Army Fighter Places First at the World Combat Arts Federation Tournament

Chris Behm, Class 2007, attended the World Combat Arts Federation Tournament on November 6, 2004.  Following a seminar given by many local masters, the tournament began.  Given that all of the other competitors were ground specialists they did not use traditional judo scoring system. Instead of being able to win with an ippon (the judo equivalent of a knockout), points were awarded in a cumulative fashion so that the match lasted a full five minutes despite the any severe point scoring.  There were six fighters in Chris’s bracket, and at over 180 lbs, Chris was actually the lightest fighter.  His first match was against a brown belt; Chris Behm used a drop shoulder throw (seio nage) to score 6 of his nine ippons; in ordinary judo competition he would have one with the first knockout throw.  Once the score reached 9-0 the judge declared it a mercy victory and gave Chris the win.  Chris’s final match was against a heavyweight with shodans (Blackbelt) in three different grappling arts. Chris scored 6 ippons in the match. Three of the scores were from throws while the remaining two were earned from a arm bar and a pin.  In the end, Chris took first place in an outstanding performance for an Army fighter. Chris’s dominance demonstrated the relevance of Judo in the other combative arts.