Latest clubs
Videos
Groups

Kampfringen

Kampfringen ("combat grappling") was the term used for unarmed combat systems originating in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. It employed all ranges of fighting, from striking to ground-fighting, and included joint-locks, leverage throws, pain compliance grips, and various striking techniques. By modern definitions, it would be considered a complete mixed martial art. It is closely related to historical dagger-fighting systems, and indeed, dagger-fighting might be considered to be a branch of kampfringen.

Many manuals combine fencing and wrestling into a specialized branch of kampfringen called ringen am schwert ("wrestling at the sword"), designed to be used during armed combat. This included closing techniques, disarms, weapon-seizures, pommel-strikes, and weapon-aided joint-locks. In many cases, such techniques were designed to be used on the battle-field against armored opponents, and included techniques for targeting the joints and weak points in armor.

In his 1657 work on rapier and unarmed combat, German master of arms Johan Georg Pascha reveals an extraordinary range of unarmed techniques (which some have said resemble styles of Chinese wing chun kung fu, due to its emphasis on rapid strikes at close range). This is generally considered to be a distinct branch of kampfringen, sometimes called "Pascha's ringen".

This page was about Kampfringen Martial arts styles and forms