Fighting the Good Fight

Photo By 2nd Lt. Linsey Williams | Spc. Julian Mitchell of the 642nd Regional Support Group, struggles with his opponent, Spc. Christopher Senff of the 188th Engineer Company, during a 5-minute bout at a Brazilian jiu-jitsu class at the Camp Arifjan gym, Oct. 25, 2011. Many soldiers two participate in jiu-jitsu for its physical benefits, as well as its close relation to Modern Army Combatives.  

CAMP ARIFJAN, KUWAIT

10.22.2011

Story by Pfc. Linsey Williams  

1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 34th Red Bull Infantry Division

CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait -- “It’s a great workout.”

“It teaches discipline.”

“Also, it’s a good stress reliever.”

It is Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

At Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, soldiers deployed in support of Operation New Dawn gather at the gym three nights a week to practice the martial art together.

It may seem like just an extracurricular activity, but Brazilian jiu-jitsu is much more closely related to the U.S. military than one might think. Aside from the physical and mental benefits available to anyone who practices the sport, our Modern Army Combatives Program would not be what it is today without the base that Brazilian jiu-jitsu provided.

In the mid-nineties, the leadership of the 2nd Ranger Battalion decided to reinvigorate their combatives program. Headed by then non-commissioned officer in charge of the combatives program for the battalion, Matt Larsen, the Rangers sought a new base for what was to become the MACP.

The Gracie dynasty had been honing the art of jiu-jitsu for nearly a century before the U.S. Army took notice of its style and effectiveness.

It began with brothers Carlos and Helio Gracie in Brazil. Helio’s oldest son, Rorion Gracie, was the first to bring the Gracie style of jiu-jitsu to the United States. He is also a founder of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. His younger brother, Royce Gracie, was the winner of UFC 1, 2, and 4.

After evaluating a number of different systems, the Rangers sent several men to the Gracie Academy to study their methods. With the tools offered by Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Larsen added his own military knowledge and combat experience to create a program tailored to the needs of the Army.

“[The Rangers] had a chance to train with the Gracies and find out their technique and notice that it works in pretty much every situation,” said Cpl. Junious Grady, 342nd Transportation Detachment.

Grady is one of three blue-belt level jiu-jitsu instructors involved with running the class at Camp Arifjan. He is also a level two MACP instructor and an officer with the New Orleans Police Department’s Fifth Disctrict Task Force when he’s not fulfilling his duty with the Army Reserve.

Grady stated that he’s had to use jiu-jitsu plenty of times on his job. Moreover, it helped him to use something that’s not lethal while on duty.

“Also, it’s a good stress reliever. With all the different stress, especially in deployments, jiu-jitsu is a way to … unwind and unleash that stress in a controlled environment,” Grady adds.

‘Controlled environment’ may not come to mind when you see people grappling and rolling each other into submission on a mat, but the growing numbers of participants can’t be wrong. In 2001, the United States Army Combatives School was established at Fort Benning. There, soldiers learn the techniques of Brazilian jiu-jitsu as they have been modified for the modern-day soldier.

Spc. Sean Stebbins, forward observer, C Battery, 125th Field Artillery, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, has been an avid participant in the jiu-jitsu class since he arrived at Camp Arifjan two months earlier. He is a former North Saint Paul High School wrestler and competed in the 2010 All-Army Combatives tournament for the state of Minnesota.

“Jiu-jitsu’s good for a lot of things. It helps you obviously stay in shape ... You can easily get a whole body workout in a half hour,” said Stebbins. “On top of that it teaches discipline. You get what you put into it.”

Though soldiers like Spc. Stebbins are the generally the most eager to participate in sport like jiu-jitsu, there are service members of all types and skill sets involved.

“The class is very controlled. We take our time and explain to the students that here, there’s nothing to prove, there’s no ego involved. We’re here just to learn from one another,” Grady explains.

Just as the Rangers were able to learn from the Gracies, the U.S. Air Force has begun learning from the Army. In 2008, the USAF implemented a program based on MACP. Grady mentions that he is a big advocate for martial arts programs within the military setting, from extra-curricular tournaments, to actual programs like MACP, now adopted by the Air Force, as well as the Marine Corps. Martial Arts Program.

“I’m glad that Camp Arifjan has this class,” said Grady. “It’s a chance for people from combatives to continue to train and also transition into the world of Brazilian jiu-jitsu.”

Thanks to instructors like Cpl. Grady, there is always someone to help them make that transition.

“They’re real knowledgeable and it’s good to have them here. They keep the class going. We had twenty-five guys today so it’s a pretty strong program right now,” Stebbins said. “Every time we get someone new coming in we try to get them to put the word out to their units. That’s kind of what keeps the program going.”

With no end in sight, the sport of Brazilian jiu-jitsu continues to become a practice amongst soldiers and other service members alike.

• Date Taken: 10.22.2011
• Date Posted: 10.27.2011 07:39
• Story ID: 79098
• Location: CAMP ARIFJAN, KW