The Zombie Combat Manual (38 page)

As you can imagine, this is a highly risky maneuver, and should be used only in specific situations in which you have no other viable alternatives. When using the Bum’s Rush, keep the following key points in mind:

1.
Pick an adequate shield:
Choose a shielding zombie that is thinner and lighter than the average adult ghoul, a size that enables you to handle it through the undead throng. Examine all specimens closely, and select one appropriately. Young and elderly zombies seem to work best. Lighter female zombies may also be an option, but be sure to glance at their fingernails to determine if you need to be wary of its scratching and clawing.

2.
Move with speed:
There’s fast, and there is the speed you need to execute this technique. You need to move with extreme velocity, force, and aggression through the mob in order to prevent any one of the ghouls from grabbing hold of you, stopping your momentum, and taking an infectious bite. Once initiated, you must fully commit to completing this maneuver, as any hesitation midstride means certain death.

3.
Watch your feet:
As you batter ghouls out of your path, there is a chance your legs will be vulnerable to attack by any zombies crawling along the ground. Moving with speed and a light step will help prevent this hazard, as will wearing equipment that guards your lower legs.

COMBAT SIMULATIONS

You have conditioned your physique, chosen your weapons, and studied the tactics. The only task that remains is to refine your technique. During a large-scale zombie outbreak, this will not be difficult, as your skills will most likely be honed in actual battle. During peacetime, however, how do you ensure that your fighting abilities are as sharp as your machete? Through effective combat training simulations.

Depending on your situation, you may be training alone, with a single partner, or in a group. Each of these situations has its advantages, but if given the opportunity, you should incorporate all three simulation types into your training regimen. Be careful not to favor one type of training over another. There may be a time when you no longer have a team of individuals with whom to practice, and you will need to be well versed in training by yourself.

Before we delve into the specific drills, two factors must be addressed before beginning a robust combat simulation program.

Realism

A common phrase heard in combat training is “Train hard, fight easy.” The more you are able to create the illusion of combat, the better prepared you will be during an actual zombie attack. When training with family or friends, it is easy to become lackadaisical and casual during your drills.
Do not let this happen.
The simulations discussed in group and partner training are only as effective as the individuals playing their parts. If you do not take your roles seriously, or do not authentically behave as an undead ghoul would in an actual combat scenario, then you all will suffer in the long run. Inauthentic behavior on any member’s part may cause you to believe that fighting the undead is easier or harder than it actually is. Neither inaccuracy is worth your limited training time.

Safety

Just as realism is an important part of any combat drill, safety is even more so. Many of the drills described next require a great deal of speed, strength, and intensity in order to make the simulation as close to a real-world scenario as possible. It is important to remember that the people you are training with are teammates, not opponents. In an undead world, your true adversary is the one without a pulse. Ensuring safety during all combat exercises is paramount and especially critical during drills in which individuals are barreling full steam into teammates or fending off clutching hands. Always wear protective gear if available, including headgear and chest protection when appropriate. Use padded training tools instead of actual weapons. Always keep the intensity level high, but remember that a hurt or wounded teammate impacts his or her own fighting ability and the combat effectiveness of the entire group.

Group Training

If you are lucky enough to have a team of four or more individuals to train alongside, do not let this unique benefit go to waste. Your group sessions should focus on dealing with the more perilous undead combat situations—mob attacks. Undead mobs are often the most difficult to handle, and thus the most difficult to prepare against. Each individual in your group should alternate as the human defender as every other member simulates a zombie attacker, or
zuke
(pronounced “ZOO-key”). The following are combat simulations you can practice with your group.

Last Ghoul Standing

This basic exercise mimics the scenario of facing a group of zombies in an open area. Using a padded training tool approximate in size and shape to your preferred combat weapon, you should attempt to navigate around the pack and strike simulated blows to each zuke, just as you would in an actual battle scenario. If possible, use practice weapons that replicate each of your long-, melee-, and close-range arms. In advanced sessions, you can improvise the loss of a weapon midexercise to enhance your ability to switch armaments on the fly.

Because you are simulating blows to the heads of your teammates, be careful about the amount of force used in your attacks. Use a quarter to an eighth of your potential power level in your strikes, and if possible, have each zuke wear protective headgear. The purpose of this exercise is to train your agility when facing a pack of zombies, not to improve your delivery of destructive blows. In advanced training, conduct this exercise in a tighter, confined space, making the ability to dodge each zuke more difficult.

Red Rover

A variation on the classic children’s game; the purpose of this exercise is to simulate the situation in which the only thing standing between you and safety is a group of walking dead. The safety point could be an exit, a weapon, or another human whom you are trying to rescue. This simulation should be conducted in a large room or outdoor setting, with the human defender standing on one side and the destination point forty to fifty feet in front of him or her. In between, your group of zukes should assemble in a random pattern. The object is to break through the group and reach the destination point, while the attackers attempt to grab and bite you. The exercise should be repeated several times to test the defender’s ability as fatigue sets in, with the group assembling in a denser, more congested pattern each time. This exercise can also be used to practice the Bum’s Rush maneuver.

