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Marine Corps Infantry: Like it or not, it’s a fight club

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Whenever I am asked about what things a poolee or prospective Marine can do in order to be better prepared for the fleet, my go-to answer is fight training. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, grappling, ground-fighting, whatever you want to call it, it needs to happen in order to participate in the constant quest to see who the Alpha is. Are you a PT stud? That’s great, how’s your ground game? Don’t get me wrong, I humped like it was nobody’s business and was known to pick up extra weapons along the 20+ mile humps in the hills of Camp Pendleton. But that didn’t sort things out when one of my senior Marines hit me to make a point. Some joint manipulation and the threat of being thrown off a cliff however - did.

I enlisted with a certain high-mindedness that disputes would be settled based upon right and wrong, and individual character. That’s true to a certain extent, but the infantry community deals in violence. Every skill that we value plays a part in your ability to bring physical violence to bear upon an enemy. With that in mind, why wouldn’t issues get sorted out hand-to-hand?

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Comments

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  • Joni S

    Funny how you may fight like cats and dogs with brothers, but at the end of the day, you have each others back. I had lots of fun hanging out with my brother and his friends. I have a couple of scars where things didn't go too well, also. LOL! I am sorry your brother married the wicked witch of the west. That is a shame. I am sure you miss his company. I bet he misses yours if you asked him. I am so lucky I have a great sister-in-law. We get along really well. She is so sweet and a hard worker. The first wife my brother had started out great then turned into a wwe herself. She did give him two great kids so I can't totally dislike her. Wife 1, unfortunately, passed from pancreatic cancer some time after they divorced. I think she made herself sick by her caustic attitude that she developed. It poisoned her.

  • TheDarkWolf

    We did not have the MCMAP when I was in the Corps. We had some judo training for when we had to engage the enemy hand to hand but nothing like what the Marines today are being taught. We also did not have a bed of rubber pieces to be tossed onto, semi sandy ground with few rocks was the best we could hope for. I had a brown belt in BJJ and a blue belt in Aikido when I enlisted. Both of those really helped my skinny ass out when a bigger Marine wanted to try and play rough. The look of panic in their eyes when you get them in a triangle choke just before they pass out. You are 100% right in that it really helps garner respect from your fellow Marines and does not hurt when the Sr's are looking for someone to fill a leadership role. Funny story for another time but I learned the hard way not to put your D.I. in a heel hook during recruit training and hand to hand combat training...

  • Irene B

    My brother and I got along really well growing up too, he let me tag along to many of his adventures and I still have scars from some that didn't go all to well. Unfortunately, he married the wicked witch of the west and the entire family is ostracized.

  • Joni S

    LOL! Oh noo... I bet that had to hurt even though your tooth was slightly loose. I am sure he was sweating bullets thinking "Oh crap, this is not going to go well if she tells." I know my brother had a few of those moments when he took it a bit too far. I have had busted lips, bumps, and bruises, but luckily nothing broken from my scuffles with my brother. We are 10 years apart so he always had an advantage, but I was scrawny and flexible so I could wiggle out of holds. We wrestled a lot, but actually got along really well. He was a good brother and let me tag along with him. We took great joy in racing mom's car, but please don't tell her. LOL!

  • CQBOPS3

    You got that shit right