Illinois National Guard Holds Second Annual Adjutant General's Combatives Tournament

Story and Photos by Army Cadet Cale Fulton, 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

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Spc. Eric Groff of Gardner, with Troop C, 2nd Squadron, 106th Cavalry Regiment, attempts to put a choke holdduring a finals match Illinois' second annual Adjutant General’s Combatives Tournament .

SPRINGFIELD, IL (02/20/2011)(readMedia)-- Approximately 35 Soldiers from units throughout Illinois competed in the Illinois Army National Guard's second annual Adjutant General's Combatives Tournament at Camp Lincoln on Sunday, Feb. 20.

Spc. Kenneth Browne of Lisle, with Troop C, 2nd Squadron, 106th Cavalry Regiment, won the featherweight division.

Spc. Landon Foy of Park Forest, with Company A, 405th Brigade Support Battalion, won the lightweight division.

Spc. Eric Groff of Gardner, with Troop C, 2nd Squadron, 106th Cavalry Regiment, won the welterweight division.

Staff Sgt. Tony Genovese of Chicago, with Troop C, 2nd Squadron, 106th Cavalry Regiment, won the Middleweight Division

Sgt. Christopher Kelnhofer of Urbana, with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, won the Heavyweight division.

The tournament featured both standard and intermediate competition.

The standard rules portion of the competition was similar to a Brazilian Jujitsu tournament, according to Staff Sgt. Nicholas Grant, the Modern Army Combatives (MAC) course manager with the Illinois Military Academy (IMA).

Standard rules do not allow strikes, said Grant. Instead, fights were scored based off of the combatives techniques the soldier performed on their opponent. Each fight consisted of one six minute round.

The intermediate competition put two competitors in a cage, and allowed them to perform strikes and kicks. The intermediate fights consisted of one ten minute round. In both standard and intermediate fights, Soldiers can also win by knockout or a submission hold.

Two medics were on standby to treat injuries during the tournament. No participants were seriously injured.

"The tournament helps instill the warrior ethos in the Soldiers and give them some skills they might need on the battlefield," said Grant.

Competing soldiers had experience in both the MAC program and through civilian training, said Brown.

"It's great, I love competing and seeing how I stack up against other guys," said Brown. "It's a great workout and a good chance to see what you're worth. It gives you that warrior instinct to close and engage with the enemy. This stuff is definitely a lifesaver in close combat."

Brown is qualified in Army combatives level 1 and has several years of civilian training in Jujitsu.

The tournament also served as a recruiting tool for the Illinois Combatives Team, said Maj. Jeff Jiannoni of Petersburg, captain of the Illinois Combatives Team.

"Even if you are currently on the team, it doesn't mean you own that spot," said Jiannoni. "We put the best people in the position to fight at every tournament."

The Illinois Combatives Team consists of Illinois Army National Guard Soldiers who compete in combatives tournaments on a national level. The culminating event for the team is the All-Army combatives tournament held annually at Fort Benning, Ga.

"It brings a lot of pride to the state, and shows that we are training hard in Illinois," said Jiannoni.

One of the tournament participants, Sgt. Jeremy Stimac of Danville, with Company D, 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry Regiment, competes on the Illinois Combatives Team. He is headed to the All-Army combatives tournament later this year.

Stimac said the tournament not only helped recruit for the Illinois Combatives Team, but also helped build up the number of combatives participants in the state.

"Definitely try it out," Stimac said, "because you never know how well you'll do until you try it. Don't ever sell yourself short."