The Maul Rat

The purpose of this drill is to become adept at fending off attackers while completely surrounded and to address attacks from unusual angles. In this difficult exercise, the training group should assemble in a circular pattern around the defender. With arms outstretched, the group attempts to grab and maul the defender as he or she tries to keep them at bay while being continually surrounded by the group.

The exercise should be conducted for a full five minutes, or until one of the attackers lands what would be a life-ending blow. The exercise is completed once every member has had the opportunity to play the role of defender. If your group is larger than ten individuals, break the team up into smaller groups to alleviate the monotony of having to portray a zombie for nine other teammates.

Partner Training

Training with a single partner can be quite useful in perfecting many of the combat and escape techniques described throughout this manual, and can help develop the unique feel for defending against a zombie in a one-on-one situation. All of the following drills can also be incorporated into group training, with the larger team splitting into pairs to conduct each exercise.

Ghoul Grappling

This drill trains you to counteract the common occurrence of a zombie grabbing your arms during an attack. With one individual again playing zuke and the other defending, the attacker should grab you on random locations on the arms—the wrists, forearms, or upper arms. With each grab, the defender should use one of the techniques outlined earlier and attempt to break the grip. Each time the defender is successful at dislodging the hold, the zuke should grab another region on either arm. The zuke should not attempt to bite, as the purpose of the exercise is to practice holds and releases. The zuke should, however, be as realistic as possible in clutching the defender as aggressively as possible until he or she is able to break free. Do not be concerned with gripping your partner “too hard.” As strong a grip as you may believe you have, it is nothing compared to that of your standard undead corpse. This grip/release routine should continue unceasingly for at least four minutes, at which time the partners should switch roles.

Diablo’s Mark

In traditional knife combat drills, partners rub their training blades with chalk, ink, or lipstick to determine the placement and gravity of wounds during dueling exercises. The Diablo’s Mark drill is similar in concept. In this freeform exercise, the person playing zuke places marking balm on his or her lips and fingernails while the other defends against an attack. Any number of scenarios can then be created to simulate a unique zombie attack—unarmed encounter, handicapped defender, attacked while sleeping, and so forth. At the end of the drill, the defender determines how many times he or she was marked by the zuke’s balm-coated lips and nails. Depending on the severity and location of the mark, each blemish can signify a failed zombie confrontation. After experiencing this drill, participants become acutely aware of the lethal nature of engaging the living dead.

Solo Training

At some point you may find yourself completely devoid of training companions, relying only on yourself to keep your skills in peak condition. It is a misconception that a training partner is always necessary to hone your combat abilities. You can perform a great many drills and exercises that require nothing but yourself and some minor training tools.

Solo training is also the most widespread type of conditioning carried out during large-scale zombie infestations; family is missing, friends are gone, and you must fend for yourself. In such an isolated state, the last thing you may feel motivated to do is conduct combat training. In actuality, it is precisely when you are alone that you must keep your fitness level and fighting skills at their sharpest. In these situations, you do not have the benefit of a partner saving you from the clutches of a ferocious ghoul attack. Here are several drills that can improve your solo combat skills.

The Splitting Headache

This long-range drill is ideal training if you find yourself often using a polearm weapon and attacking with a thrusting strike to the bridge of the nose, as depicted in the Skullcapper technique. Draw the outline of a zombie’s head, including facial features, on a sheet of fabric. Mount the fabric to a solid surface and at an appropriate height for an adult zombie. Draw a pair of parallel lines on the face—one roughly one inch above and the other an inch below the eyes. This is your target zone. Using your actual combat weapon or a training staff, try to deliver as many consistent thrusts as possible between the drawn lines for three minutes. Keep count of how many strikes you execute during that three-minute period, and assess how precisely your strikes land.

The Maypole

This drill develops your coordination and footwork at melee range. Wrap a length of masking tape around an object that you can encircle, such as a tree, pillar, or mounted heavy bag. The height of the tape should mark the height of the average human skull. With your melee or training weapon in hand, begin moving around the target, circlestrafing just as you would if executing the StraCirs technique. As you circle, strike the tape with your weapon as you would strike the skull of an attacking ghoul. Complete five full rotations around the target, then reverse direction and complete another five rotations. You can also try switching the weapon to your nondominant hand during this drill in order to develop ambidexterity in your attacks.

The Nutcracker

If you still have never dispatched a zombie with a blow to the skull, most likely you have one question eating away at your conscience: Do you have the ability to do it? One obvious way to find out is to engage in combat with a ghoul, which is the worst time to find out that you are unable to do so. Another, more practical method is to train your muscles to deliver a devastating strike that can send skull fragments flying and drop the ghoul where it stands. The question is, how much force is required to deliver a ghoul-neutralizing blow? It is a difficult question to precisely answer, as there are many influencing factors, such as hair, cranium size, target area, and state of decomposition. However, you can better prepare yourself to deliver an adequately powerful blow through the Nutcracker drill.