CQC

CQC (Close Quarters Combat) is a system of combined combat techniques which allow rapid alternation between armed and hand-to-hand combat while engaging enemy personnel. It was developed together by The Boss and Big Boss.

In the typical CQC stance, the user holds their gun (a one handed weapon such as a pistol) with their dominant hand while supporting it with the other hand, which holds their CQC knife. By using this stance, the gun remains steady for accurate engagement of opponents outside the range of unarmed combat, while allowing a quick transition to the knife for close-work. The style also incorporates various grabs, choke-holds, strikes and throws to disarm and disable opponents. One powerful CQC slam could knock even the strongest opponent unconscious.

There are many requirements and modifications necessary for weapons to be CQC-capable. The knife used should have a single edge and be strongly attached to the handle; in addition, serrations on the dull edge can allow the user to hook onto and control an opponent's movements. Pistols should be powerful enough to quickly dispatch opponents, yet light enough to be easily aimed one-handed. Notches can be cut into the grip to make it easier to grip with your knife hand. Rifles and carbines need to be durable and well-balanced, as they may be used to club or jab opponents. Useful modifications are sights which allow for faster aim and additions such as lightened parts and foregrips to improve control.

History
CQC was developed by Big Boss and The Boss in the 1950's out of the style known as CQB(better known as Defendu). Later, it was adopted by FOX and FOXHOUND, being an easy to learn and incredibly proficient combat technique that combined hand-to-hand and firearm combat.

During the San Hieronymo Takeover, all the soldiers of the Red Army, whom Big Boss and Roy Campbell would go on to recruit over to what would later become FOXHOUND, had varying skill levels in CQC. This could be, because a lot of them already had basic training in it. Gene had become proficient in the style and made his own style known as "CQC Enhancer" which was made to be a more destructive form of CQC.

Big Boss would later train Solid Snake extensively in CQC, however, after Big Boss betrayed Snake in Outer Heaven, Snake vowed to never again use that part of his extensive training and put a ban within FOXHOUND.

Years later, before the events of Liquid Ocelot's insurrection of 2014, The Patriots declassified highly sensitive documents regarding the events of Operation Snake Eater. Thus, Big Boss' popularity grew once again, prompting worldwide knowledge of CQC. It was at this point that Solid Snake decided to lift his own ban on CQC, beginning to use the fighting style once again. On the battlefield Snake showed the extent of this incredible combat system while engaging Liquid's PMC soldiers, as well as Outer Haven troopers, showing how CQC can be used on the open battlefield and within close quarters environments. Talking to Otacon, Snake called the enemies CQC only a "cookie cutter imitation" since he learned directly from Big Boss himself, while they had only read about it from books, and had no real training in CQC, choosing only to use it because of its popularity. Snake would fight Liquid Ocelot personally, on multiple occasions, the latter of the two learned by simply observing the style through the years.

Snake mentions that whenever he sees an imitation his body automatically reacts and uses the real style to quickly out show and outclass the fake one.

Prominent CQC Users

 * The Boss
 * Big Boss
 * Gene
 * Revolver Ocelot
 * Solid Snake
 * Liquid Snake
 * Liquid Ocelot

Controls (Metal Gear Solid 3)
For a full list of controls see the walkthrough

Using the directional buttons to sneak up on your opponent, press O to grab your opponent. Pushing O with a direction held on the Left Analog Stick throws the enemy to the ground. After grabbing you can then do a number of things -- moving the Left Analog Stick will drag your opponent, Pressing L3 will interrogate your opponent, pressing Square will allow you to shoot other guards while you are using the grabbed opponent as a shield, Pressing the Left Analog Stick while pressing O will throw the opponent to the ground stunning him, pressing O hard will slit your opponent's throat and tapping the O button will stun your opponent, while if you continue tapping Snake will snap their neck.

