Photo By Capt. Isaac Lamberth | David Smith, a state trooper with the South Carolina Highway Patrol, uses his arms to...... read more read more
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PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. - State troopers from the South Carolina Highway Patrol learned Marine Corps Martial Arts Program techniques April 5 at Leatherneck Square.
The techniques were hand picked by the martial arts instructors and were based on real-life scenarios the state troopers could face while on duty.
“We took techniques from green belt through black belt,” said Sgt. Reginald Berry, a martial arts instructor trainer at Leatherneck Square. “We taught them moves that could counter an aggressive attack.”
He said the moves taught dealt with the use of the force continuum, knife and pistol counters and ground fighting.
“They use some of the same techniques we taught them in their own defense training,” Berry said. “We just went more in depth as far as follow-through techniques go.”
Although the SCHP state troopers learn some of the same techniques at the South Carolina Justice Academy, Russell Howard, a state trooper with the SCHP, said the resources on Parris Island help to expand their training.
“The amount of resources here is amazing,” Howard said. “There are no other facilities in the state where we can do this type of training. These techniques that we’re learning can be applied to our day-to-day duties when we’re serving the citizens of South Carolina.”
After the state troopers practiced the MCMAP techniques, the MAITs wrapped the class up with a “tie-in,” or a discussion in which the instructors apply what their students learned to real-life scenarios.
The tie-in topic the instructors discussed was using MCMAP as a defensive mechanism instead of using it as a means to inflict injuries on a person without cause.
“The tie-in we discussed was the reason we’re doing all this,” Howard said. “We want to keep the public safe.”
In addition to the MCMAP techniques being used to keep the public safe, those techniques were also taught to keep the troopers safe while on patrol.
“These techniques are beneficial to us guys who work alone on the road,” said Chad May, a state trooper with the SCHP. “The ground-fighting techniques will come in very useful. In the event an aggressor takes us to the ground, we’ll be more confident in handling the situation.”
Once the troopers practiced all of the MCMAP techniques for the day, they completed the Confidence Course at Leatherneck Square.
“The Confidence Course did just what it sounds like it should do – it built confidence,” May said. “It made you believe you could do things that you wouldn’t usually think you could.”
“The whole experience builds confidence – whether it was ground-fighting techniques or overcoming fears,” May said. “These techniques could potentially keep us alive.”
| Date Taken: | 04.05.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 04.15.2011 07:57 |
| Story ID: | 68791 |
| Location: | PARRIS ISLAND, SC, US |
| Web Views: | 335 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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