The Fighting Frogs

[fight160]

CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA, Japan - What started in September as 3rd Intelligence Battalions' morning physical fitness training has morphed into a highly organized mixed martial arts club affectionately named "The Fighting Frogs."
"The Fighting Frogs" now meet every Tuesday and Thursday in (their) dojo, appropriately named "The Swamp," and focus on promoting the warrior spirit through training in various styles of martial arts centered around ground fighting, said Lt. Col. Joseph Sinicrope, the commanding officer of the battalion.
"The purpose of the club is to reinforce the intangibles in the unit," Sinicrope said. "Things like esprit de corps, warrior spirit - those basic intangibles that make the difference between a good unit and a truly great unit."
Since the club's creation, about 20 diehard participants have joined the ranks of "The Fighting Frogs," searching for those intangible qualities while rarely missing a workout.
"Out of 32 sessions, I've missed four," said Cpl. Aaron A. Rueda, a field radio operator with the battalion's Ground Sensor Platoon, who joined in October. "I'm going to be here every Tuesday and Thursday unless something takes precedence. I keep coming back for the techniques."
When the club started, the Marines met at the Camp Hansen House of Pain's mixed martial arts room. However, "The Fighting Frogs" soon faced the obstacle of having to compete for space with various Marine Corps Martial Arts Program courses, Sinicrope said.
"We quickly found that during bad weather, all the different Marine Corps Martial Arts classes would go over there and we wouldn't have our own place to train," Sinicrope said.
"The Fighting Frogs" solved their space problem in March by converting extra office space in their headquarters building to a dojo. Any Marine who knows a different style of martial arts or has some personal experience in a sport that can be applied to combat, such as wresting or boxing, can instruct during the club's sessions, regardless of rank, Sinicrope said.
Though the group consists of only 20 active participants, Gunnery Sgt. Kenneth A. Beckett, chief of the Ground Sensor Platoon, said he appreciates the club's rank diversity, citing participation from the battalion commander all the way down to privates first class new to the unit.
"The Fighting Frogs" frequently conclude their sessions with two-minute grappling matches where the Marines put into action what they learned in a controlled setting.
"It's not about who's the best; it's about how to be a better grappler," Sinicrope said. "In seven months of doing this, we've yet to have an injury other than little cuts and bruises. The people who participate understand the rules; they understand 'tap early, tap often.' We're not trying out for the UFC championship."