Attacks

Pistols allow you to attack opponents from a distance and stop them from shooting back. Once Snake is close enough punches can be used. Pressing the O button once will make Snake punch once. pressing it twice and Snake will make a one-two punch combo. Three presses and Snake does a one-two combo followed by a kick.

By repeatedly punching an opponent you can stun them. kicking or rolling into them sends them flying, if there are other guards nearby they'll knock them down too. It's worth figuring out where a guard will end up once you kick them, as kicking them off a cliff, into an electric fence or into quicksand will kill them.

Weapons

Weapons that are able to be used with CQC have a red CQC symbol in the corner of its icon on the weapons menu. Generally they are weapons that can be operated with one hand. Although CQC cannot be performed with the other weapons, pressing the O button will still allow snake to knock over an opponent using the weapon.

Controls (Metal Gear Solid 4)
For a full list of controls see the walkthrough

Due to the O button's use for initiating a reload, the R1 button has taken its place for both melee strikes and CQC. (Holding L1 -- "ready" weapon/over-the-shoulder -- determines whether R1 performs a melee attack/CQC or fires an equipped ranged weapon.) Otherwise, however, the basic idea is the same; you can still Grab the enemy with R1 from the standing or crouched position, Throw the enemy to the ground (move left analog stick and press R1, either knocking them out or leaving them conscious to be held up on the ground), use them as a Human Shield (standing L1), or kill them with a Throat Slash (standing Triangle).

New functions of CQC from the grab include the Ground Choke and the Disarm. The former is simply a variant on the standing Chokehold (Snake forces the target into a sitting position with X before rolling over -- push the left analog stick left while holding R1 -- so that they're prone and then hold R1 to choke them), while the latter (hold R1 to initiate a grab and tap R1 just as Snake pulls the target towards him) has Snake pulling the target's arm and causes them to drop their weapon. Finally, the basic Hold Up (hold L1 from behind or from the front, see below) can be combined with a Frisk (Triangle to start, then Triangle when prompted) to acquire items and then upon patting the target's crotch subdue the target. (For obvious reasons, the FROGS are immune to this method of subduing.)

Unlike Metal Gear Solid 3, you cannot interrogate a target (without a PlayStation 3 headset) or snap a target's neck. However, submachine guns, assault rifles, and shotguns have limited CQC compatibility. While the majority of CQC-related moves are still reserved for one-handed weapons, you can still throw the enemy to the ground, strike them with the butt (his R1 melee strike), and even perform disarms, as well as hold up an enemy. For example, it is possible for Snake to strike an enemy from behind, grab their right arm and spin them around, causing them to drop their weapon, then immediately raise his weapon and causing a hold up, all as part of one CQC combo.

In real life
CQC is not a real style however there is a style known as CQB also known as Defendu, developed by Eric Anthony Sykes and William Ewart Fairbairn for police and military usage before World War 2. It was First used by the Shanghai Municipal Police and later taught to British and American special forces during the war. The style teaches quick, simple and effective techniques for fighting in hand-to-hand combat with or without weapons. While CQC was suppose to refine it so the person could disarm and disable their enemy with even greater speed and effectivenes.

The two creators of CQB also developed the famous Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife for the British military; Snake's speech about the utility knife Sigint created for him accurately describes the reasoning behind the weapon as compared to utility knives issued at the time, being purpose-built as an instrument for combat rather than designed to be used for more mundane applications.

A quote from the time perfectly summarises the style: "All of us who were taught by Major Fairbairn soon realized that he had an honest dislike for anything that smacked of decency in fighting."

Since WWII the different services have developed their own systems, often renaming them in the process. The US Army calls their system MAC (Modern Army Combatives). The Marine Corps uses MCMAP (Marine Corps Martial Arts Program) Another term that is used is CQB although this relates specifically to tactics used by small units such as to clear rooms, secure hostages.

CQC bears strong resemblance to the throws and wrist locks used in Jujitsu, Aikido and Judo.