I guess this is evidence, hand to hand combat training at AF Officer Training School.
Nice sneakers, btw. Now that’s a hardcore training environment!
Staff Sgt. Nicole Humphrey demonstrates self-defense techniques on Officer Training School basic trainee Amy Natalini during the school’s first Air Force Combative Program course held Jan. 29 at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. More than 70 hours of expeditionary skills training is now being taught at the school. The first module focuses on ground fighting and basic jujitsu-style grappling moves while the second and third modules are specialized courses for certain career fields such as tactical air controllers and combat controllers. Sergeant Humphrey is a training instructor with the 22nd Training Squadron. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Jason Lake)
oh geez. Just when you think they’re on the right track….
What are the knee pads for???
Jeeze guys, as regards training and using it to help develop a warrior ethic, it seems the Air Force is damned if they do and damned if they don’t.
They aren’t the Marines and they aren’t supposed to be so how about giving them some credit for trying?
I did…
Ya gotta admit TRO, the sneakers are pretty funny.
Forgive me, but my response to this picture of the two ladies (airpersons?) fighting is not politically correct.
Hey, The USAFs’ females can kick anyones’ butt in hand to hand. Providing fighting involves copious amounts of jello and an enthusiastic crowd.
This might be useful if some airman won’t take no for an answer and they don’t want to cause any permanent damage.
The Modern Army Combatives program also uses sneakers when training in saw-dust pit.
The knee-pads, however, lend themselves to too many Air Force jokes.
That’s something I’ll never quite understand…the need to remove our combat boots when doing anything remotely physical for “safety.” We didn’t get any hand to hand at FT, but we had to wear our sneakers when we were doing the Leadership Reaction Course.
I think the most ridiculous part is that they had us keep our BDU trousers bloused even when wearing sneakers (as they’re doing in this picture). There’s just something inherently wrong about wearing bloused pants with regular low cut shoes.
The reason they are wearing sneakers is because during the first two weeks of Basic Training, all Air Force trainees wear sneakers with their ABU’s instead of combat boots. This designates them as “baby flight.” Just another way to remind you that you are not an airman… yet.
By the way andrewdb… they are learning self defense tactics, not learning how to kill somebody. There would be alot less crime if all women took the time to learn self-defense tactics. And even though it may seem politically incorrect, all members of the United States Air Force are called “Airmen.”