Appreciated, but many of the guys I hear from are MPs, Civil Affairs, and PSYOP soldiers who would do more harm than good in their missions by roughing up the locals more than they had to. None of them are opposed to shooting bad guys, and none of them consider BJJ a good counter-IED tactic either - these are not stupid people. But on occasion, they run into problems with civilians in less threatening areas or in holding areas after searches have taken place. Yes, I realize things can be missed even in detailed searches, and so do they. But in many cases, a simple restraint or hold while a buddy applies zip cuffs is a good alternative to becoming known as "The American assholes who like to smack us all around and kick us while we're down."
Sometimes, jobs that are geared toward getting information and building rapport require more restraint than an infantryman might need to show.
Still not the point. MMA is in fact being used to train soliders as a supplement to their other training, and for the most part, it has gotten good results in all the areas we've already outlined.
My point after your pre-letter posts was that training methods do matter, and that they do a lot to prepare you for reality. I think that's a very valid point. Further, I think it's worth noting that almost every recognized "elite" training method uses concepts that are present in sport fighting. Conditioning, endurance, working through fatigue, improvisation, being able to think under pressure, and training against tough, prepared opposition are watchword in almost every elite fighting force's training methods the world over. They are common threads that are also present in sport fighting. I can't see why it is so hard for some people to admit that training in sport martial arts like Boxing, Wrestling, Judo, MMA, etc. can and does have very real benefits for real-world fighting. I really don't understand that.
I'm also not entirely sure I agree that nothing but reality can prepare someone for reality. I can agree that exposure to real world situations can make someone better, but I think that training goes a long, long way to prepare people. That's why elite training is better than haphazard amateurish training. The former does indeed prepare you better, doesn't it?
|