 The Marine Corps martial arts program is the official hand-to-hand combat training system of the United States Marine Corps Now we've talked in previous episodes going over the differences between traditional martial arts and mixed martial arts And even real-world fighting versus sports fighting So today we ask is the Marine Corps martial arts program the best of both worlds Now we're definitely going to circle back around again to re-approach this topic and hopefully conduct some interviews with those Involved in the martial arts program But today's going to serve as more of an introductory and a beginning discussion topic on the Marine Corps martial arts program or McMap for short We're going to look at what the program is the scenarios in which can be used Then they'll look at the training arrangement including which arts are implemented and also how the ranking systems work And then we're going to maybe get some feedback on what some of the Marines that have been through the program feel about it So for those unfamiliar with this the first question might be what is McMap? McMap is the official hand-to-hand combat training system of the United States Marine Corps It consists of a mixture of many different arts and focuses on close-range combat with single or multiple attackers in a variety of environments Marines are taught to employ a wide net of techniques based on unarmed combat as well as edge weapons and weapons of opportunity Now a weapon of opportunity can be anything from a bladed weapon or a tool a piece of furniture a helmet Literally anything a Marine can get their hands on and be able to use to defend themselves in a life-or-death scenario This has led the Marine Corps to embrace the motto one mind any weapon in this frame of mind They consider every Marine a rifleman and always armed even when they find themselves without a weapon It was created and put into place by the Marine Corps in 2002 and it acts as quote-unquote a Revolutionary step in the development of martial arts skills for Marines and replaces all other close combat related systems preceding this introduction prior to McMap the method of combat training was lying or linear in fighting neural override engagement But that is a topic for another episode now the manuals for this program are readily available and any Google search will quickly bring you some results Now during my research, I did come across a few different versions of manuals So today when I refer to the manual I will be referring to the newest version as of the recording of this episode, which was dated September 2019 Not only are all enlisted Marines required to go through the program many are often encouraged to become instructors or trainers The martial arts center of excellence located in Quantico, Virginia is the official training center for all McMap instructors So Marines that show proficiency in training are encouraged to become leaders and share their insight ethics awareness and inspiration with other Marines that learn from them Now some might ask why the Marines are quite frankly any member of our armed services are required to learn a hand-to-hand combat system in the world In which warfare is dominated by firepower and technology modern warfare has come a long way from the marching armies clashing with swords and shields in the battlefield So why the emphasis with the martial arts? Well to put it as bluntly and honestly as possible sometimes Happens there could be any instance where something goes horribly wrong a vehicle can break down a position can be overrun A marine might encounter somebody on a perimeter check You know a gun might run out of ammunition a gun can jam You know we go back to the concept of a marine always being armed even without a weapon and that dictates that in any given situation A marine might find themselves in they should always have the means to fight even if that entails hand-to-hand combat Now let's consider some environments that members of our armed forces may find themselves in holding the city or clearing out a building Or doing perimeter checks It's not uncommon for a marine to turn the corner of a building and come into close contact with an enemy combatant and because of this Marines are trained in the McMap system to fight in many different environments including close-quarter hallways Streets woods beach and other natural environments where a violent clash may occur now There's a phrase I encountered a lot while researching this and that phrase was ethical warrior Included in McMap are both lethal and non-lethal techniques Marines are taught to use judgment and awareness and realize that sometimes the situation may not require lethal force It could be a matter of submitting a person of interest and placing them under arrest or having to subdue a non-combatant or other Situation in which a marine may decide that lethal force isn't necessary Enlisted Marines are encouraged to mesh together any previous martial arts training they might have You know much like an MMA gym would take pieces and be a melting pot of multiple arts You know they try to make the best combination of striking kicking take downs throwing Grappling and weapons defense According to one of the manuals, McMap approved civilian arts are grappling or throwing arts such as but not limited to judo Jiu Jitsu, Sambou, Hapkido, and Aikido striking arts are but not limited to karate, taekwondo, kickboxing, Muay Thai, Kung Fu, and Capoeira Weapon arts are but not limited to Kobudo, Eskima, Kali, Kendo, and Iaido And much like you would find in an MMA gym or UFC fighters You'll see that McMap utilizes mainly stripped-down versions of these arts They will combine the techniques that quickly deliver to maneuvers because while McMap may simply resemble outdoor MMA There's a very important luxury that UFC fighters have the privilege of that Marines or other service members don't have Time, time ahead of a competition to prepare for an individual opponent Time to prepare for that specific person's weaknesses Time in the ring to experiment, find your pace, rhythm, look for openings, patience and pacing, or a clock with timeouts It's not a sporting match. It is literally life and death. If a Marine turns a corner and finds himself face-to-face with an arm Compatent, it has to end like that You know, they have to end the confrontation in one or two movements They can't tie themselves up on the floor with BJJ and they can't spend five minutes duking it out back and forth It has to end quickly Because there's a good chance that that one assailant might not be alone and the Marine needs to be prepared for multiple attackers And as awesome as the UFC is, it is still a game with rules and safety built-in Real-life combat is not The Marine Corps martial art program is broken down into the three broad areas of focus Physical, mental and character So let's take a quick look at each one as they are outlined in the McMap manual McMap is a weapons-based