Fort Bliss Monitor

CCC exceeds standards

Virginia Reza
Monitor Staff

PHOTOS BY VIRGINIA REZA
Capt. Mathew Dalton, center, small group instructor for the CCC and Combatives Level II, declares Capt. Don Morey, left, the overall champion for the Captains Career Course Combatives tournament.

The Fort Bliss Captains Career Course is the only CCC in the Army that implements the combatives Level I certification program in their curriculum. On May 12, students from the CCC competed for the combatives championship and were certified as Level I combatives instructors. The competition consisted of an intense physical tournament with a surprising outcome.

According to Capt. Mathew Dalton, small group instructor for the CCC and combatives Level II instructor, about a year and a half ago, the Chief of Staff of the Army approved the program Army-wide. Since then, about 60 captains have been trained and certified. “What we wanted to do is get the officers involved so when they take command of units, they are familiar with the program and are more likely to support it,” said Dalton.

Capt. Don Morey, combatives heavyweight champion, defeated Capt. Jason Hansford, lightweight champion, by applying a rear naked choke. This was the first time an American CCC student won the final match. Maj. Doug Reynolds, Air and Missile Defense CCC branch chief, said. the three previous tournaments were won by allied students from Japan, Norway and Lithuania.

Capt. Don Morey, combatives heavyweight champion, and Capt. Jason Hansford, lightweight champion, battle for the overall championship at the CCC Combatives tournament.

“I’m 150 pounds and went up against a couple of bigger contestants. I just used the techniques that Capt. Dalton taught us and ended up winning the lightweight. I defended a lot of the rear naked chokes, but he had the technique and the power against me and he used that to his advantage. I will have to practice defeating bigger people,” said Hansford.

The combatives champion received a recognition of excellence plaque during the graduation ceremony.
“It’s one of the many goals in the CCC that students can strive for. To complete the combatives Level I certification is hard work. To win the championship is special; it takes desire, physical fitness and confidence. It definitely merits recognition during our graduation ceremony,” said Reynolds.

Maj. Ashraf Hussein, a student from Egypt, said he had fun in this class.

“It was great experience because I learned to fight with my hands,” he said.

Dalton said not everybody can participate, usually due to profiles and prior injuries. They practice two or three times a week for five months. During this time, the students learn the history and the techniques of combatives. Dalton said at this time, the passing rate for the CCC combatives program is at 70 percent.



www.bliss.army.mil	Published for the Fort Bliss/El Paso, Texas Community	May 19, 2005

<map name="boxmap-b4"> <area shape="rect" coords="0, 589, 120, 600" href="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm/privacy-policy.html?o=1" > <area coords="0,0,10000,10000" href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=&creative=92501&camp=8117&link_code=dl1&path=subst/misc/amazon-cobrand-cc/v3/marketing-from-associates-step1.html/ref%3Db1_assoc_29" > </map>	CCC exceeds standards Virginia Reza Monitor Staff PHOTOS BY VIRGINIA REZA Capt. Mathew Dalton, center, small group instructor for the CCC and Combatives Level II, declares Capt. Don Morey, left, the overall champion for the Captains Career Course Combatives tournament. The Fort Bliss Captains Career Course is the only CCC in the Army that implements the combatives Level I certification program in their curriculum. On May 12, students from the CCC competed for the combatives championship and were certified as Level I combatives instructors. The competition consisted of an intense physical tournament with a surprising outcome. According to Capt. Mathew Dalton, small group instructor for the CCC and combatives Level II instructor, about a year and a half ago, the Chief of Staff of the Army approved the program Army-wide. Since then, about 60 captains have been trained and certified. “What we wanted to do is get the officers involved so when they take command of units, they are familiar with the program and are more likely to support it,” said Dalton. Capt. Don Morey, combatives heavyweight champion, defeated Capt. Jason Hansford, lightweight champion, by applying a rear naked choke. This was the first time an American CCC student won the final match. Maj. Doug Reynolds, Air and Missile Defense CCC branch chief, said. the three previous tournaments were won by allied students from Japan, Norway and Lithuania. Capt. Don Morey, combatives heavyweight champion, and Capt. Jason Hansford, lightweight champion, battle for the overall championship at the CCC Combatives tournament. “I’m 150 pounds and went up against a couple of bigger contestants. I just used the techniques that Capt. Dalton taught us and ended up winning the lightweight. I defended a lot of the rear naked chokes, but he had the technique and the power against me and he used that to his advantage. I will have to practice defeating bigger people,” said Hansford. The combatives champion received a recognition of excellence plaque during the graduation ceremony. “It’s one of the many goals in the CCC that students can strive for. To complete the combatives Level I certification is hard work. To win the championship is special; it takes desire, physical fitness and confidence. It definitely merits recognition during our graduation ceremony,” said Reynolds. Maj. Ashraf Hussein, a student from Egypt, said he had fun in this class. “It was great experience because I learned to fight with my hands,” he said. Dalton said not everybody can participate, usually due to profiles and prior injuries. They practice two or three times a week for five months. During this time, the students learn the history and the techniques of combatives. Dalton said at this time, the passing rate for the CCC combatives program is at 70 percent.