Combatives

Day One and the only thing that still works on me is my left pinky.

Today we began Modern Army Combatives, an eight hour day of fall, grabbing, grappeling, choking, blocking, squirming, and sweating against one another in what is essentially modified hand to hand combat.

During this training you get up close and personal with your training buddy as you throw each others body against them (the previously mentioned sweat becomes a factor around hour three). You force your parter into submission holds by bending parts of the body that they are not designed to go. You force your partner to "tap out" by choking the part of the neck that controls blood flow to the brain.

This was very good training, very well executed. No one "got by", everyone participated. The instructors paired up different body types and sizes as well as genders. Scrapping, improvising, or sparring was not allowed by the instructors. Nonetheless, the physical acts involved will leave me reaching for the Advil for a few days.

The highlight was at the end of the day when everyone participated in a one on one match against someone of the instructors choosing. My first match was against a 20something who I was able to get a dominate position on and held it for the duration of the 60 long seconds that the match lasted. My second match was a against a stocky 19 year old who "called me out". For the next minute or so I realized every year older than him I was. For the next minute I realized every unpushed push-up I have passed on for the last four months. I fought a good fight but he was able to choke me out.

We are all sore and ready for bed. Good-night.