martial arts that utilizes physical discipline to improve mental resiliency and confidence The martial arts fighting techniques include stances, posture, movement, striking, cutting, thrusting, grappling, restraints Joint manipulations and weapons integration which include rifle slash bayonet, blade of weapons and weapons of opportunity There's also a high priority place on physical fitness Physical fitness allows Marines to temper at physical abilities in order to react better to the demands of combat Physical exhaustion is one of the most effective and available tools used to prepare Marines to handle the physical and mental fatigue associated with combat now the mental discipline of McMap consists of the war fighting doctrine and professional military education The war fighting doctrine includes a study of the art of war Tackle decision-making the tactics techniques and procedures of expeditionary maneuver warfare Marines core common skill training force protection and risk management Professional military education is the mental development of each Marine to create the eternal student through formal schools Distance learning programs the professional reading program Battle studies warrior case studies the historical study of war and a study of the Marine Corps history customs Courtesies and traditions and then we have the character discipline Which is the development of the moral compass on and off today's complex battlefields the core values of honor Courage and commitment form the cornerstones of the character discipline leadership traits and principles provide Marines with guidance on how to lead in any situation despite the circumstances Marines will have the tools to effectively lead their subordinate and peers no matter how dire their situation McMap utilizes character development tie-ins which focuses on values based decisions such as responsible use of force substance abuse Social responsibility suicide prevention sexual responsibility equal opportunity and much more regarding uniforms as per the manual When conducting McMap training boots and utilities are required at the minimum with a plan in place to eventually upgrade and training with Kevlar vests and armor so think about that It's like training for the UC but you have to wear 50 pounds or more of boots Utilities gear and you have to be prepared to perform and fight unknown assailants multiple of them Immediately having run upstairs or a hill or jumped out of a vehicle So forget the comforts of a karate gear MMA shorts where all of that and then be prepared to fight for your life here Here and here However, the Marine Corps martial art program still retains a little bit of traditional martial arts and that they employ their own belt ranking system and their actual practical uniform belts the colors are tan gray green Brown and black and black belt goes from first-degree all the way up to sixth-degree every marine has to test through tan belt at a Minimum each belt level has its old curriculum and required hours of training both in new material and sustainment hours to reinforce previous belts material Tan belt introduces the marine to the basic fundamentals of the physical mental and character based disciplines Gray and green belt teach the intermediate fundamentals of each discipline Not only learning new material but sustained hours reinforcing the previous material Brown and black belt teaches the advanced fundamentals of the system and Any marine wishing to advance past first-degree black belt must train at the mace or martial arts center of excellence and only there But they be promoted to higher ranks which involves the structure training and time and grade into the system Additionally any marine that conducts infractions or inappropriate behavior may have their belt rank Suspended or reduced even always far back as tan belt Marines whose ranks are suspended They may retest for their previous rank at the discretion of their commanding officer However, Marines who have had their belt ranks reduced will have to work their way back up to the curriculum and testing procedures again Any trainers that were reduced will have to go through their instructor training program again So on paper the Marine Corps martial arts program seems like a pretty comprehensive system to learn I mean it's pretty much has all the best of MMA in terms of you know, you learn the effective techniques There's there's hardcore fight training and resistance training, but it's all done outside You know without the rules in the sport, you know against multiple people on weapons and training and all that it's pretty hardcore Honestly, so what do the Marines who have been through the program feel about it to be honest I was a little disappointed and discouraged to find that some of the feedback wasn't as favorable as I had hoped and there seems to be Some one of a mixed opinion and feedback about the system now I have not been through this myself I can only echo the comments that I came across while researching this episode some feel that McMap serves more as a checklist for instructors to show progress Some say that training hours are even cut just to advance the Marine quicker Other comments said it was a waste of time and served more of a hazing ritual than anything else And that it was good for learning the basic locks sweeps and weapons techniques But that the rest was a little bit too complicated or impractical to use in real world now on the positive side though I found that there were those who said it was good for getting into shape and improving their endurance Many liked the boxing and grappling aspect even though some felt it should have been kept to just that and one highlight is that much of the Training and sustainment hours are dedicated to free sparring So at least there seems to be a consistent amount of resistance training in place as a general consensus I think this program is fascinating at least at surface level and regardless if we think traditional martial arts or mixed martial arts are better This serves as a great example the set of sighted difference between combat and a dojo or a ring and the rural world life Or death scenarios that are really out there now regardless of what aren't you training? I fully believe it always comes down to the individual and the skills that you can achieve Based on the hard work that you invest into the program. I Have a tremendous amount of respect for all of you out there put yourselves on the line every day to serve and protect us Also, thank you so much for that and I think we can all learn the important lesson of one mind any weapon So now I invite all of you service members out there who have actually been through the program Is it an effective way to learn combat or do you feel there's areas that require a little bit of improvement? I encourage all feedback. Please keep everything civil. I'm looking forward to discussion. Thank you all so much And we'll see you next week