Travis Airmen meet on mat

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Madelyn Brown
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  The past nine years of his life, Senior Airman Seth Lindquist has found a sense of peace in hand-to-hand combat.

The 60th Civil Engineer Squadron logistics management apprentice discovered his passion for sparring in the oldest form of physical combat, wrestling. After seven years, he branched out to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai.

"I always enjoyed the one-on-one competition aspect of it," the Virginia native said. "It seemed to be a natural transition from wrestling to Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai. While most people think only aggressive people enjoy grappling, it's actually a cathartic release. I'm a mellow person."

According to Lindquist, Jiu Jitsu is a form of grappling where no hands or kicks are thrown. The objective is to achieve submission in your opponent.

"Jiu Jitsu is more than physical combat," he said. "It's a lifestyle and philosophy. I enjoy that it's all about technique, not size or weight."

Shortly after he arrived on Travis Air Force Base in 2013, Lindquist met Senior Airman Jared Morley, 60th Force Support Squadron food services journeyman, at a Jiu Jitsu class after work.

Morley, a 5-year practitioner of Jiu Jitsu, and Lindquist became close friends and began training together for tournaments. Today, the vegetarian roommates continue to motivate each other.

In addition to his responsibility as an Airman, Lindquist runs seven miles a day, uses his lunch hour for endurance training and attends Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai class, before ending his day at 9 p.m.

The training both Airmen dedicated their daily lives to manifested in the form of a bronze medal and gold medal at the Jiu Jitsu in the Bay tournament June 22 for Lindquist, and a silver medal for Morley.

The tournament brought out more than 600 competitors, and was divided into a gi, no gi and absolute sections. The gi is the traditional uniform worn in Jiu Jitsu, which can be used as a tool to maneuver opponents into submission.

"To me, rolling with a gi is more complex because there are thousands of moves I can perform," Lindquist said. "It's a slower process because the gi is heavy and sturdy. Without the gi, there's a limited amount of moves you can do. The strength and endurance of the individual becomes more of a factor and the fight is generally more fast paced."

For Morley, the foundations of Jiu Jitsu coincide harmoniously with Airmanship values.
"The philosophies are above the techniques our instructor teaches us," Morley said. "Jiu Jitsu is about not being intimidated when faced with a challenge, never giving up and taking care of the Jiu Jitsu family."

Both Airmen are anticipating their next competition, as well as a rank promotion from white belt to blue belt in their near future. Additionally, both have goals to practice mixed martial arts and eventually fight in the cage.

According to Morley, the resilience of Airmen directly translates to the fighter mentality.
"A fighter has perseverance," he said. "A fighter keeps getting back up."