Posted on 07/22/2007 6:46:27 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
First the Marine Corps made Chuck Norris an honorary Marine. Now the Corps wants all Marines to follow in his footsteps.
All Marines must now qualify for their tan belt in the Corps' version of martial arts by the end of 2007, Corps Commandant Gen. James Conway said in a recent Corps-wide message.
The move mostly affects those who joined before 2001, when the service made the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program part of basic training and the Basic School, said 1st Lt. Brian P. Donnelly, a spokesman for Manpower and Reserve Affairs.
The Corps originally hoped to have all Marines earn their tan belt by the end of fiscal 2003 and then have Marines attain higher belts by the end of fiscal 2004.
Now the higher belts are no longer goals but requirements for Marines, Donnelly said in an e-mail to Stars and Stripes.
"All infantrymen will be trained to green belt by the end of CY [calendar year] 2008," Conway said in the July 16 message. "All other combat arms Marines will be trained to gray belt by the end of CY 2008."
The changes apply to all Marines, including reservists, said retired Lt. Col. Joseph C Shusko, director of the Martial Arts Center of Excellence.
"A Marine is a Marine," he said.
The tan belt shows that Marines have mastered basic skills such as how to fall, move, throw punches, choke an opponent and counter someone coming at you, Shusko said.
The gray belt is the next step up and shows Marines have learned techniques such as lower-body strikes, chokes and how to get out of a headlock, he said.
The green belt is third in the series and shows Marines have learned skills such as how to rip muscle from bone, Shusko said.
The martial-arts training also teaches Marines how to hone their mental skills as warriors, Shusko said. This involves learning about other cultures such as the Spartans, Zulus and Apaches.
Another component of the training is character development, which ties the physical skills Marine learn with what they do as good citizens, he said.
Conway praised the character development aspect of the martial-arts training in the message.
"It has, at its center, the Marine Corps ethos that includes our core values of honor, courage, and commitment, as well as the legacy of selfless and honorable services passed from one generation of Marines to the next," Conway said in the message.
The switch to mandatory martial arts training came after Training and Education Command recommended revamping the program as part of changes to Marine character training, Shusko said. Those changes include moving the climactic "Crucible" exercise — where Marines march about 40 miles over 54 hours with little food or sleep — to the end of basic training.
I remember those nightmares too. But one time, after the 10th rejection, I was so ticked off that I didn't do anything else to the weapon. I just turned it back in again and it was accepted.
It was a joy akin to sinking a 20 foot putt with more curves than a snake.
Interesting order to things. Most martial arts systems teach several kicks along with a basic punch as your first attacks, since the legs are stronger and have a longer reach. It seems a bit odd for the Marines to teach several punches first, then kicks at a higher rank.
I took TKD for a while, at a school that taught a Korean grappling art secondary to it for the basic falling and ground moves. Testing for your white belt required you to show 3 kicks (I think...it’s been several years), white to orange required at least 4, and if memory serves 5 or so kicks but still only one basic straight punch from orange to yellow, along with 3 or 4 blocks, 3 forms, several breakfalls, and 3 or 4 stances.
Thing is...other than memorizing the forms, and getting fit and flexible enough to perform consistently and steadily in class, the techniques up to yellow belt could be taught in a few classes and then simply practiced. Muscle memory and flexibility are key, and the sooner you work on those for the kicks the easier it becomes.
Practical? A booted side or front kick would be ideal for kicking a door down. A round kick to the side of the knee will fell most any opponent when you need them on the ground but not dead. Basic breakfalls are useful for more than just combat situations...knowing how to fall and land can save you a broken bone just as much if you trip or have to jump down from a high place.
Yeah, I know. He visited a very interesting place called "Ku Ki Won" about ten years before I got the living feces kicked out of me there.
I'd make Air Force humor here but he'd only roundhouse kick me through the phone. Bummer.
Good comment!
They only need to study in the way of Clik Pao.
They also hated going up against Australians, but that was because the Aussies were bigger jungle fighters than the VC were, super spooky and invisible and tough. Oz gave Charlie the creeps, and the ROK's kicked his ass. Then we arclighted his ass. How'd we lose that sumbitch?
Oh, yeah -- the 'Rats threw the war.
Oh I can certainly imagine. Well done, even if it was years ago :)
That might be true of Korean arts. The Japanese arts often don’t get to kicking until higher belts, and hand techniques will always outnumber foot techniques.
I would not be surprised to learn if this new stuff was secretly "recycled" from the training of the Raiders, whounquestionably rank quite highly some of the most effective warriors the world has ever seen.
Marine Raider martial arts tactics were imported from China by the Raiders' founders, who were "China Marines." I never saw their devastating moves in any dojo or elsewhere until I viewed some films of the USMC's "new" martial arts system...
I would not be surprised to learn that this new stuff was secretly "recycled" from the training of the Raiders, whounquestionably rank quite highly some of the most effective warriors the world has ever seen.
Marine Raider martial arts tactics were imported from China by the Raiders' founders, who were "China Marines." I never saw their devastating moves in any dojo or elsewhere until I viewed some films of the USMC's "new" martial arts system...
Marine Raider martial arts tactics were imported from China by the Raiders' founders, who were "China Marines." I never saw their devastating moves in any dojo or elsewhere until I viewed some films of the USMC's "new" martial arts system...
Sorry about the stickiness of the system, resulting in multiple posts...
- Guns don’t kill people. Chuck Norris kills People.
- There is no theory of evolution. Just a list of animals Chuck Norris allows to live.
- Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits.
- The chief export of Chuck Norris is Pain.
- There is no chin under Chuck Norris’ Beard. There is only another fist.
- Chuck Norris has two speeds. Walk, and Kill.
- The leading causes of death in the United States are: 1. Heart Disease 2. Chuck Norris 3. Cancer
- Chuck Norris drives an ice cream truck covered in human skulls.
- Chuck Norris doesn’t go hunting.... CHUCK NORRIS GOES KILLING
- When the Boogeyman goes to sleep every night, he checks his closet for Chuck Norris.
- Chuck Norris doesn’t read books. He stares them down until he gets the information he wants.
- Chuck Norris counted to infinity - twice.
My Dad served under Evans carlson and Jimmie Roosevelt, earned two Purple Heart medals, the Silver and Bronze Stars, and the Navy Cross.
Now if only I can talk my mother into moving him to Arlington national Cemetery where he belongs....
Vale Tudo skills are always useful.
The Corps has changed since my day.
The told us in Boot Camp to forget all that martial arts stuff and hold on tight to your rifle.
I remember the Tiger Division back in 67 in the Cham Ran Bay/Nha Trang area.
That's tagline material right thar...
Chuck Norris got a woman pregnant by pointing his finger at her and yelling “BOOL YAH”!
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