FORT MEADE, S.D. - Sometimes the only weapon a Soldier has on the battlefield is his own two fists, and the only advantage he may have in a life-or-death struggle with the enemy is the hand-to-hand combat training he receives.
Instructors at the South Dakota Army National Guard's 196th Regiment (Regional Training Institute) are giving Soldiers a fighting chance with its Modern Army Combatives Program (MACP) recently held here at Fort Meade.
"In combat, it's not about who can win a fight, but who can survive long enough for their buddy to show up with additional support," said Army Maj. Randall Griebel, the lead instructor for the MACP.
The MACP is designed to train Soldiers in close-quarters combat and prepare them to defeat an enemy in hand-to-hand combat. Soldiers learn fighting techniques to help them survive a situation where using a weapon is no longer an option.
"We are learning how to defend ourselves without the use of a weapon," said Army Capt. Shannon Machmiller, a civil affairs officer with the 196th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade in Sioux Falls, S.D. "They are teaching us to become more effective warriors."
The MACP has been offered as part of the curriculum at the 196th Regiment (RTI) since the spring of 2007. The program offers Army National Guard Soldiers from across the country the opportunity to train on different fighting styles and become certified to teach these techniques to other Soldiers.
The Army's MACP originally began in 1995, when the commander of the 2nd Ranger Battalion ordered a re-invigoration of the combatives training after realizing the traditional combatives training methodologies didn't reflect the realities of the modern training environment or the modern battlefield.
"The Army's original fighting program had no real foundation or curriculum for training Soldiers. Iraq and Afghanistan began to show what Soldiers really need to learn to fight and survive," said Griebel. "The result was the development of the Modern Army Combatives Program. This training lays the foundation for any hand-to-hand combat Soldiers may find themselves conducting on the battlefield."
The program has four different levels of combat fighting styles; however, the RTI only teaches and certifies Soldiers to become level one and two instructors.
"This is a train-the-trainer program," said Griebel. "We expect these Soldiers to take these techniques back to their units and train other Soldiers."
Training begins with ground grappling techniques from Brazilian Jujitsu and progresses through throws and take-downs from wrestling and Judo. Soldiers learn progressive moves that are combined into drills, where two opponents spar with one another, providing more realistic training.
"We are learning a lot of moves," said Machmiller. "It's very intense, hardcore training."
"The training begins with ground grappling because it is easier to teach and learn," said Griebel. "We want Soldiers to learn quickly and apply the techniques effectively."
Soldiers at this level one program learn basic moves such as closing the distance, achieving the clinch and how to gain a dominant body position, said Griebel. The idea is to get their body in a position to inflict punches and apply a choke or a submission move.
Although Soldiers don't actually throw punches at each other, the chokes and submission moves learned are real - allowing Soldiers to push each other to the brink of pain without inflicting any serious harm.
Griebel says the course also lays the foundation for more advanced, follow-on training.
To become level three and four certified, Army National Guard Soldiers must receive training from the active Army at Fort Benning, Ga. Levels three and four teach the stand-up fighting skills of boxing and Muay Thai and the weapons fighting skills of Kali and western martial arts.
The central theme of all the techniques in the MACP is the idea that Soldiers practice them against a fully resistant opponent.
"This is realistic training," said Army Spc. Tyler Sieh, a truck driver with the 740th Transportation Company in Milbank, S.D. "In the beginning, I was kind of flailing around with little coordination or control over my opponent. By the end, I actually had moves I could apply to defeat them."
"As soon as I get back to my unit, I hope to start having classes," said Sieh. "Our unit shares the armory with the high school, and since they have wrestling pads, it will be an ideal surface to use for training."
Machmiller, a police officer with the Brookings, S.D. Police Department, said she can see value in training not only Soldiers within her unit, but also other police officers in her civilian occupation.
"We don't get a lot of ground fighting training for my job," said Machmiller. "If I do get into a scuffle with a person - I can hold my own until another officer arrives."
"This training is great," said Sieh. "If I ever find myself in a life-or-death situation I now feel more confident in handling the situation."