NEW DELHI: Along with basic skills like shooting, physical endurance and battlecraft, Army soldiers will now likewise find out a type of blended martial arts as well.

The 12-lakh force has introduced a special and standardised unarmed fight drill called the Army Martial Arts Routine (AMAR).

The Army states AMAR, which takes the best from various Indian martial arts, is concentrated on offensive assault training and is also effective versus sharp-edged and improvised weapons .

The very first batch of 99 instructors for AMAR have successfully undergone 5 weeks of training at the Army Institute of Physical Training at Pune.

There will be an initial pool of 700 such instructors, who in turn will teach at the officers training academies and different regimental centres for jawans, a senior officer told TOI.The AMAR programme was revealed by General Manoj Pande in the run-up to the Army Day on January 15, who stated it will assist soldiers not simply physically, but likewise mentally.But such a programme in the period of long standoff weapons, clever bombs, drones, electronic warfare and hypersonic missiles? While the Army did not link AMAR to increased tensions along the 3,488-km Line of Actual Control, it comes in the background of regular violent physical clashes in between Indian and Chinese soldiers, with the latter typically armed with nail-studded rods, surged clubs and batons in what resembles middle ages battle.

Soldiers need to be prepared throughout all fundamental abilities of war-fighting, which can typically throw up surprises and difficulties.

These consist of non-kinetic ways like hand-to-hand fight circumstances in conventional, non-conventional and military operations besides war, another officer said.Boxing and fumbling are prominent sports in the Army, while some routines also have their own version of martial arts.

Some Madras Regiment soldiers, for instance, are skilled in the ancient martial art of Kerala called Kalaripayattu.

Sikh soldiers have Gatka and Gorkha programs have their Khukri drills.

However there is no set training program as such, he said.AMAR intends to make it a must-have skillset for soldiers with standardised training in standard and advanced methods of blended martial arts manoeuvres.

The fundamental course has 26 relocations, while the advance one has 64.

AMAR will boost confidence, small group cohesion and character, while improving psychological toughness, coordination, balance and discipline.

This step shall go a long way in making sure boosted offensive, aggressive and proactive warfighting capabilities at the tactical level, the officer included.