- Mark Hatmaker
- Jul 30
- 3 min read
Martial artists can learn a lot from people who have mastered different realms of combat because often the principles and tactics they use can be adapted to what we do.
Case in point: Oswald Boelcke. This German flying ace was one of the top innovators and instructors in the Axis air force during World War I. Among his many accomplishments, Boelcke chose a young Baron Manfred von Richthofen to become his pupil and coached him to an astonishing string of air victories. Von Richthofen is better known as the Red Baron.
Boelcke flew at a time when pilots of both the Axis and Allied powers still considered themselves “knights of the air.” They demonstrated a curious kind of chivalry that often entailed showing courtesy to the opposition. Stories abound of pilots who found that their primitive machine guns had jammed in the middle of a dogfight, only to receive a salute from their adversary as he opted to fly away rather than engage a defenseless opponent for an easy kill.
It was not uncommon for an “enemy” to do a flyover during the funeral of a respected airman of the other side, sometimes dropping gifts with notes of respect for the prowess of the fallen. Different times, indeed.
One aspect of Boelcke’s makeup was that he relished flying alone but also believed that flying as a team was integral to success. This vaunted pilot, of whom the Red Baron once said, “He shot one or two Englishmen for breakfast every day,” was asked by his superiors to compile a set of guidelines for young aviators.
Known as Boelcke’s Dicta, it's composed of eight commandments, which I present below along with my martial arts comments.
ONE: Try to secure advantages before attacking. If possible, keep the sun behind you.That’s sound advice in the air or on the ground. Furthermore, what martial arts instructor doesn’t preach that training, study and knowledge of the environment is key? To go into a fight without this awareness — the proverbial act of “flying blind” — is a recipe for disaster no matter where the combat takes place.
TWO: Always carry through an attack once you’ve started it.We hear the same notion echoed in the old boxing maxim “A half a punch is worse than no punch at all.” What Boelcke and boxing trainers are telling us is if we make an effort, we must make that effort with utter integrity (feinting aside) so we don’t waste energy or provide our opponent with an opportunity to counter by virtue of our timid attack.
THREE: Fire only at close range and only when your opponent is properly in your sights.Well said! What’s the point of throwing that leg kick if you can’t even reach your opponent with a jab? Why shoot in if you can’t touch? Why waste the energy? Boelcke is right — we must know our range well.
FOUR: Always keep your eyes on your opponent, and never let yourself be deceived by ruses. No need to add anything here.
FIVE: In any form of attack, it’s essential to assail your opponent from behind. In our world on terra firma, that commandment sounds like it’s extolling the virtues of using angles if you’re on your feet. On the ground, it reminds us of the importance of getting our opponent’s back.
SIX: If your opponent dives on you, do not try to evade his onslaught, but fly to meet it.This may not be as useful to our game as redirection of force and evasion are, but it still should be part of our defensive strategy.
SEVEN: When over the enemy’s lines, never forget your own line of retreat.Those who are into combatives can smell the wisdom here: Always know where the exits are. Those who are into MMA will say this sounds very much like ring generalship: Know where the turnbuckles are, know where you are in relation to the cage and so on.
EIGHT: Attack on principle in groups of four to six. When the fight breaks up into a series of single combats, take care that several do not go for one opponent.If a match is underway in a ring, we can interpret the first portion of Boelcke’s advice to advocate “punches in bunches” or other combinations.
If the altercation is unfolding on the street, we should recognize that there’s strength in numbers. If we’re forced into solo combat, we must know that our opponents will likely remember this eighth commandment and attempt to “return to strength.”
