CLC3 Day 29: Clinch drill

Today was the dreaded clinch drill. In the morning we learned three of the four starting positions. During lunch, we went in and did the four iterations of "Achieving the clinch."

I remember hearing about the clinch drill from a friend of mine back in BOLC II. He did it as part of his basic training, and I was really intimidated by the stories of people getting messed with. I came to the conclusion that combatives was not for me.

After four years, though, I figured I might as well do it, for a couple of reasons. First, it would be a good credential to have for my future soldiers -- how can I expect them to practice it if I myself don't know what I'm doing. Second, it's a good thing for my ORB -- maybe it will say to my future boss "this guy's a complete package -- both smart and tough."

A third reason was just for myself -- to know that I am actually a good bit more resilient than I have allowed myself to believe in the past. I never missed a day, no matter how tired I felt, how overwhelmed I was with homework, or how sore my ribs were.

That said, the clinch drill was both harder than I envisioned and not as bad as it could have been. It will rank as one of those Army experiences that I am happy I will never again have to repeat, but I understand why we do it.

In other news, I got a perfect score on my mission command analysis paper, which I spent a lot of time on -- probably more than I really needed to, but oh well.

And I am so glad it's a Friday.