Army hosts hand-to-hand tournament

  • Published
  • By Airman Jacob Corbin
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Twenty-eight Army members and two Air Force members participated in the Army Combative Tournament this weekend. Participants competed in one of three weight classes: lightweight, middleweight and heavyweight, in a single elimination hand-to-hand combat tournament. 

The winners were as follows:
In the heavyweight division, Bryson Manker took first place while James Hobley took second place. Manker was the first Air Force member to win a division at Sheppard. 

Jacob Stahli took first place and Jason Roth took second in the middleweight division. 

Penny Engler took first place in the lightweight division and Christian Almonte took second. Engler was the first female to win a division at Sheppard. 

Matches lasted for five minutes, unless one of the opponents submitted. If the match was not decided by submission, the winner would be selected based on points earned throughout the match. Awarding of points favored the combatant who maintained the dominant stance. 

Combatants had all received training in the Army Combatives Program which consists of four levels of training and is based primarily on the Gracie Family Brazilian Ju Jitsu and to a lesser degree, modern and Greco-Roman style wrestling, said Donald Chappell, an ACP instructor and the organizer of the event. 

Participants were required to keep at least one knee on the ground and were not allowed to have both feet on the ground unless leaning against their opponent. Striking, punching, finger locks and hair pulling were strictly prohibited. 

A level 4 instructor and medic supervised the event in case of injury. 

Originally an Army Ranger program, the ACP went Army wide in 2002 to better train Soldiers 

"As the need for hand-to-hand combat rose, the Army insituted the program," said Peter Feider, an Army Drill Sergeant and a level 4 ACP member. 

The training begins in basic military training and is continued at each Soldier's initial entry training base. 

"In a live combat situation we need this type of training," said David Banks, a student at the Delta 264th Medical Battalion and a participant in the event. "It gives us confidence." 

While the ACP training is required for Army members, some Air Force personnel have attended the training sessions and participated in the tournament. 

"I come in every evening (to the training sessions) and this as a good way to see if everything I learned will bear fruit," said Bryson Manker. He went on to say that if he is ever deployed and has to face a hand-to-hand combat situation, it gives him a back up plan.