US marines learning WT

**DANINJA** · Posted On: 7/03/2003 7:40am

http://www.geocities.com/zchaw18/marine.html

Also Sifu Collins has video clips on his site:

http://www.geocities.com/zchaw18/

**Balloonknot** · Posted On: 7/03/2003 8:25am

Cool, I think that WT would be better than the bullshit hand to hand combat that the Marines currently learn. Of course, it all depends on the curriculum that Mr Collins puts together for a shorter time of training. I guess he would be giving a WT crash course then??

**Geek Kune Do** · Posted On: 7/03/2003 8:34am

Yes indeed. That sure beats the TKD the Iraqi soldier were studying.

"Ya can't play with my YO-YO!!!"

**SLJ** · Posted On: 7/03/2003 8:39am

IMO they're better off with something a bit less intricate.

----------------------------------------------------------
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But it's made in a Hollywood basement.

**Southpaw** · Posted On: 7/03/2003 9:22am

The U.S. Military has been learning Wing Chun for a long time. My Sigung Brian Edwards has been teaching Army personnel and Special Forces in Fayetteville, North Carolina for many years now.

**paralax19** · Posted On: 7/03/2003 9:30am

What about Grav Maga? (is that the right spelling) wasnt that designed for army use?

SuperHappyLucky7 · Posted On: 7/03/2003 9:51am

Hey we managed to temporarily down the site! (http://www.geocities.com/zchaw18/
)

**Matt Stone** · Posted On: 7/04/2003 4:10pm

The U.S. Military has been learning Wing Chun for a long time. My Sigung Brian Edwards has been teaching Army personnel and Special Forces in Fayetteville, North Carolina for many years now.

Your understanding of military training, military hand to hand combat programs, the special operations community and contracted instructors is flawed...

The USMC's official hand to hand combat method is called the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program. It is (if I recall correctly) headquartered in Okinawa, and is strongly based on classical Okinawan karate. It is an extremely rigorous program, and is far and away better than the mistakes that have come before it.

The US Army's official combatives program has been recently revamped, and in addition to a generic boxing based standing method, ground fighting/grappling techniques have been incorporated as well.

As for civilian teachers providing instruction to the armed forces in general, or to certain units in particular, different situations can arise. An installation may contract an instructor to provide services to the entire installation community (military, family members and civilian employees) at no cost or for a fee. A unit may contract an instructor on a semi-permanent or temporary basis to provide services to the members of that unit (this is most often paid for through their annual training budget). Different units may contract similar instructors, and same units may contract different instructors.

To say that the USMC, as a branch of the military, is learning Wing Chun (or any other art other than the approved MCMAP) is erroneous. One group, one unit, one installation may be availing themselves of the services of a local instructor, but that does not make that instructor an "official" instructor to the military.

If it does, then I have done some pretty impressive things in my time, since I have been teaching as long as I have been in the Army, and 90% of my students have been military...

As for the SF at Fort Bragg studying Wing Chun under someone's instructor for years, fine. Whatever. Just don't assume that that instructor is the be-all-end-all for the military. The SF folks up here at Fort Lewis study Arnis under Datu Kelly Worden, and the Rangers contract BJJ instructors and others periodically...

The only "official" programs are those I stated above. I don't know what the Navy and Air Force equivalents are, but I am sure they either have a similar "official" program, or at least contract services in a similar fashion as the USMC and the USA do to shore up other openings in their training schedule.

Gambarimasu.

**Phoenix** · Posted On: 7/04/2003 4:49pm

"What about Grav Maga? (is that the right spelling) wasnt that designed for army use?"

Yes, it was. However, I believe the IDF (Israeli Defense Force) is one of the few militaries in the world that makes extensive use of Krav Maga, unfortunately.

But that makes sense, since they developed it anyway. If you can get your hands on it, there's an awesome book called "Fighting Fit", by Col. David Ben Asher. It talks all about Krav Maga and the IDF's training regimen. It's a good book, anyway.

"Everybody knows...if the police have to chase you down, they're brining an ass kicking with them". - Chris Rock

**tbone7812** · Posted On: 7/04/2003 5:12pm

would have to aggree with Amp on this one, since i was 11b down at Bragg and see what goes on there, WC is the best thing for the battle field i would have say.