Fort Benning, Ga. - Fighters took to the mats and battled it out in the Fort Benning Combatives Championship Aug. 1 at the Smith Fitness Center for a chance to advance to the Army Combatives Championship.
Although the number of fighters has dwindled in the post championship since 2008 - from 100 to 40 - the crowd is larger and the level of competition has intensified, said SFC(R) Matt Larsen, director of the Combatives School at Fort Benning and author of the Army combatives manual. The level of competition gets higher and higher every year, Larsen said.
As the combatives program continues to spread throughout the Army, Larsen predicts the level of competition will increase in future years. The combatives championship is a way to get Soldiers motivated to train hard not only for the competition, but for the battlefield, he said.
"Our real fight isn't here, this is just training. The real fight is in Afghanistan or in Iraq," Larsen said. "Many competition based systems have an inherent problem that people will train for the competitions and not for the real fight. We are cognizant of that. That's why there are two sets of rules - so noone can train for the bottom end of the competition."
While competitors fought using standard rules, including grappling and no striking until the semifinals, the finalists fought with intermediate rules, which included kneeing below the waist, open hand strikes, kicks to the head and closed fist attacks.
A new addition to the post combatives championship was stick fighting and shock knife and Blauersuit demonstrations, which showcased what Soldiers learn at the Combatives School.
Competitions are 2 percent of the combatives program, Larsen said. The other part is teaching how to conduct missions and helping Soldiers with what they need to do on the battlefield.
The competition is about building the warrior ethos, confidence and learning how to close with the enemy, said SSG Jermaine Trevillion, a drill sergeant with the 2nd Battalion, 58th Infantry Regiment, who took first place in the heavyweight category.
SSG Dane Armentrout, 1st Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment, who took third in the welterweight division, said the competition instills pride.
"The championship teaches Soldiers they are more effective fighting machines than they think they are," he said.
For 12 of the competitors - the top two in six weight classes -the Army Combatives Championship Sept. 17-20 at Smith Fitness Center will be the next opportunity to showcase their skills.
Fort Benning Post Combatives Championship final results
Lightweight
1st - SFC David Reid, NCO Academy
2nd - SGT Richard Munguila, 75th Ranger Regiment
3rd - SSG Larry Oliver, 1st Battalion, 11th Infantry Regiment
Welterweight
1st - SSG Ryan Boyd, 75th Ranger Regt.
2nd - 2LT Brad Ison-Doolin, 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regt.
3rd - SSG Dane Armetrout 1st Bn., 19th Inf. Regt.
Middleweight
1st - SGT Phillip Coates, 1st Bn., 29th Inf. Regt.
2nd - SGT Simon Chang, 1st Bn., 330th Inf. Regt.
Cruiserweight
1st - 2LT Daniel Midgett, Infantry Basic Officer Leaders Course
2nd - COL Thomas Macdonald, Garrison
3rd - CPT Jonas Bray, Maneuver Captains Career Course
Light Heavyweight
1st - SSG Tony Blelasco, 1st Bn., 29th Inf. Regt.
2nd - SSG Douglas Schuler, 2nd Bn., 19th Inf. Regt.
3rd - CPT William Keating, MCCC
Heavyweight
1st - SSG Jermaine Trevillion, 2nd Bn., 58th Inf. Regt.
2nd - SSG Stephen Wood, 2nd Bn., 19th Inf. Regt.
3rd - PFC Matt Sixta, 2nd Bn., 19th Inf. Regt.
Team Winner: 2nd Bn., 29th Inf. Regt. with 44 points
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