At least 42 soldiers and airmen are scheduled to compete in the 2012 MissouriNational Guard Combatives Tournament, Saturday, Feb. 25 at the St. Charles Family Arena. The event is free and open to the public.
Combatives is a form of hand to hand self defense that all Army Soldiers are schooled in during basictraining.
“The combatives program has been around since the early 1990s,” explained Master Sgt. Richard J. Burns, of Nixa, a tournament organizer and first sergeant of the 1438th Engineer Company in Macon. “It was started by the Army Rangers and is now a requirement for all soldiers as a part of formaltraining. Under the standard rules there is no striking; it’s more grappling on the mat.”
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Saturday’s event will include bouts in eight weight classes and is open to both male and femalecompetitors. Winners at the state level will be eligible to compete in the national All Guard Combatives Tournament at Fort Benning, Ga. March 16-18.
Weigh-ins for the 2012 Combatives Tournament will take place Friday, Feb. 24 beginning at noon.Competition will take place throughout the day Saturday with an awards ceremony slated for Sunday at 9 a.m.
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