Fitness Program Review Delays MCMAP Updates

[Rocky C]

By Gina Cavallaro - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Jun 12, 2010 9:05:02 EDT

A review of the entire Corps Combat Conditioning Program has delayed revisions to the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program.

Proposed MCMAP changes include requiring all Marines to earn a green belt, but the changes are now being reviewed as part of a larger evaluation of the CCP, a top Marine general said.

“What Training and Education Command is doing is looking at the whole program, not just MCMAP but the whole Combat Conditioning Program, in one package,” said Lt. Gen. George Flynn, deputy commandant for Combat Development and Integration.

The proposed changes to MCMAP, were due to be finalized at that time, but Flynn said the proposal is still being reviewed at TECOM and has not yet reached his desk.

He did not offer a time frame for completion of the review.

If approved as proposed, the changes would require every Marine to earn the third-stage green belt instead of the current requirement to attain the lowest level, or tan belt.

Under the plan, training hours would be reduced and MCMAP’s academic aspects would be more closely addressed.

But some Marines have raised concerns about adding another mandatory task to Marines’ already busy lives, as well as the requirement to gin up more instructors to get everyone up to speed.

Flynn said the review is intended, in part, to assess time and resource requirements. A review is also important to ensure that there is agreement that the plan is on course with what’s feasible.

500 commanders in survey

The Corps surveyed more than 500 commanders in 2008 with a wide range of questions related to operational tempo.

Marines, they agreed, love doing MCMAP, but can’t always find the time to fit it into their predeployment training.

“That’s why we’ve asked them, why they’re taking a look at this,” Flynn said. “Do you have the time to train, and do you have the instructors to do it? It’s easy to create requirements. The other part is, do you have the time to do it?”

The CCP directs commanders to ensure that Marines perform at least five weekly CCP sessions in 30-minute durations.

The sessions can be done in combined or individual form with martial arts, swimming or other mission- or operational-specific training. Additional MCMAP requirements could push Marines to their time limits.

The CCP also includes the Water Survival Swim Test, which is expected to soon have tougher requirements for all Marines. It’s unclear what other aspects of the CCP may be under review.

The Combat Fitness Test — the biggest change to the Corps’ physical fitness program since 1972 — also falls under CCP.

The CFT was meant to complement the 27-year-old Physical Fitness Test, which measures upper-body strength and endurance with pull-ups, crunches and a three-mile run.

The new test was designed to ensure that Marines are ready to handle the intense physical demands of a combat zone.

[benw2200]

I don't like this. I don't even agree with the current policy of making all grunts obtain their Green Belts. If something becomes required, the training becomes more of a "check in the box" type thing, and as a result, the training gets less intense because the instructors are pushing more guys through because they have to. I went through a brown belt course a few weeks ago and it was a really good experience- it was a fairly small class, and every one of the guys was there because they wanted to better themselves, not because they were forced or voluntold to go. It makes for a more intense class and higher level of training for everyone.

[Zulu 36]

I don't like this. I don't even agree with the current policy of making all grunts obtain their Green Belts. If something becomes required, the training becomes more of a "check in the box" type thing, and as a result, the training gets less intense because the instructors are pushing more guys through because they have to. I went through a brown belt course a few weeks ago and it was a really good experience- it was a fairly small class, and every one of the guys was there because they wanted to better themselves, not because they were forced or voluntold to go. It makes for a more intense class and higher level of training for everyone.

I tend to agree with you, although the more a Marine knows about fighting, the better. As a former police defensive tactics instructor, many cops did not like to take the required re-certs. As we taught pressure point control tactics as the primary course, things got painful. Police recruits learned to be aggressive in practice otherwise an instructor was coming over to demonstrate "correct" technique. Your fellow student's 50% power was always less than an instructor's 50% power.

However, when I went to instructor schools or instructor re-certs, everyone there wanted to be there. We spent days cheerfully beating the crap out of each other and life was good. A three-day re-cert was guaranteed head to toe bruises and sore spots.

However, those intense instructor schools had a good purpose, besides learning and teaching excellent technique. We also learned to have a higher pain tolerance and even how to control it to a degree. So, I often had my basic students practice stuff on me to make sure they had the technique right. They thought I was mental, but it also challenged them not to be whiners when it was their turn to be torqued on.