To be effective for law enforcement, a martial art must include empty-hand techniques as well as weapons techniques. It must rely upon sound principles that allow a smaller individual to control a larger, stronger opponent. It must provide the officer with the skills needed to control a suspect while minimizing injuries, but at the same time giving the officer the option to inflict serious pain and crippling injuries if the altercation suddenly turns into a deadly force situation.
To fit the above criteria, the martial art has to be built around joint locks, throws and take downs. This immediately eliminates arts based predominately on striking and kicking. Here is a ranked list of martial arts that I recommend for police officers.
1. Filipino martial arts (Arnis de Mano, Doce Pares, Modern Arnis, etc.) – Most Filipino martial arts are comprised of Ju Jitsu, Judo or Aikido techniques to cover joint locks, chokes, throws and take downs.
- Advantages: They also include offensive and defensive knife fighting and stick fighting, which could save your life if you are one of the many officers attacked with an edged weapon or blunt force object. The Filipinos are unmatched in knife fighting and the sticks are comparable in size to straight police batons. Since the average Filipino person is smaller than the Japanese and Chinese, their techniques have been adapted to work on stronger and larger opponents.
- Disadvantages: It may be hard to find a qualified instructor. Many instructors may have learned the Filipino martial arts from seminars instead of learning from a school.
2. Traditional Ju Jitsu – These arts are usually based on the Japanese systems of Ju Jitsu that concentrate on joint locks, chokes, throws and take downs. These systems may cover some defensive techniques against weapons.
- Advantages: There are many qualified instructors and strong schools. There are many tournaments offered across the country to compete and improve your techniques.
- Disadvantages: These arts do not usually include a comprehensive study of fighting with and against sticks and knives.
3. Judo – This art is all about grappling and throwing. The throws taught in Judo can be devastating when done on a hard surface.
- Advantages: There are many qualified instructors and strong schools. There are many tournaments offered across the country to compete and improve your techniques. The training allows you to go all out against your opponent, which will get you in great shape for the fights you can find yourself in while on-duty.
- Disadvantages: Judo originated from Japanese Ju Jitsu. The founder eliminated many of the more dangerous techniques and concentrated on turning the art into a sport.
4. Aikido – Aikido is a Japanese system that is based on using your opponent’s force against him. It covers joint locks, chokes, throws and take downs. Most Aikido schools include defensive techniques for countering weapon attacks.
- Advantages: There are many qualified instructors and strong schools. Aikido works well for smaller officers because it teaches students to use their opponent’s force against him.
- Disadvantages: Most Aikido schools do not allow students to apply pressure to their training partners while practicing joint locks and throws. The training partner is taught to throw themselves. This is a dangerous habit that you have to be able to abandon on the street. It may take many years to develop confidence in your Aikido skills under this type of training environment.
5. Hapkido – Hapkido is a Korean martial art that includes joint locks, chokes, throws and take downs. Hapkido also includes most of the kicks found in Tae Kwon Do. Many Hapkido schools include defensive techniques for countering weapon attacks.
- Advantages: There are many qualified instructors, but finding a quality school may be difficult.
- Disadvantages: A large portion of the training time may be spent learning kicking techniques that are hard to perform and may prove harder to justify in police work. Beware of schools that claim to teach Hapkido, but turn out to only teach Tae Kwon Do.
6. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu – No matter what style of martial art you pick, the ground fighting techniques taught in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu need to be added to your arsenal. In the event that you find yourself pinned on the ground by a larger, stronger attacker, almost all of your stand-up martial arts techniques will be thrown out the window. With the recent popularity of mixed martial arts, a large segment of the young male population is learning how to fight on the ground. Make sure you supplement your training with this martial art.
- Advantages: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu concentrates on joint locks and chokes performed on the ground, with particular emphasis placed on positional strategy. The system is designed for countering strength with technique and will make you comfortable fighting off of your back. There are many tournaments around the country that offer you the opportunity to compete.
- Disadvantages: Qualified instructors may be hard to find, but new schools are popping up all of the time. This martial art has been developed as a sport. Most schools concentrate on the sport side of the art. As an officer, the last place you want to end up is on the ground. Since most Brazilian Jiu Jitsu schools only cover ground fighting, I cannot recommend it as a primary martial art for police officers
This list is not exhaustive by any means. There are many other martial arts that could be very effective for police officers. This article is meant to offer my opinion based on over 20 years of martial arts experience and over 15 years of police experience. It is not my intention to insult any martial artist out there.
Please share your thoughts on which martial art you think works best for police officers.
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{ 32 comments… read them below or add one }
look up Chin-Na for joint locking and some Iron Palm training.
Regards
Shane
Kombato, Krav Maga, Krav Magen has some interesting options.
http://www.youtube.com/kombato
I just researched Kombato. It looked very applicable to law enforcement. I discovered that the founder, Master Paulo Albuquerque, was heavily influenced by the Filipino arts Kali and Arnis de Mano. Watching the numerous videos, I see the Filipino influence in their techniques. I would have to say that one of the disadvantages is that it might prove difficult to find a qualified instructor in cities across the United States.
Krav Maga and Krav Magen both looked very applicable to law enforcement as well.
