Photo By Sgt. Daniel Lucas | Third Army Soldiers and service members serving with Army units participate in the...... read more read more
Third Army has taken the "train like you fight" mentality to heart by holding a Combatives tournament for servicemembers at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, Jan. 15-17.
The three-day tournament pitted service members in weight classes from flyweight to heavyweight against each other in a single elimination tournament. Winners were determined by either a points rating or by forcing a "tap out" from the opponent.
"I was happy with the competition and the different array of techniques," said Lance Cpl. Livingston Lukow, 4th Marine Logistics Group and winner of the heavyweight division. "You experience a brotherhood when you fight people and you get to know them really well. It was a lot of fun."
Referees on the sidelines and on the mat ensured there were no permanent injuries during the competition. However, safety was still a priority, so a casualty evacuation point was established to check the competitors that might have been injured.
Competition was fierce as old rivalries between the Army, Navy and Marines played out through the tournaments preliminary, semifinal and final bouts.
By the third and final day, the zone 1 gym bleachers were packed with spectators ready to see which units and branches would be granted first place.
"Competition is always a good thing. It gives people something to do besides work work work," said Spc. Venessa Apple, 513th Transportation Company, Fort Lewis, Wash. "It's a good break and a lot of times, units allow their Soldiers to watch the competition."
There are several reasons combatives are taught: to educate soldiers on how to protect themselves against threats without using their firearms, provide a non-lethal response to situations on the battlefield, and to instill the 'warrior instinct' to provide the necessary aggression to meet the enemy unflinchingly.
"[Combatives] keep servicemembers ready and on our feet and lets us see where we are at," said Lukow. "It keeps us, as Americans, sharp and from becoming complacent."
| Date Taken: | 01.30.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 01.30.2010 03:44 |
| Story ID: | 44631 |
| Location: | CAMP ARIFJAN, KW |
| Web Views: | 479 |
| Downloads: | 394 |
This work, Combative Tournament, by SGT Daniel Lucas, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
