Missouri Guardsmen train for National Guard Combatives Tournament

Missouri National Guard Sgt. David Rusin, left, and Pfc. Isaac Krout practice a boxing stance in preparation for the fourth annual Army National Guard 2011 Combatives Tournament Championship on March 19-20 at Fort Benning, Ga. It is the first year the Missouri Guard has sent a full team to compete. (Photo by Matthew J. Wilson)

By Matthew J. Wilson
Ngmo.pao@US.ARMY.MIL

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. - Five Missouri National Guardsmen recently spent two weeks training on post to compete in the fourth annual Army National Guard 2011 Combatives Tournament Championship on March 19-20 at Fort Benning, Ga.

Along with two other Guardsmen, who spent a week or less in the training, it is the first time the Missouri Guard has sent a full team to represent the state in the tournament.

Combatives is the Army's name for hand-to-hand combat technique which encompasses various hybrid martial arts that incorporate fighting techniques from conventional martial arts and combat sports.

Pfc. Miles McDonald, who lives in Ozark; Pfc. Isaac Krout, who lives in Kearney; Spc. Jeremy Koerper, who lives in Oakville; and Staff Sgt. Jonathan Dalman, who lives in Gladstone, all won their weight brackets at the Missouri Guard's first-ever combatives tournament in January to earn the right to represent the sate at the national tournament. One tourney runner-up, Sgt. David Rusin, who lives in Pacific, also will represent the team after he finished second to Sgt. Ron Fosdyck, who lives in Republic, who was unable to attend the national tournament.

Two more citizen Soldiers - Spc. Gerald Miller, of Kansas City, and Pfc. Dalton Toombs, of Marble Hill - also won their weight brackets and will represent Missouri at the tournament, but were only able to train with the group for a week or less.

"These guys have been training with a lot of heart," said Staff Sgt. David Reyes Jr., the team's coach. "It's just been non-stop, six- to eight-hours a day and they've never quit on me. They are constantly staying motivated so it's a good thing for them."

The preliminary rounds at the tournament will last six minutes and be based on the basic, or level-one, combatives rules. As the rounds progress, they'll last as long as 10 minutes and use intermediate and advanced rules, which include slaps to the body and head, as well as punching.

"They are going to see all kinds of stuff down there," said Reyes, who lives in St. Robert. "They are going to see pretty advanced people with good technique down there."

Reyes, who has been in the Guard less than a month after serving nine years in the active Amy, is one of only four Missouri Guard level-three combatives instructors. Assigned to Headquarter and Headquarters Company, 35th Engineer Brigade, of Fort Leonard Wood, Reyes said he's stressed to his students the importance of their success.

"Hopefully this is a good sign for the Missouri National Guard," he said. "With these guys doing well, it's going to help the modern Army combatives program grow. Like I keep telling these guys, this is where the foundation is - this is what's going to determine if this program gets stronger or weaker."

Despite competing in a weight bracket of an expected 50 to 100 competitors, each Missouri National Guardsmen has his sights set on the championship.

"I think we've got some guys that definitely have a lot of potential that will probably be able to do pretty well," Reyes said. "My goal is to at least get them all to place in the top 10. I hope for higher, but being realistic, this is Missouri's first year to compete in the All-National Guard Tournament as a team, I think that is a pretty good guess of where we'd like to be."

Those that come through with a championship will be rewarded with an invitation to the All-Army Combatives Tournament later this year at Fort Hood, Texas.

During the training, Reyes has brought in expert guest instructors who focus training on their particular martial arts or combat sports form, from jiu-jitsu, to wrestling, to Sambo, to boxing. Reyes said it will be a challenge to see how much of the information his students have received will stick.

"The difficulty level that they've been getting is pretty intense," he said. "I've been fighting about 18 months now and they are learning stuff in a short two weeks that I learned gradually, on a daily basis. It's pretty technical and advanced, however they are picking it up really quick. But they are blending and putting them together rather well."

Koerper, who is with the 1175th Military Police Company of St. Louis, is competing at cruiserweight, 185 pounds and under.

He said bringing in folks from the different combatives genres has been a great learning experience.

"We're getting to experience different aspects of different martial arts and they are really trying to help us combine it all together," said Koerper, who has a jiu-jitsu and Krav Maga background. "They are bringing us a lot of stuff that is outside of the Army that is more advanced. They really brought in a lot of stuff that I haven't seen before and it was really neat. They've shown us different exercises that focus toward this type of training that I've never known about and they are helping us put with the nutritional aspect of what you're supposed to be eating to get to that top notch."

The training, Koerper says, gives each competitor several options for various situations.

"It helps you have to think outside the box," he said. "One tactic might work for a certain combative I'm fighting, but I might have to use something else for the next person."

Rusin, who is with the 1035th Maintenance Company from Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis, is in the heavyweight class, above 205 pounds.

