Just had my first Modern Army Combatives lesson.

Manic Moran

That was a little different.

My last experience with hand-to-hand was eight years ago in Basic Training. Back then, it was sortof a modified streetfighting deal, done probably more for the sake of instilling aggressiveness and confidence than for any belief in the need to hand-to-hand.

Well, in recent years the Army has changed its position a tad. The modern combatives programme is a bit different, on the basis that US soldiers actually are finding themselves in close quarters with the enemy on occasion. So they decided now that every soldier who goes overseas has at least the basics of combatives down.

There are a couple of differences to either 'civilian' or even the previous Army type of fighting. The first one, which I knew in advance, was that the winner is not determined by the person who can beat up the other guy, stab him, or otherwise incapacitate him, but by the person whose buddy shows up first with a gun. To that extent, the priority is not in trying to defeat the opponent, but simply to prevent the opponent from defeating you. A much simpler proposition.

The other difference, which I hadn't thought about but makes a hell of a lot of sense, is the extra gear and equipment. I'm loaded down with about 40 pounds worth of extra equipment which is a bit of a mobility disadvantage. On the other hand, over half of that 40lbs is armour. Not just soft kevlar, but hard armour plate and a helmet. Therefore things which might be considered an increase in vulnerability in the civilan world such as presenting the head as a target or leaving the chest area completely undefended are not really a problem. If you want to try to punch me in the ear or jab at me in the ribs, good luck, go ahead. Say goodbye to your knuckles.

So the lesson was pretty simple.

1) How to get up. Go from sitting in base to standing in base and basically moving around.
2) Four positions of dominance, and the positions to assume should you find yourself on the receiving end of them.
i) Guard
ii) Side Control
iii) Front mount (and high mount)
iv) Back mount.

Basically, get into a dominant position and wait for your squad-mate to figure out that you need a hand, before he then pops a 5.56mm round in the guy's head. Problem over.

And that's it. Simple little course of instruction, but actually, quite useful. Shame I hadn't taken it before, actually.

NTM

yomchi

Who lead the course mate?

Nothingcompares

was this Gracie Combatives?

pearsquasher

Sounds like (American) Marine Corp Martial Arts to me..

http://www.tecom.usmc.mil/tbs/Pages/MA/default.shtml

Victor

Helmets are also useful (less lethal) weapons, whether you are still wearing it or not, although if its strapped on, don't let him grab it.

Manic Moran

Nothingcompares wrote: »

was this Gracie Combatives?

My understanding, yes. Started off in a Ranger unit back in the late 1990s, and became standard for US forces a couple of years back.

NTM

Scramble

Royce Gracie made a few trips out to teach Gracie Jiu Jitsu to some special forces battalion, but I believe Matt Larsen's Modern Army Combatives programme developed seperately. And that's different again from the Martial Corps Martial Art that was developed by the USMC.

I'm still a little confused as to whether the original poster is an Irish person in the US military learning Modern Army Combatives, or someone in Ireland who is learning some type of Gracie Jiu Jitsu and has been told it is the same as Modern Army Combatives.

arybvtcw0eolkf

Scramble wrote: »

I'm still a little confused as to whether the original poster is an Irish person in the US military learning Modern Army Combatives, or someone in Ireland who is learning some type of Gracie Jiu Jitsu and has been told it is the same as Modern Army Combatives.

He is Irish serving in the US army.

Victor

Manic Moran wrote: »

Basically, get into a dominant position and wait for your squad-mate to figure out that you need a hand, before he then pops a 5.56mm round in the guy's head. Problem over.

What happens if its the second guy from the other side shows up first?

arybvtcw0eolkf

Victor wrote: »

What happens if its the second guy from the other side shows up first?

Reminds me of an old story from work (I'm in the army).

The duty officer in Collins barracks asks the private on guard duty "Private, what would you do if the Brits sailed a battle ship up the liffey and it started to fire on the barracks?"..

"Sir", replied Private Murphy "I'd get ten tanks and blow it the fvck out of the water"..

"And where would you get the tanks from Private?" asks the officer..

"The same place you got your battle ship, sir!"..