Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego -- Prior to entering the pugil stick ring, recruits joked and made small talk with one another as they tried to settle their nerves while waiting for their turn to compete. But once they entered the ring, it was a different story.
Inside the arena there were no jokes or talking, just full on tactical aggression until a drill instructor deemed one recruit a winner.
Recruits of Delta Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, fought each other for their third and final Pugil Stick match at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, Oct. 21.
Although the recruits had done the exercise twice already, many recruits expected the third time to be the most intense.
“The first time you learn to deal with the butterflies, the second time you work on your pugil stick techniques and the third time you’re in good shape because your familiar with pugil sticks,” said Recruit Joshua R. Gutierrez, Platoon 1074.
Gutierrez said the familiarity and the fact that their drill instructors watch the bouts adds to the intensity of the exercise.
“Having the drill instructors watch gets the adrenaline pumping because we respect them so much, and we want to show them that we’re motivated and want to be here,” said the Tustin, Calif., native.
With their teeth clenched to their mouthpiece, recruits fought immediately once given the command from their drill instructor to begin.
To win a pugil sticks match, a recruit must land a strike to the head or show dominance over his opponent.
Recruit Michael R. Gama, Plt. 1074, said he felt the exercise teaches recruits to have a combat mindset.
“During pugil sticks you have to use that combat mindset,” said Gama. “I felt like I had that combat mindset during my match, I had tunnel vision. I stopped seeing everything else around me and was just focused on my target. Then I felt like I wasn’t hitting a person, I felt like I was hitting a moving target.”
Gama explained he believed the high intensity exercise was vital in preparing recruits mentally for combat.
“In combat, it’s your life or his life, do or die” said Gama, a Redding, Calif., native. “Having completed this training, we know we have skills and that there is nothing stopping us from winning in combat.”
After finishing their match, recruits stood together talking and joking once again, but this time it was for a different reason. Many recruits were bragging about how well they did.
“I think this is what builds a brotherhood,” said Gama. “One we’re the only military branch that does this and two just the fact that we can hit each other one minute and the next minute were talking about it and all night again.”