RAF TECHNIQUE

Basic RAF Principles

All eight RAF disciplines are designed according to the common technical principles. Only the specifics of application of these principles in this or that discipline differ. This approach allows for the minimal level of contradictions between the disciplines of the multiathlon. It also provides for the synergetic effect — e.g. mastering Stick Fighting raises your Fisticuffs skills, learning Wrestling makes you a better Combat Knife fighter, etc.

Practicing RAF demands not only high determination and sound physical abilities, but remarkable intelligence as well. Coping with the «residual contradictions» within an eight discipline multiathlon system without adequate intelligence would be a difficulty.

RAF is not a «self-defense» system. In order to learn to defend yourself from anything, you do need to learn what are you defending from first. Having no idea about the attacking abilities and technical arsenal of your adversary, you will never succeed in building a self defense model of at least minimal efficiency. That is why teaching RAF technique we always start from the offence, and only after that we pass to the defense actions. In RAF, self defense is wholly secondary to the Art of Offence. It may be rough, but it is honest.

Russians as any other European nation have never shared the naive and unscientific beliefs in misterious «inner energy» — that is why you will never find it in RAF. We prefer to develop the technical, power and speed abilities of our students instead of feeding them with unrealizable promises. Competing in RAF Sport Level not having at least an average physical condition would hardly be a good idea.

Fisticuffs

Russian fisticuffs is characterised by lashing swings with an instant change of angle applied during attack. Swings are combined with hard direct blows.

It can be said that all punches of the Russian fisticuffs are natural and close to reflex hand motions, and therefore easy to study. On the other hand, RAF fisticuffs has a great variety of such punches.

Russian fisticuffs is known for its aggressive attacking manner, high speed, density of fight and coordination. Standard rate of the attack in RAF fisticuffs is three punches per second.

The typical tactics of the Russian fisticuffs is to attack the arms of the adversary first, neutralising them with hard blows or just striking them down — and then striking the head. Grappling is truly an indivisible part of fisticuffs — clinching arms and holding the neck, grappling clothes or even pulling hair is widely used for strengthening the blows.

Russian fisticuffs uses punches with the fist, hammer fist, open palm, forearm and elbow. Russian fighters were never interested in deliberately stupid forms of punching like punching with fingers, palm edge etc.

In RAF Fisticuffs blows are allowed to any part of the body above the belt.

Kick Fighting

To get the first impression on the nature of the Russian kicks one can watch traditional Russian Cossack dances. Abundance of light and high jumps with rotations, imitations of abrupt kicks and trips…

It is interesting to note that the Russian traditional culture used to consider kicks as dirty tricks, so they were long prohibited in the competitions and ritual fights. Kicking a man in a sport-like fight was considered to be a serious insult. But — the kick has always been an important part of the technical arsenal when fighting with a real enemy.

Russian kicking technique is truly European and has very little in common with widely advertised Asian technique. Russian kicks do not require preliminary stances. They are mostly physiological and do not require over stretching. They are safe for the joints and ligaments of a kicker. They are most effective in hard shoes. They allow for kicking in a series and are as high as required.

There are main and auxiliary kicks. Main kicks either knock down or neutralise the adversary. Auxiliary kicks support the execution of the main kicks. It is important to add that the kicks are widely used for attacking the arms of the adversary, making him open his head for the punch.

In RAF Kick Fighting any kicks are allowed to any part of the body. We train and compete in sport shoes.

Hand-to-Hand Fighting

Punches and kicks are tied together. The fighter simultaneously attacks on high and low levels remaining stable and mobile.

Speaking about the stereotypical Russian hand-to-hand tactics, it is striking down with punches or clinching the arms while kicking at the low level, and then executing the main blow (or series of the blows) in the head. Certainly, it is not a dogma, the fighter can start from a long direct power kick to knock the adversary down, or apply any other model of offence.

RAF hand-to-hand fighting is mostly close to Russian street fight.

Sport Folk Wrestling

RAF sport wrestling falls into three kinds of Russian folk wrestling:

1. Belt Wrestling
2. One-Handed Wrestling
3. Free Wrestling.

Russian Belt Wrestling is close to Celtic Back Hold. In Belt Wrestling the round begins with the wrestlers taking hold of each others belt; this a preliminary move, using both hands. The hold can not be changed or broken during the course of the round. The wrestling continues until one of the wrestlers falls on his back. No wrestling on the ground is allowed.

In One-Handed Wrestling (or Collar Hold) the wrestler uses one hand only, holding the collar of the adversary. Ankle trips and back heels are actively used. No ground wrestling. This kind of wrestling develops the grapple-and-punch-and-throw skill that is so useful in the real fight.

In Free Wrestling all wrestling holds, throws and trips as well as strangling are allowed. Ground wrestling is allowed.

Combat Wrestling

In RAF we actively develop the technique combining blows with throws and tripping. It is used either for defense from blows or for attacking. This technique aims to make the adversary lose his balance with further knocking him to the ground.

The preliminary hold is not required, therefore struggling for the hold is not necessary. Kicks and punches are actively used if the action does not make the adversary lose his balance.

Bayonet Fighting

In RAF we actively practice Sport and Combat versions of the Bayonet Fighting. The model of a rifle with an attached bayonet is used.

In the Sport version only thrusts are allowed. In the Combat version thrusts are combined with the blows with the rifle butt, kicks and punches.

Bayonet fencing had been widely practiced as the Russian variant of sport fencing till the middle of the 20th century. Bayonet fencing was a required part of military training for the Russian army soldier.

We build our Bayonet fighting technique on the Soviet Army study materials that were issued in the early 1940s, and on the 19th century Russian Army manuals.

Stick Fighting

Stick Fighting has deep historical roots in Russia. Full contact stick fights were widely practiced as well as purely technical competitions «Who Will Whisk Nicer». Cossacks were practicing «figure cutting» with a sabre, cavalry sword, one being held in each hand. The RAF Stick Fighting technique has much in common with traditional Russian sword technique.

Reconstructing the Russian style of the stick fighting we have used the fencing manuals of the Soviet Army issued in the 1940s, as well as the earlier, the 19th century publications. We have also actively used the widely known German medieval study materials, as they are fully compliant to the Russian fighting stereotypes.

As in the Bayonet Fighting, we develop both Sport and Combat versions of the Stick Fighting. Sport Stick Fighting allows for full-contact strikes with the wooden stick. Thrusts are not practiced in our Sport version of Stick Fighting.

Combat version of the Stick Fighting has not lost its currency in the police forces using truncheons. Furthermore, the latest chronicles of the city street clashes in various parts of the world prove that the Stick still remains the rough reality of the modern vulnerable world.

Knife Fighting

Reconstuction of the Russian knife fighting school was also based on the Russian and Soviet Army manuals, and the 14-16th century German study texts.

In RAF Sport Knife Fighting only thrusts and slashes are allowed. RAF Combat Knife Fighting also includes punches, kicks, holds and tripping.

We train and compete with the medium size blunt aluminum knifes.

We would like to stress one more time that widely spread schools of the «knife self-defense» hardly give any skills of at least minimal practical value as they do not teach to attack with a knife at all. Those who have practiced RAF Sport Knife Fighting know what a danger a knife can be, and laugh on the promises like «simple and effective knife disarmament for rookies».