Army Combatives

[Brad Boulton]

I may be mistaken but I read somewhere that the airforce adopted army combatives as thier hand to hand training...

Pretty Much

 

[Nagster5]

MAC teaches a ton of people to do something to a minimum standard, and is excellent at what it does. If you wanted to be a competitive marksman, you wouldn't use the army's basic marksmanship program to achieve that goal. If you want to be a competitive bjj/mma competitor, you wouldn't use MAC. The instructor certification courses teach with a firehose approach, and if you don't practice when you go back to your unit you lack the mat time, which is what happens in 90% of cases. Almost anyone in the army who is any good at "Combatives" is really training at a civilian gym.

 

[Brian2]

A guy from our gym is in the army and he teaches a BJJ class there. he teaches I think level 1 ground combat or something like that. His name is Bobby and he has been able to get some of us on the base in the past and we were able to attend the classes. I thought it was cool but I have to say I learn a lot more at our gym.

 

[Machete Juarez]

From what I know, Level 1 Army Combatives = Mount, Side Control, Rear Mount, Guard, transitions, Armbar, Americana, Rear Naked Choke, Collar Choke, Guard Pass, Giftwrap, and a few clinch techniques.

 

[dataws6]

Yes that pretty much covers it. Its a total of 15 techniques, with minimal clinch work.

 

[Mike Piekarski]

I train with a dude who won the combatives tournament last year, so he is one of the BEST in the army at his weight and he is a good blue belt.

 

[dataws6]

I train with a dude who won the combatives tournament last year, so he is one of the BEST in the army at his weight and he is a good blue belt.

What your leaving out is the fact that an "all army tournament" is a few rounds of grappling, (not in a gi similar but yet not a gi) then pankration, then very very close to MMA rules. So...
then add in some guys at a BJJ gym spend 100% on BJJ and no striking no stand up no takedowns. And attend 6 classes a week or more...
Your damn skippy that guy is going to be better on the ground than army combatives. I dont condone that it is the best all out program out there for "MMA". But I will say it is the best program to take average army Soldiers and make them into someone that can easily defeat an "untrained" opponent in unarmed combat. (which is unlikely in the first place but important). Then take into consideration the mere size of the army, trainers and training the whole population and dont forget this is a new program still changing and evolving to the needs of Soldiers.
So basically to put it into perspective we have to train our job IE: MOS (most important) Shoot our weapon and train to kill with it (2nd important) be physically fit for any environment (not 5 minutes in an octagon), wearing in excess of 50 pounds of restrictive gear... You get my drift the basics and the slight chance your weapon does not work and you end up on the ground, it is a great program for the military. and again I mention a blue belt who spends 100% of their time on the ground, in a gi, and trains for nothing else is going to win on the ground but how many Iraqis or Afghanis are doing that... I doubt any at all.
now if we go to war with brazil then we had better change our hand to hand game plan right.
If your worried about my credentials and opinion on this I am a 3 stripe white belt who has not been tapped by a blue belt for as long as i can remember (blah blah blah its only training..I can hear you already) and tap blues on a regular basis so you cant talk shit about the program all you want but is just like the difference between gi and no gi.. it is different, some may say slightly some may say greatly, but from my experience it looks as though it is slight but you add in the small little details (which anyone with experience in bjj knows) then it is way way different. Different grips, different objectives and different rules! Life or death is way bigger than tapout or no tapout.

 

[village_idiot]

I'm not American and therefore have no experience with the US millitary... so someone feel free to correct me.

But I always assumed these combat programs were just a mass produced crash course in close combat to ensure soldiers are generally superior to average people with no training.

I didn't think anyone would assume these guys would be able to legitimately go toe to toe with someone who has real training. Soldiers must have a basic grasp of many different skills, so assuming they have the time to specifically train close combat to the level of a blue belt seems ridiculous to me without some sort of additional civilian training.

 

[Jagcorps_esq]

I'm not American and therefore have no experience with the US millitary... so someone feel free to correct me.

But I always assumed these combat programs were just a mass produced crash course in close combat to ensure soldiers are generally superior to average people with no training.

I didn't think anyone would assume these guys would be able to legitimately go toe to toe with someone who has real training. Soldiers must have a basic grasp of many different skills, so assuming they have the time to specifically train close combat to the level of a blue belt seems ridiculous to me without some sort of additional civilian training.

This is generally correct. The average military soldier taking just the base course isn't going to be special compared to those that go the higher level trainings....and they won't be special to people that actually train BJJ/no gi on a regular basis.

 

[armybluebelt]

Army combatives is definately better than nothing. Its a good tool to introduce soldiers to the basic submission and positions in grappling. Essentially army combatives is based on bjj, with major tweaks here and there. Its also not as complete, but then again its better than nothing. The formal combatives training is good for teaching a whole group who do not have any experience in ma, although it might seem pretty stupid for someone who is already atleast a bjj blue belt. If u are already atleast a bjj blue belt, the best way is to train with guys of the same level or better, to improve. Army combatives is good, but it will only get u so far...

 

[peregrine]

I really detest it when the Army combatives instructor who is a white belt at my bjj school tries to cross choke me when I have double underhooks on his legs right over my face and grinds his sleeve into my cheek and molar.

hmmm what to do?

 

[ElKarlo]

My lil bro has done em, just really basic BJJ.

The Army can't afford to spend too much time in H2h combat. my dad a former GB said that his H2H training was not all that intensive, really like a Green belt, he said.

 

[ko11b]

I've heard many comments about this subject and I'm hear to break the barriers of this conversation which I will know it will always continue
The fact is BJJ curriculum for blue belt is not better than MACP level 1/2 techniques like passing the guard, arm bar, shrimping triangle choke rear naked chokes, Guillotine sweeps etc etc is not going to be really any different there are some who are very good that can roll purples like nothing so you have to factor that in overall I think the analysis is on point that I would place them blue belt or purple belt level for BJJ till further evaluation.

MACP level 2 which I do have the handbook also integrates over 200 techniques something else you have to consider.

 

[mattemate]

I would place them blue belt or purple belt level for BJJ till further evaluation.

Not even close.

 

[DoctorTaco]

The real army combative program is what you collectively learn from all the guys you’re stationed with who actually have training under their belt. Wrestlers, boxers, a whole bunch of jits dorks, they’re everywhere. If you want to learn hand to hand in the military you can.