Moving Combatives Training Forward

From the Spartans to the Japanese Samurai to the Soldiers of the American Revolution, combatives training has helped produce more capable, confident Soldiers, and combatives remain crucial to the training and development of the successful warrior.

In ancient Sparta, combatives were instrumental in the training and development of the warrior school, the agoge, which children began at the age of 7. Children of the agoge were forced to fight using a style of wrestling and submission locks called pankration. They fought with spears, sticks and swords in brutal fashion, honing their warrior’s confidence and producing an indomitable mindset that seared the tiny Greek state into the pages of history thousands of years ago.

In the modern vernacular, the word “spartan” is a synonym for austere, hard or strong. Spartan warriors and their exploits became legend, and their dedication to military excellence continues to be emulated by warriors around the world.