MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. -- Dew covered the soft grass beneath the faint glow of the morning sun as two Marines settled down into position, sitting back to back.
Both sat with their hands and feet braced, ready to spin around at the sound of the whistle that would start their one-minute grappling match. A faint anticipation had both shaking as their muscles tensed with the hunger to make the other be the first to tap out.
Grappling is a form of training that Marines go through during the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program to gauge their techniques and their ability to apply them against an opponent.
"MCMAP is a lot of things," said Sgt. Franklin L. Quiros, utilities chief, Combat Service Support Company 134, Combat Service Support Group 15, 1st Force Service Support Group. "It not only teaches Marines how to fight, but it builds their confidence.
"You have Marines that haven't been too aggressive in their past lives - before they joined the Marine Corps," added Quiros, a black belt instructor. "All of a sudden, they join the Marine Corps and learn a little bit of MCMAP, and they are extremely motivated. It is a great confidence builder."
However, a lot of Marines give up on MCMAP before they really get started.
"A lot of Marines go through the tan belt and get fed up with it," said Quiros. "It's not until you reach the green belt that you can really develop some killer moves. If Marines would just tough the process out, they would begin to see a difference.
"Several Marines are like, 'I'll never use the basic warrior stance. I'll never use these sweeps,'" Quiros, a Woodbridge, Va., native, added. "The further you get in MCMAP, the better the techniques are that you apply. It's not an easy process, and a lot of people get fed up with it and quit."
Marines can only proceed so far at any given time in MCMAP, as there are specific requirements for advancement to the next belt level.
According to Marine Administrative Message 537/01, all Marines are required to achieve the level of tan belt. Any Marine can go up to gray belt. Lance corporals and above can go to green belt, corporals and above can go to brown belt, and sergeants and above can go to black belt.
"It's a leadership thing," said Sgt. John Timberlake, training noncommissioned officer, CSSC-134. "The more advanced you get, the more advanced the techniques are. The Marine Corps doesn't want an 18-year-old lance corporal, who hasn't quite grown up yet, to have more skills than they can handle. They could really hurt someone.
"They want to make sure the person is responsible and mature," added Timberlake. "That is why there are requisites for rank and (Professional Military Education) courses, so they do not abuse what they've learned."
However, to keep the skills Marines have earned, they need some kind of continuing training.
"In my opinion, a Marine should do sustaining training twice a week," said Quiros. "If you do not do it often enough, you will forget it. I have the advantage of teaching it every week, so I become more proficient at it than others. However, for a minimum though, I would say Marines should at least have some form of training twice a week for two hours."