Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego -- After a demonstration by drill instructors, recruits of Lima Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, practiced escaping from moves such as a bear hug and rear head lock at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, April 20.
The class is part of a series of lessons given over the course of recruit training that teaches recruits the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program.
Each class only focuses on a few moves at a time so recruits perform numerous repetitions on each move and drill instructors can ensure they are performing the techniques correctly.
During the entire class, drill instructors kept an eye out for mistakes and corrected them until recruits executed them correctly.
In order to prevent injury, recruits wore mouthpieces and gloves as well as practiced on a rubber composite floor.
The instructor bellowed out the commands from a microphone for all recruits to hear and the more involved moves we perfomed step by step in order to make the techniques easier to complete.
The recruits were motivated to be learning counter to chokes and, some even had prior experiences driving that motivation.
For Recruit Jimmy L. Ngo, Platoon 3249, his motivation came from an experience he had as a kid.
“I watched my cousin get beat up, and I couldn’t help him because I didn’t know how to fight,” said Ngo. “I felt helpless.”
Ngo explained that experience drives him to learn the most he can in MCMAP so that he is able to protect his loved ones, Marines and himself.
“We’re all brothers (in recruit training) and we’re supposed to look out for one another,” said Ngo. “If we can’t or don’t, what’s the point in being in the Marine Corps.”
While some military occupational specialties pose a higher risk in combat than others, Recruit Matthew J. O’Brien said he believes it is something every Marine needs to know.
“All Marines need to be combat ready. It doesn’t matter if you’re a cook or something other than infantry,” said O’Brien. “This is a stepping stone to being combat ready, and you need skills like these to protect your family and fellow service members.”
After all the training was complete, drill instructors made themselves available for any questions the recruits had about the techniques they learned. Recruits took turns asking about everything from hand placement to if the Marine Corps holds MCMAP competitions.
“As far as I know, the Marine Corps is the only military branch that teaches all its servicemembers hand to hand combat,” said O’Brien. “I take pride in that, and I think MCMAP establishes comaraderie.”