|
Sgt. Jeffrey Desalla, an instructor with the Fort Carson Modern Army Combatives Program, attempts to gain a dominant body position over his fellow instructor, Staff Sgt. David Sansolis, during a sparring match at the Fort Carson MAC Fight House, Feb. 1, 2012. Units interested in using the fight house during physical training hours should email the director, Sgt. 1st Class Stephen Martin, at stephen.h.martin2.mil@mail.mil. The fight house instructors also conduct MAC levels 1 and 2 classes regularly. Soldiers interested in formal Combatives training should contact their company training non-commissioned officers. Photo by Army Spc. Andrew Ingram
|
|
FORT CARSON, Colo. (2/6/2012) – “Bullets don't last forever,” said
Sgt. 1st Class Stephen Martin. “I have buddies who were actually
captured by insurgents during deployment, and they said that, even
with a basic knowledge of Combatives Level 1, they could have been
able to free themselves.”
Learning how to engage and defeat
enemies in close combat is an important part in a soldier's
development, said Martin, the director of Fort Carson Modern Army
Combatives Program.
“It is more than just fighting,” he said.
“It's about building self-confidence. It's about knowing that in any
situation a Soldier can hold his own.”
At the Fort Carson MAC
Fight House, Martin and his team of combatives instructors conduct
training cycles for Combatives Levels 1 and 2.
The
instructors, who said they take their job seriously, provide
mentorship for soldiers and units looking to improve their combat
effectiveness.
The instructors encourage a healthy way for
soldiers to burn off stress while strengthening their bodies, |
|
said
Sgt. Jeffrey Desalla, instructor with the Fort Carson MAC Program. |
“When I was deployed to Afghanistan, I started spending
all the down time I had training,” Desalla said. “While I
was there, I decided I wanted to do more with the program. I
wanted to train other soldiers, so when I came home, I spent
probably half of my leave time here at the fight house.”
Sgt. Chad Myrom, a medical support specialist, who works in the
Fort Carson MAC Program, said the fight house staff provides
a safe environment for soldiers to hone their combat skills.
“I am here during every training cycle to ensure these
soldiers are in the fight and ensure they are taken care
of,” Myrom said. “Sometimes people get hurt during
combatives training, and in a lot of the programs out there,
they either have to deal with the pain, or drop the class. I
can help those guys through the pain, check them out on the
spot, and in most cases, I can help them get through the
training without seriously injuring themselves.”
Martin and his team of instructors are slated to host the
Fort Carson Modern Army Combatives tournament in May.
While some Fort Carson soldiers have taken part in
combatives tournaments in the past, Martin said they can
expect something new and exciting at the Fort Carson
competition this spring.
“In the past, we take all of
the fighters from each brigade, tally up the number of
points they accumulated during the tournament, and whichever
brigade earned the most points, we would award the trophy,”
Martin explained. “This year, we want the battalions to get
more involved, to field teams of their own. I think that
will make the whole tournament more competitive.”
If
the battalion's senior leadership gets into the spirit of
competition they could motivate their troops to make
learning and honing their combatives skills a bigger
priority, said Martin.
Martin said he would like to
see every Fort Carson battalion field a team for the
upcoming tournament.
“Units already compete to see
who is the best runner, or who is the best at shooting,
well, now, we need to see who is the best fighter,” he said.
“If we could get two fighters for each weight class from
every battalion, that would be outstanding; but I would at
least like to see every battalion on Fort Carson send a
couple of fighters.”
By Army Spc. Andrew Ingram
Headquarters, 4th Infantry Division Public Affairs
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2012
Comment on this article |
