Fort Benning, Georgia. (April 28, 2025): In this photo by Staff Sergeant Cayce Watson, Soldiers compete to win the Lacerda Cup, an Army-wide Combatives tournament that tests soldiers hand-to-hand fighting skills. The competition is named in honor of Staff Sergeant Pedro Lacerda, the first Black Belt professor of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu with the 75th Ranger Regiment. The Army’s Combatives Program builds mental and physical toughness by training Soldiers in close quarters fighting techniques while instilling the warrior ethos that prepares Soldiers to close with and destroy the enemy. As of this writing, the Army has trained more than three million soldiers in hand-to-hand combat.
Jiu-jitsu is a Japanese and Brazilian martial art focused on grappling and ground fighting techniques, emphasizing leverage and technique over strength. It is a classical martial art that teaches defenders to use their opponents’ size and strength against them. This is done through a series of grappling moves that control and manipulate an opponent’s body on the ground. The goal is to force an opponent to submit through techniques like chokes, arm bars, and leg locks.
Jiu-jitsu can be a highly effective self-defense art, particularly when used in ground-fighting scenarios. Training in Jiu-jitsu can lead to improved physical fitness, strength, flexibility, and mental focus.
This year’s competition involved 148 of the Army’s best facing off in jiu-jitsu-style fighting matches. The first day consisted of multiple three-minute rounds of grappling with different opponents. In day two, competitors worked on their striking skills through multiple rounds with a variety of partners. The final day began with a three-mile run before the competition began to ensure that competitors were plenty tired when the fighting started. Besides grappling and striking, Jiu-jitsu is a serious test of endurance.
Rangers from the 75th Ranger Regiment left with the trophy and the unit became the star of this year’s Infantry Week held as part of the wider events celebrating the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday.