2/8/2020 LINE (combat system) - Wikipedia

LINE (combat system)

LINE is a close quarters combat system, derived from various
LINE Combat System
martial arts, used by the United States Marine Corps between
1989 and 1998, and then from 1998 through to 2007 for the US Also known Linear Infighting
Army Special Forces. It was developed by retired combat-arms as Neural Override
Marine Ron Donvito. Engagement, 7
Deadly Moves of
Officially, the name stands for Linear Infighting Neural Override Combat philosophy
Engagement; this is, however, a backronym coined during the Focus Hybrid
project's inception.[1]
Country of United States
origin
Creator Ron Donvito
Contents Parenthood various
Design Olympic No
History sport

See also
References

Design
The system was designed to be executed within specific and stringent combat-oriented conditions:

(a.) all techniques must not be vision dominant; techniques may be executed effectively in low-
light conditions, or other impaired visibility conditions (i.e., smoke or gas)
(b.) extreme mental and physical fatigue
(c.) usable by the Marine / soldier while wearing full combat gear
(d.) proper execution of the techniques must cause death to the opponent
(e.) gender neutrality; must be usable by—and against—either gender
These parameters are viewed as the most likely conditions that a combat Marine or Soldier would face
in close-range combat, since most close combat engagements were likely to occur at night or under
reduced visibility, while the Marine was fatigued and wearing his combat load, and when facing
asymmetrical odds, such as a numerically superior force. These requirements meant that many
flamboyant techniques, exotic kicks, or movements requiring extraordinary feats of strength or agility
were excluded from consideration under the LINE system. Techniques like classic judo "hip throws",
for instance, were excluded because of the possibility of entanglement on a practitioner's war-belt.

The system's techniques were designed to be easily learned and retained through repetition. The
requirement and demands that the system be drilled, repeated, and constantly revisited has led to
some criticism since the primary users - military and special operations personnel- often have
enormous demands upon their time, and as a consequence often lacked the ability to maintain high
degrees of proficiency in the techniques.

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History
USMC:

LINE was adopted by the Marine Corps in 1989 at a Course Content Review Board (CRB) at Quantico,
Virginia. All techniques were demonstrated for and deemed medically feasible by the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner (given a single attack opponent) and a board of forensic pathologists from the
Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) in 1991. LINE was replaced by the Marine Corps Martial
Arts Program (MCMAP) by Marine Corps Order 1500.54, published in 2002, although it had been
actually dropped in 1998, as a "revolutionary step in the development of martial arts skills for Marines
and replaces all other close-combat related systems preceding its introduction." [2] Military
combatives instruction programs—and the contracts awarded for it—are undertaken through a system
of competition, in which the systems are compared by review boards, and presented by individual
subject matter experts. Review boards may, from time to time, choose one system over another, based
on the changing needs of the Marine Corps or other military service. In the case of LINE Combatives,
the system was repeatedly reviewed and approved for training by many units over more than two
decades. LINE Combatives continues to be one of only two systems reviewed and consulted upon by
specially tasked and appointed boards of military medical examiners.

The LINE Combatives system is presently sought by advanced students, officers, and military
personnel throughout the special operations, high risk law enforcement, government agency, and
private contractor industries.

Units trained include (but are not limited to):

1st SWTG, United States Army

Special Forces, United States Army
1st SFG, United States Army
3rd SFG, United States Army
5th SFG, United States Army
7th SFG, United States Army
10th SFG, United States Army
19th SFG, United States Army
20th SFG, United States Army
SEAL Team II, United States Navy
82nd Airborne Division, United States Army
101st Airborne Division, United States Army
3rd Infantry Division, United States Army
4th Infantry Division, United States Army
172nd Infantry Brigade Stryker, United States Army
SOC South, United States Army
1st COSCOM, United States Army
96th Civil Affairs, United States Army
32nd MedCom, United States Army
44th MedCom, United States Army
112th Signal Bn, United States Army
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27th Engineer Bn, United States Army

8th PsyOps, United States Army
9th PsyOps, United States Army
CGSC, United States Army
5th ASOS, United States Air Force

5th CBCG, United States Air Force

US Army Special Forces:

The LINE System was adopted in 1998 by U.S. Army Special Forces at the Special Forces Qualification
Course (SFQC). Primary instruction took place during phase II and was remediated in phases III and
V at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. LINE was replaced by the Modern Army Combatives Program
(MACP) in October 2007.

US Air Forces:

In 2007 the Chief of Staff of the Air Force read an article in the Air Force Times about Airmen training
in the LINE system and ordered a review of all hand-to-hand combat in the Air Force [3][4] which
resulted in the Air Force adopting a program based upon the Army Combatives Program.[5]

See also
Combatives
List of martial arts
List of martial arts developers
Marine Corps Martial Arts Program
S.C.A.R.S. (military)
SPEAR System
Taijutsu
United States Army Combatives School

References
1. Todd, Tank. "Ron Donvito and the L.I.N.E. System" (http://www.fighttimes.com/magazine/magazin
e.asp?article=645). Fight Times. ISSN 1176-8266 (https://www.worldcat.org/issn/1176-8266).
Retrieved 2008-05-25.
2. MCO 1500.54A
3. Eric Holmes. "Close combat Why are thousands of airmen learning a brand of fighting ditched by
Marines and Army SF?" Air Force Times, cover story. 1 July 2007.]
4. MAJ James Blanton. "Hand to Hand Combatives in the US Army" Thesis present to the staff of
the US Army Command and General Staff College. 2008. (http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?
AD=ADA511484)
5. Tan, Michelle; Holmes, Erik (29 January 2008). "Combatives training inspires Air Force" (https://ar
chive.is/20120729090640/http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/01/army_combatives_080128w/)
. Archived from the original (http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/01/army_combatives_080128
w/) on 29 July 2012. Retrieved 18 April 2017. "We have always produced the smartest airmen ...
ready to go out and do the mission ... but now we are producing warriors"
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