Combat Ranges and Phases

Some say that there are four ranges of combat: Kicking range, punching range, trapping range and grappling range. And those people apply those ranges to empty hand fighting but ranges really apply more appropriately to armed combat. I am talking about largo, medio, and corto to those familiar with Filipino Martial Arts. In largo or long range one should be able attack the opponents weapon hand and arm; in medio or middle range one should be able to engage the opponents weapon hand with ones live hand and strike the opponents body with the weapon; and in corto or close range one should be able to strike the opponents body with both weapon and live hand. The three ranges can vary according to the length of the weapons involved. We will exclude projectile weapons for now. For empty hand combat I prefer the model of Combat Phases pointed out by Renzo Gracie, which include the Free Fight Phase where opponents can strike each other freely; the Clinch Phase where "trapping", punches, elbows and knees can be used and where throws and takedowns occur; and finally the Grappling Phase which is self explanatory but generally includes ground fighting, submissions and some striking.