[ Home ] [ Join Us ] [ Guidelines ] [ Contact Us ] [ Products ] [ Articles ]

INTRODUCTION TO MILITARY MARTIAL ART ACCS & UCCA

BY Col B L Sharma (retd)

Indian Para Commando Special Forces & 2 War Veteran

Hon Secretary of UCCA

 Development of Military Martial Arts:

In Britain

Military Close Quarter Combat (CQB) Arts are very different from Civilain Martial Arts. Tracing the development of Military Martial Arts (Now also called ‘Combatives’), it all started with World War II, when British Army started developing a quick system of Hand to Hand Combat called UAC. This was hastily compiled with major influence by judo & wrestling.  Thus they used to catch a punch, grab a kick, grab a bayonet thrust at them and throw! Very impractical, but this method spread all over the allies as UAC.

In China

In 1926, William Fairbairn developed “Defendu” derived from Chinese Martial Arts and Kodokan Judo. Defendu was developed to train the  Shanghai Police and was later taught in expanded form to  the American OSS and SOE members during World War II. Fairbairn was called upon by the British to help train Allied Troops in World War II.

In USA

The US OSS Col Rex Applegate decided to modernize Hand to Hand Combat. He wrote the famous manual “Kill or Be Killed” another Defendu or old Fairburns art derivation. Judo- Wrestling influence on Military H2H. He also emphasized “Quick Pistol Shooting” Techniques in CQB & use of Fairbairn Sykes knife in cutting Windpipe for Sentry Termination. This became US Marines FM Manual

In 2000, Mat Larsen a US Army Ranger sergeant was asked to design the Ranger battalion course which he did, it was again derived from Brazilian variation of Judo (BJJ) and Russian Sambo, a sport wrestling.  This manual went to become US Army FM-21 Manual of CQB.

So it is obvious that all these military martial arts were based on Civilian martial arts & restricted to one or other kind of wrestling art, hence  narrow in technique & application .

The most modern art takes birth in India

In India , the Dr. Rao couple,  Prof. Dr. Deepak Rao and Dr. Seema Rao were asked by Director General of Police AV Krishnan to design a UAC course for district Police in 1994. Their qualifications, skills and interest in Combat Arts led them to experiment with various Martial Arts techniques & innovate them for 14 years. Studying Army methods of World Military, along with their Medical Knowledge they searched for Skills which could be learnt quickly without much precision training and used at vital points to kill. Bayonet techniques, Sentry Termination techniques & Reflex Shooting techniques, along with principles of Mob fighting (like putting the Mob components in a straight line in order to neutralize the numbers), Weapons Defense, Concepts of Line of Fire, Arc of Thrust of a Edged Weapon, etc were thoroughly researched. Thev Raos were constantly encouraged by the Add Director General VN Deshmukh who was also Joint Director Intelligence.

These skills were adapted to military fighting applications of Close Quarter Battle, Room Combat & Small Team Combat protocols. The Raos expertise with Sports Shooting was utilized in their various assignments for elite forces to develop modern indigenous techniques & the first actual Military CQB art of ACCS was born: Advanced Commando Combat System. This system was registered in Europe , USA & Asia.

Shaolin Monks, Japanese Grand Masters & eminent Military Combative Trainers all over the world were asked to comment on this art., all of which have applauded the simplicity of the art in keeping with US Army KISS principle of “Keep It Simple Stupid”   

The Raos have struggled to take this art peripherally to almost all the Regt Trg Centers, Academies, Elite Units, SF, Para, Cdo Wg, Paramilitary, NSG, Special Units of Police all over India and educated 15,000 soldiers in this modern methods without any compensation over 14 years 1994-2007.

Recognition

The Art ACCS today is recognized as the Ninth Military Martial Art in the world after British UAC, American Combatives, German H2H, Russian Sambo, Israeli Haganah, Chinese Defendu & Gung Fu, Japanese Samurai Budo, Italian Army arts. This recognition is via American, European & Asian (Japanese & Chinese Bodies). However the real acknowledgement comes from the fact that ACCS has got popular with the Indian armed forces for over 14 years – which is an acknowledgement of a Military art by the second largest Military in the world. The Raos research has been acknowledged by the CHIEF OF ARMY STAFF APPRECIATION twice in 2001, and 2005. No other Military martial art in the world has received such a high honor. It is also an art that has over 300 official endorsements from Top Brass of Army, Air Force, Naval Chief, DGPs, NSG, MARCOS, GARUD, BSF etc. And it is totally INDIAN.

The UCCA

Today ACCS is taught by a govt recognized trust known as UCCA: Unarmed Commando Combat (& CQB) Academy. The UCCA trains all govt organizations and Indian Forces with no compensation as a selfless service.

Today the UCCA is supported by some Ex army officers like me who advise the Raos and also at times help in imparting training in restricted subjects to the Forces

The ACCS Black Belts

The ACCS Black Belt concept is to award the BB only to those who have previous Ghatak / Cdo / CIJW / Specialized Trg and those who complete a formal short trg capsule in ACCS arts including CQB, CQ Reflex Shooting & Small Team Tac.

Currently UCCA has over 1250 Black Belts from Indian Forces, Paramilitary & N S G, MARCOS, GARUDs, etc. We also have as Honorary BBs International Special Forces Combatives Instructors like US Army Chief Combatives Instructor, Prof. Leonard Holyfield & Shaolin Monk Dr. Gu Ping, Ex Russian SF Offr Mihael Pupinsh, Col John Stampli form US Army & German Police Offrs. We also have Director Generals from State Intelligence, JDs Int Beau, Police, IG Civil Def ense, Chairman of Topsgrup Security, and many Retd Officers like first CO of Special Group, Commdt NSG Trg Center , etc who are ACCS Black Belts.

Specifics features of ACCS

What is unique about this art is that ACCS is strictly a Military Art, with easy to learn techniques that require more fitness, ruggedness& knowledge rather than precision, skill & years of practice.  Also the situations that ACCS trains in is not inside the ring or wrestling arena or street, but for situations like Close Quarter battle Ops, Room Combat, Confined Space Combat like Aircrafts, Close Quarter Ground Clearing & Occupation and Special Operations. 

Our art ACCS today is the only Military art in the world which is totally Military based without any civil influence of Judo, Karate & Sport Shooting. It is also the only indigenous art with no mimicking of British Snap Shooting or US Tunnel Vision Shooting techniques.  It is also the only art that covers the full gamut of CQB from Hand to Hand to Reflex Shooting, Sentry Termination, room Combat, Small Team Tac etc

The Price paid

The Raos are extremely proud that their life went in researching an art which needed development. They have finished 14 years of selfless training the forces. They have got shot at by extremists, evaded terror traps, dislocated bones, suffered bankruptcy, given up on raising family, Dr. Rao is half blind in one eye, Dr. Seema is partially deaf due to range shooting ear abuse. They are happy that the ACCS innovations have at least featured in important Corp Battle Schools. Next Year in 2008, the Raos will be completing 15 years of Selfless Service to the second largest army in the world.

 For more, See the ACCS website