used as an opener to attack and disable a weapon bearing hand or limb.
Roundhouse Smash
Next is the "Roundhouse Smash", this time using the opposite end of the stick to swing round and strike to the jaw line or up underneath the chin knocking the attacker out cold.
Face Smash
The final piece of this combative jigsaw is the "Face Smash." This uses the centre piece of the stick (between the two hands) and is forced up in a push/shove/jab motion to the attackers face, throat, jaw, nose, etc. This should be carried out with you're full weight behind it.
(This final strike is an adaptation on our part - the original version has a rear end jab back into the face - the face smash is purely a personal choice and is based solely on our own experiences and preferences)
RELATED COMBATIVE STICK METHODS:
The Fairbairn stick method was not the only impact weapon that Fairbairn utilised in his various training assignments. Earlier work included the use of the baton or "night stick" for police work during his time with the Shanghai Municipal Police, as well as the use of the walking stick or cane for self defence purposes as is seen in his works Defendu (1926) and Scientific Self Defense (1931).
The baton was used as a short range impact weapon to block and to hit, as well as using the lanyard as a restraining tool or makeshift handcuffs for an unruly prisoner. The walking stick on the other hand was used for low strikes (to the shins and the stomach) and also to apply holds and locks to an opponent.
Further use of baton techniques was found when, in 1942, Fairbairn transported to the OSS training camps over in Canada and the USA the spring cosh.
Originally an SOE device, it basically consisted of two heavy concentric springs loaded into a steel handle, whilst the actual striking part was heavy metal knob soldered to the top of the foremost spring.
This was very much the fore-runner of today's ASP's and related extendable impact weapons available to law enforcement personnel.
The advantage of the spring cosh was that it was easy to conceal (say, from up a sleeve or from inside a trouser pocket) and its ease of use (using a forward body rotation and baseball style throw).
As the weapon was swung forward the two springs emerged from the handle and extended the metal ball towards the intended target, which was either usually the temple or neck for a quick and silent kill.
The flexible springs conform to the shape of whatever you hit, thus inflicting more damage than a solid weapon.
SUMMARY OF THE FSM:
So does it work? Well in short - Yes! It is very effective at extreme close range. I can vouch for this from my own personal experiences. Many years ago I worked in a small backstreet store in one of the rougher neighbourhoods of the town. We would often get "trouble" coming in through the door - whether to cause trouble/steal, etc. Often they were armed.
Now because of the layout of the shelves and the closeness of the walls there wasn't much in the way of room to use the normal type of contact weapon (swinging arc motion). However what was of use was the FSM.
I have used it defensively to keep the bad guy at bay, and I've used it aggressively to "clear" him out of the aisles, and subsequently out of the premises, before finishing the fight. I've used it against a rather large "gentleman" armed with a lock back knife, and against a gang of "Scally's" trying to get through the door en mass that I've held back on my own. Real, live action incidents are the best pressure test for the validity of any technique.
As an aside I recently found the original stick that I used to train with, and that was kept in case of "emergencies" under the counter, from nearly 20 years ago. It still has the original notches from its "usage."
The strength of the Fairbairn stick method lies in its simplicity and adaptability to a variety of situations (civilian, military, police, etc). The FSM has everything you need in five easy moves, and provided that you have a weapon of opportunity to hand as part of your everyday life - umbrella or walking cane/stick - it is a simple and easy to use technique whilst operating under stress.
The strikes are just a simple template that can be used in any order, and don't need to follow a connected pattern. You adapt, not adopt.
For the civilian the use of deception can utilise the method with a variety of objects - clipboard, torch, umbrella, steering wheel lock, etc. The techniques were not designed for full-on "baseball" style batting, as you would use with an ASP/baton to smash the opposition into oblivion. Instead they rely on a close quarter "thrusting" method and offer the man/woman the chance to get out of a potentially deadly situation by dropping the attacker ASAP and as lethally as possible.
The skills can be mixed and matched to suit various situations - attacker's size, stance, awareness, etc.
The flexibility comes from using ALL parts of the stick - end, pommel, bar, point, etc. One thing to remember about the FSM is that at any time whilst performing the drill, you can hit with the double handed strike (the middle of the stick/gun) you should do so.
Last year on our ECQB Bodyguards Skills courses we were teaching this technique to Close Protection/Personal Security Detachment personnel prior to their deployment to Iraq, as this method provides an excellent way of either clearing bodies away from the body of the assault rifle and following up (either with a smash with the butt or a shot from the weapon itself) or moving people away in a medium threat environment.
Thus, you might have used the first move and be thinking of going on to the upward blow, but if the opportunity opens up to hit with the double hander you should take it.
CONCLUSION:
This article was originally published in the March 2006 edition of The Journal of Modern Combatives, an American publication, and was also timed to coincide with our 2006 Modern Combatives "Expedient Weapons" seminars in which both William Pilkington and the Fairbairn Stick Method were referred to and utilised respectively.
Its purpose was to highlight the types of tactics and techniques used regarding weapons for close combat and provided an opportunity to explore more some of the creative thinking, skills and personalities behind this subject matter.
SOURCES:
All In-Fighting 1942-W.E. Fairbairn - Paladin Press
OSS Secret Weapons & Equipment -H. Keith Melton
Scientific Self Defence - W.E. Fairbairn - Paladin Press
Secret War Heroes - Marcus Binney - Hodder 2005
In our original draft of this article we stated that Bill Pilkington had played a part in the development of the FSM. This was incorrect, as Fairbairn had been working on this method for many years prior to their meeting in 1941.
Pilkington had in fact developed his own system of stick fighting quite separate from Fairbairn's. It was only when it was pointed out to us by a recognised authority on close combat history, especially those from the WW2 era, that we decided to have a drastic rewrite - and quite rightly too!!
So a big thanks to Mr. Ralph Grasso of the New-Jersey Close Combat Association, New York City, USA, for all his assistance regarding the development of FSM (and Bill Pilkington's role in that development), pointing out our "schoolboy" errors and putting us back on track. Thanks.
Unfortunately in life for every good bloke that you meet there will always be several other idiots around to spoil it for others. If only other so called self proclaimed "combative historians" "researchers" and "revered experts"(who it saddens me to say are sometimes UK based) were as gracious and generous as him then the World would be a more knowledgeable place.
I'm talking of the "internet commandos" - who spout out doctrine and opinions left, right and centre and are often found going into a big mad "drama queen" tailspin on the countless internet forums they attach themselves to. There are some guys with very big egos on show out there - but who have, sadly, completely missed the point about combatives and its history.
Thankfully they are a very small minority and the less time wasted on them the better
Copyright - Modern Combatives Group - 2005
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