Page 207 - MBS 2022/23

WO2 (QMSI) Mairs RAPTC and SSgt (SSI) Gilmore pose for the end of course photo after successfully completing the RMCC IT course at CTC RM
was promoted to purple belt, massive congratulations!
Sgt (SI) Mikey Page RAPTC had a great competitive year. He took bronze in the Bournemouth Open, silver in the Bristol Open, and silver in the Somerset Open. All the hard work paid off and Mikey received his blue belt, huge congratulations to him too!
As always, Capt (MAA) Trev Tuhey RAPTC led from the front and organised some very successful training days, delivering top-quality training sessions. Capt Tuhey was also presented with his brown belt, well done Trev!
The team also had success on the Judo mats, with SSgt (SSI) Nath Lockey RAPTC, SSgt (SSI) Russ Parker RAPTC
and Sgt (SI) Ollie Dales taking away some massive wins at the UK Armed Forces Championships. SSgt Lockey took 2 x gold medals, beating the Commonwealth Champion in the process. SSgt Parker took 2 x gold medals and Sgt Dales took silver in his category. Well done all!
Finally, my tenure as Martial Arts Team Secretary has come to an end. I would like to thank the team for all their support over the last 2 years. As I hand over to SSgt Ben Gilmore, I know the future of the team is in very strong hands. All the best Ben.
The team is still looking for new members. All training sessions and camps are open to RAPTCIs of all levels. No matter your experience level we can tailor the training to you.
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After a great year in the 2021/22 season, RAPTC Martial Arts has continued to grow from strength to strength. With an increase in numbers over the past 12 months, the team is now the biggest it has ever been with competitors from white belt all the way through to black belt.
Building on the success of the All-Arms Close Combat course, WO2 (QMSI) Baz Mairs RAPTC and SSgt (SSI) Ben Gilmore RAPTC attended and successfully passed the infamous Royal Marines Close Combat Instructor Trainer course at CTCRM. This is a landmark for Close Combat in the Army as it is the first time the Royal Marines have allowed Army personnel to attend the course. The pair were put through the wringer, quite literally. With daily instructional practice, syllabus training, live combative sparring, bottom field PT, shallow water combatives, weapons sparring and classroom lectures; the pair were tested to the fullest. The 4-week course culminated with the final exercise, the details of which I will not divulge here so as not to “spoil the fun” for future individuals attending the course.
A highlight of the year was the team having the opportunity to brief CGS on the Close Combat capability that we now have within the RAPTC. This saw several members of the team demo Close Combat scenarios while Maj (MAA) Reg Pierce RAPTC explained both the benefits and need for this type of training.
On the mat the team shared even more success with many members competing both on the military and civilian circuits. Sgt (SI) Paul Green RAPTC took gold in the All-Stars European Championships at heavyweight and subsequently
RAPTC MARTIAL ARTS
WO2 (QMSI) B Mairs RAPTC
Sgt (SI) Green RAPTC receiving his purple belt
Sgt (SI) Page RAPTC receiving his blue belt
Capt (MAA) Tuhey RAPTC receiving his brown belt