Navy Seal Martial Arts Training
The U.S. Navy SEALs (Sea, Air and Land forces) were formed by President John F. Kennedy in 1962 as a small, elite unit trained in unconventional warfare that specialize in water-based operations such as when an insurgency originates or ends in a river, ocean or another body of water. SEAL officers are trained in explosives, weapons, hand-to-hand combat and other methods of warfare and only the top Naval officers can qualify for SEAL training. SEAL hand-to-hand training involves a multitude of martial arts styles and techniques.
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Mixed Martial Arts
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In spite of many public perceptions, Navy SEALs are not trained in any single martial art or style. Instead, SEAL officers are cross-trained using techniques from multiple styles that best reflect the circumstances that the soldiers will face when out in the field. Jiu-jitsu, krav maga, judo and Muay Thai are all styles that SEALs training borrows from when teaching recruits in self-defense.
Jiu-Jitsu
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Jiu-jitsu is a very important part of SEAL training because it focuses on grappling in close quarters and specializes in joint locks and chokes. Choke holds in particular are of use because they can be used to very quickly and silently disable or kill an opponent. The rear naked choke is a very common hold in jiu-jitsu that can be used by SEALs to choke an enemy unconscious in seconds or break his neck if needed.
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Krav Maga
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Krav maga is an Israeli martial art that is also taught to the Israeli Army. It is a striking-based style that also incorporates close-quarter weapon techniques such as knives and batons. Techniques are taught to maximize striking power from a short distance so that an opponent can be disabled quickly with strikes to soft areas of the body such as the eyes or the throat.
Judo
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Judo is very useful for Navy SEALs for when they are grappling with an enemy and need to take him to the ground. Judo emphasizes using leverage as a way of throwing or taking down an opponent and then finishing him with a choke or submission hold that breaks a limb. It has some similar techniques to jiu-jitsu but judo uses a wider array of throws and it also teaches soldiers how to land properly to limit the chances of injuring themselves should they be taken off their feet.
Muay Thai
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Muay Thai originated in Thailand and is a striking art that frequently uses a clinch technique that involves using both hands to pull down the head of an enemy from behind the neck, so that knee strikes can be brought up into the face and sternum. Elbows and shins are other striking surfaces of choice. Muay Thai techniques are very useful in quickly disabling an enemy in a striking battle.
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References
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