I am consistently bewildered by the number of local martial arts instructors who claim to teach self-defense for law enforcement but in truth have zero concept of not only the ways in which the law applies to self-defense but also the fact that any scenario in which an officer must use hand to hand tactics requires a resolution that ends with a suspect under control and in cuffs.
In this time of hate and inflammatory political rhetoric, many local jiu-jitsu instructors have begun opening their doors to law enforcement – enticing them with discounts, free seminars, and the like – in an effort to make a quick buck off the current state of our country.
As a long-time jiu-jitsu practitioner and instructor who has worked closely with law enforcement officials and agencies over that past decade, I can appreciate the desire of these schools to want to help and so I encourage law enforcement officials to take advantage of these offers but challenge you also to remember that the road to hell is often paved with good intentions so be very critical and questioning of what you are being taught. In order to help you do that here are some helpful considerations for you to apply when choosing a defensive tactics program for the job.
A non-compliant suspect is going to fight and a fight is chaos. Most jiu-jitsu instructors have competed; I have. As such, I remember the anxiety I felt before, during, and after the competition – a jambalaya of adrenaline, fear, triumph, disappointment, and second guessing that produced an emotional roller coaster.
Now, imagine that match and everything you went through -under the watchful eye of a trained referee who was there to end it if you got in trouble – condensed into 60 seconds, at 2am in the morning 6 hours into a shift, at a domestic disturbance call in an environment unfamiliar to you in which the stakes are quite literally life or death. Are you still confident in utilizing the defensive tactics you are being taught?
I once heard an defensive tactics instructor state that ‘hands kill, so control them’. An unchecked and uncontrolled hand can access a hidden weapon. If a non-compliant suspect can access a knife or gun, the fight can change in the blink of an eye and even result in officer fatality. Manage the distance, manage the damage: handle the hands, handle the harm!
A proper litmus test as to whether what you are being taught is valuable to your job is to grapple live with rubber or plastic weapons; specifically knives and guns. If your training suspect can access these weapons you have a serious issue with the strategies being taught.
In every training session I have conducted for departments across the state I always urge the officers to consider exactly how the techniques and arrest strategies operate within the confines of the law and their departments use of force guidelines. I do this because I understand that they know better than I do when it comes to said laws. Law enforcement officials must not only process the law which they enforce at a different cognitive level but must also do so during seconds in which the suspect most likely has the element of ambush and has reached a level of desperation in which they feel like they have nothing to lose. Oh, and don’t forget the officer must not exceed an appropriate level of force while doing so lest they be vilified. So again, I urge any law enforcement official who is learning bjj for the job to consider if what you are being taught is being taught in consideration of the law.
These considerations are really just the tip of the iceberg with regards to jiu-jitsu for law enforcement but they are a damn good place to start! If you are an officer currently training bjj for law enforcement purposes please share your thoughts and of course thank you for your service to the community.
—————————————————————————————————————————————————
About the author:
Jeff Reese is a Gracie jiu-jitsu black belt and is the head coach at Gracie NEPA in Scranton, PA. He has had the honor of learning from two generations of Gracie family members including Royce, Royler, Rodrigo, Rolker, Ralek, Rener, and Ryron!
Gracie NEPA was first established in 2005. Since then, Jeff Reese and his talented assistants have been relentlessly working to educate students in the art of Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Gracie NEPA headquarters is located in Scranton but it’s influence has spread across Pennsylvania as assistants and students have opened schools of their own. For more information call: 570-963-9739 or visit us on the web at https://www.gracienepa.com and https://www.gracienepa.com
To enjoy more video be sure to visit and subscribe to us at:
youtube.com/channel/UCj9-QA8g9Xj_iIEojgC0gAQ