He called the chance to compete at the national tournament a magnificent opportunity for additional training. The area he has improved most in through the training is wrestling, also known as grappling.

"It's going to be unbelievably valuable to me down there," he said. "I've learned so much here in just the few days that I've been here, plus what I learned in my level-one combatives class, that I'll carry it with me for a long time.

"Before I got here, I had no clue on how to take somebody down or for that matter, how to control them once I had them down. With the training I got here, I feel a lot more comfortable."

Away from the Guard, Rusin has a background in Taekwondo, studies Muay Thai and participates in cage fighting. He has a cage match scheduled for March 25, just four days after the National Guard tourney.

"I think I'll be in pretty good shape for my fight on the 25th," he said.

It's the adrenaline rush that draws Rusin to combatives.

"I've been deployed and I'm looking to go back to Afghanistan and there is nothing on this side of the wire that will give you the adrenaline rush that you get in a combat zone," he said. "For me, I've found cage fighting or mixed martial arts to be that adrenaline rush."

The fact that he is the only one of the group to not win the state tournament is an additional motivator for Rusin, but not a concern.

"The person that I'm replacing was a heck-of-an opponent at the state tournament," Rusin said. "He had a little bit more skill than I did."

McDonald, who is with Company D, 1-138th Infantry Battalion of Anderson, is competing in the flyweight class for Guardsmen who weigh 125 pounds and under. He doesn't have any type of martial arts or wrestling background, but has completed the Guard's basic, or level-one, combatives course.

"I'm really opened minded - it's my first time ever competing in something like this besides the state tournament," he said. "I'm not expecting anything to be easy by any means. I'm just going to go out there and do my best, do what I've been trained to do."

With not a lot of experience, McDonald says he's picking things up quickly.

"I've learned an extreme amount of information from the past few days - more than I thought I could ever learn," he said. "I really appreciate the other instructors coming in on their free time and training us. They are using leave and their time to help us and get us ready for this tournament."

Proper breathing techniques and releasing the right amount of energy at the right time are some of the things McDonald has taken away from the training.

"I used to go 100 percent all the time - not relaxing - and just getting completely out of breath," he said. "The coaches have taught me to breathe and think more instead of just acting."

McDonald says now he just needs to learn to keep his head up.

"If you don't, you are either going to get an upper cut to the face or they are going to bring you down into a choke hold," he said. "That's the biggest thing I've got to work - keeping my head up. I've got to get better at it."

Dalman, who is with Company D, 1-135th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion at Whiteman Air Force Base, will compete at light heavyweight, 205 pounds and under. He said the training is a huge boost.

"I'm becoming a better fighter here," he said.

But Dalman wouldn't be opposed to some more training opportunities.

"Having us come in and train two weeks prior is very considerate of the state and we're going to hopefully represent the state that much better," he said. "But what we really need is four, six or even eight weeks to fully prepare ourselves.

"I'm very honored that the state is willing to pay me on orders to come in and train for two weeks, but, really, for us to represent the state to the best of our ability, we need at least double the time. Two weeks is just a crash course."

Krout, who also is with Company D, 1-135th, will compete at lightweight, 140 pounds and under.

Without the two weeks to prepare, Krout said he wouldn't be near as prepared as he is now.

"Now I'm physically and mentally sharp, spiritually strong and I'm ready to go," he said. "Every day is another step."

It's important to Krout to perform well at the tournament so the program will continue.

"All of us love it - we feed on it," Krout said. "I want to help prove to Missouri that this is an awesome program and we need to keep this going and build up on it. This is something I love to do."

Although he is the only one in the group to not have taken the level-one combatives course, Krout has a background in jiu-jitsu and wrestling. That is why he found it surprising that he was able to improve on his ground fighting so much during the training.

"I was actually starting to sharpen up quite a bit, got better and learned a lot of new things I had never seen before," Krout said. "I'm taking it to a whole different level."

Miller, who is from Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1-129th Field Artillery Battalion, of Maryville, will compete at welterweight, 155 pounds and under.

Tombs, of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1140th Engineer Brigade of Cape Girardeau, will compete at middleweight, 185 pounds and under.

For more information about the Missouri National Guard, please visit www.moguard.com and our social media sites:
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Missouri National Guard Staff Sgt. Jonathan Dalman, left, blocks a punch from Sgt. David Rusin during training in preparation for the fourth annual Army National Guard 2011 Combatives Tournament Championship on March 19-20 at Fort Benning, Ga. It is the first year the Missouri Guard has sent a full team to compete. (Photo by Matthew J. Wilson)

Missouri National Guard Pfc. Mile McDonald, left, and Pfc. Isaac Krout exchange jabs during training in preparation for the fourth annual Army National Guard 2011 Combatives Tournament Championship on March 19-20 at Fort Benning, Ga. It is the first year the Missouri Guard has sent a full team to compete. (Photo by Matthew J. Wilson)