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The German dolch (dagger) most commonly illustrated in fechtbuchen (combat manuals) is primarily a thrusting weapon. There are two standard types of attack, an overarm descending stab and an underarm thrust. Each of these has two primary variants. The most common defensive techniques in Dolchfechten are known as "the shield" and "the shear". These simple defenses develop into a wide variety of counterattack options. Dagger combat quickly enters grappling range, and fighters are frequently depicted as gripping their own, or their opponent's, blade during the ensuing "armed grappling" combat. This may be due to the fact that the daggers themselves were not razor-sharp, and/or to the fact that the human hand can grip a dagger blade with comparable safety provided that the blade is not allowed to draw across the skin. It will be noted that fighters using this tactic are invariably depicted as having immobilised the dagger before taking hold of the blade. As well as lethal stabs and thrusts, the dagger was frequently used to inflict painful wrist and elbow locks, similar to the use of the baston (stick) at grappling range in the Filipino martial arts. It was also employed to trap and control the opponent's neck, and even to hook from behind the knee to effect takedowns. s.
Dolchfechten links Keith Myers' extensive text analysis of Dolchfechten is available here The AEMMA Talhoffer translation, including Dolchfechten images and English text Images of Dolchfechten courtesy of the Royal Copenhagen Library via the AEMMA site Some of Talhoffers' Dolchfechten techniques are interpreted and demonstrated here The Alliance Martial Arts Medieval Close Combat page The Vom Baumann Fechtbuch includes extensive illustrations of both armoured and unarmoured dolchfechten combat techniques
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Dolchfechten (dagger fighting) refers both to a specific method of dagger
combat and to the application of 
