US Army Training Center - Yearbook (Fort Bragg, NC)

Page 39 text:

Hand to Hand Combat The greatest portion of Physical Contact-Confidence Training is devoted to Hand to Hand Combat, for a soldier must be able to combat an enemy Without the use of a weap- on. And during Basic Combat Training, each man learns how to use one of the oldest and most effective Weapons: his body. Hand to Hand Combat enables him to attack or defend himself against an armed or unarmed opponent. During this training, he must develop speed, accuracy, and balance. He learns the vulnerable parts of the human body so he can concentrate his attack where it will do the most damage, While protecting the same points on his own body. He learns a dozen different methods of attack and the proper Way to defend himself against each method. But above all, in Hand to Hand Combat, a man develops confidence. Confidence that he can enter into combat with his only Weapon, his body . . . and emerge victorious.

Page 38 text:

Pugil Sticks After trainees have received instruction in the various thrusts and parries to be used in bayonet combat, there must be a Way to see if they have learned Well enough to put their skill to practice application if the need arises. Obviously, it would not be practical for the men to prac- tice against each other using real riHes and bayonets. So they are introduced to the second phase of bayonet training: the use of Pugil equipment. Their Weapons, the Pugil Sticks, are lengths of Wood with padded ends with the weight and length approximating those of their rifles. Using these Pugil Sticks, the men run through the thrusts and parries they learned with bayonets. The climax of their Pugil training comes When, with their bodies padded to avoid injury, trainees engage each other under simulated combat conditions. The use of Pugil equip- ment enables the men to receive the realistic type of training that may someday save their lives when they are engaged in combat with a real adversary.

Page 40 text:

5' K 5' 4 3 Obstacle Course This course is designed to test the physical and mental preparedness of the new soldier. Here, the trainee must move over, under, around and through a number of obsta- ' cles as swiftly as possible While carrying his rifle and field gear.