BJJ For Police

By Fanatics Authors, June 17, 2019

When the average person thinks about a Police Academy graduate, they probably assume that they have undergone rigorous tactical training on top of learning the different procedures and laws specific to where they are practicing.

In truth, the average police academy is a 21 week program with only 4 of those weeks being spent on combat training.

If that number seems low to you, that includes everything from firearms and nonlethal weapons. Think back to your first few weeks of martial arts, and how overwhelming everything seemed to you. At the end of your first month of practice, did you find yourself confident in your abilities? After only 4 weeks, would you have entered a competition and expect to be able to land on the podium?

Law Enforcement, Civilian, and Competitor Jay Wadsworth's done it all. Let Him Teach You! Click Learn More!

LEARN MORE

In martial arts training we learn that a misapplied choke hold, leg lock, or armbar can be catastrophic- especially when performed by someone with just enough knowledge to feel comfortable trying it, but not enough to have mastered it. Not only is it important for Police officers to be more familiar with martial arts for their own protection, but it also helps them handle their suspects more effectively and in a safer manner.

In these scenarios, the goal is not usually to cause harm, but rather to achieve a position that the officer is able to hold until help arrives. When polled, most officers felt under trained in these types of techniques, which can be detrimental on the job. In the last few years there have been a higher incidence of officers being accused of misapplied force on the job, leading to injured suspects. Addressing this could be as simple as giving them the skills to be able to hold someone with the correct amount of pressure and torque.

In 2017, the Gracie family established a Survival Tactics course for officers, which teaches them specific maneuvers that often come up in their daily lives. It goes over common situations officers often find themselves in, and maneuvers to help get them under control of the situation. Being able to defend themselves and others to effect is a key skill for them to have.

Not only is it important in the sense that they are able to carry it out if forced into a bad situation, but the fact that they are aware and confident in their capabilities will also add to their success. Police officers are faced with dangerous and lethal situations on a daily basis, and giving them the peace of mind that they are well equipped to handle them can make a world of difference. This doesn’t mean we need to put it on ourselves to find officers or academy leaders and make them incorporate jiu jitsu or Judo into their training schedules (even though that would be great!), but instead we can inform those we are close to and help the word spread throughout the community. We are all learning how to defend ourselves in the worst case scenario that we

are likely to never be faced with, so shouldn’t those that are dropped into danger on a regular basis have the same opportunity?

Thank you to our officers already training, thinking about training or who will in the future!

Applying techniques in a real life self defense situation is something that many practitioners of BJJ THANKFULLY don't have to do often. If you are in Law Enforcement you might not have that luxury. Jay Wadsworth has the real world experience that can ready you for such life threatening situations.

BUY NOW