Chin-Na also would be applicable to law enforcement. It is very similiar to the Japanese traditional Ju Jitsu systems. If you could find a qualified instructor in your area, I would recommend it for police officers.
Goshin Jitsu is another that incorporates joint locks, chokes, throws and takedowns. We also practice defences from the ground, and incorporate knife, gun and bat (stick) attacks. It really depends on the quality and experience of your instructor, (and your own dedication) as to what you will absorb as a student.
I think you guys are confused. Joint locks and throws have their place in law enforcement. But I’ll take the sound principal of a good punch in the nose to cause disruption, confusion and pain over rolling on the ground with a suspect any day. Please don’t kid yourself into believing that technique will overcome size and strength differences. You should be teaching your officers to stay away from the ground and escape a ground fight and move back to their feet so they can transition to a different weapon system. Any martial art that officers train in should be centered around super intense exercise and realistic combat. That way they will have the wind to survive a fight and the possibility of coming out alive. I’ve trained a lot of Kali and what I know is that I should really avoid a knife fight and if I get ambushed while on the ground with a knife, I’ll probably die or at least lose the fight -sort of like what happened to that guy who attacked the Sacramento County Deputy and got stabbed by the deputy. You don’t know what the other guy has or knows so you should stay on your feet so you can move and try to knock the guy out with a punch or a stick. Train Muay Thai and swing your baton often.
Dan,
While I do not agree with all of your points, I appreciate your opinion. Thanks for adding to the discussion.
Matt
No sense in stopping the conversation. What points do you not agree with and why?
Punching a suspect in the nose is not a bad thing, but it has some downsides. If the suspect is intoxicated he may not respond to the pain that a sober person would suffer. It does not offer any control over the suspect and allows him to move freely. If our goal involves arresting him, we need to go hands on at some point. This is where the joint locks and control holds would come into play.
Technique can overcome size and strength differences, within reason. Much like a golf handicap allows less skilled golfers to play alongside a better player, good technique can bridge the gap between the differences in strength. There are limits though, and we should all be realistic with ourselves and understand what our limits are. I readily agree that there are some size/strength differences that are too large to overcome. I have controlled men that were larger and stronger than me, and it was due to the techniques that I have learned. Most of these techniques involve learning how to use leverage to your advantage and then using that leverage to attack the weaker joints and structural points on your opponent. Royce Gracie proved the point in his UFC wins. He was almost always the physically weaker fighter and yet he was able to control and beat the larger opponents. When both fighters have an equal level of skill, size and strength can definitely make the difference.
I do not advocate engaging a suspect on the ground, if we can avoid it. Unfortunately, there are times when we will end up on the ground. Ground fighting skills, like those found in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, are excellent for emerging victorious in those circumstances. Like I mentioned in my article, I think officers should cross train in BJJ to develop their arsenal of skills. Some of the best BJJ techniques for law enforcement involve sweeping your opponent or reversing him so you can disengage and get back to your feet.
Martial arts that involve intense exercise and realistic combat surely include some techniques. Otherwise we should just hit the weight room and the track, both of which I also recommend for all officers.
I have also spent many years studying the Filipino martial arts, and I have developed an enormous amount of respect for the danger of a knife. But, if you find yourself ambushed with an edged weapon, you must make the mental decision that no matter what, you will survive and win the fight. Caliber Press really pushes this mindset in their street survival classes and I totally believe in it. If an officer tells himself that he will die in a deadly force encounter, he probably will.
Staying on your feet is preferable, but it is not easy to knock someone out with a punch because both guys are going to be moving. How many boxing and MMA bouts end without a knock out? And those guys are professionals. To knock a suspect out with a stick usually requires hitting him in the head, and that is going to be classified as deadly force in virtually every court that we may wind up in. At that point, we should just go ahead and shoot them if deadly force is justified.
Muay Thai is an excellent martial art, but as you know, it involves technique. There is a proper way to punch, kick, knee and elbow to increase your power. Being large and strong, without good technique, is not going to win many Muay Thai bouts against a smaller but highly technical Muay Thai fighter.
You make some great points Matt. As I mentioned, joint locks have their place but I think they generally should only be tried with passively or mildly resisting subjects. And without an extreme amount of skill these are the only people they will work on. Royce Gracie stopped after UFC 3 because his skill couldn’t overcome the size and strength differences as people figured out just a little bit about what he was doing. I don’t think anyone would argue that Royce has an incredible amount of skill but they still started paring fighters against same sized fighters very early in the UFC history. I agree that everyone should be versed in the ground and they should use that knowledge to escape.
I understand your mindset and agree. I was wrong to say it like that. I was trying to make a point that we can all be surprised by a knife. I guess i should have said we should knock them out of the fight with our stick. I was not trying to be so literal. Stick knockouts are when people no longer want to fight because we hit them so hard in a legal area.
Thanks for the debate. I appreciate your opinion.
Thank you, Dan. It is a pleasure to exchange thoughts on combat with a fellow warrior.
Dan,
Let me put into perspective the importance of joint locks. I have trained with Matt for 5 years (I am a purple belt in his system), I have learned enough to effectively control a 200 pound man (I am 110 pounds). Not only control him but make him dance around like a monkey!
Thank you,
Matt (other Matt)
I think the key to adding any techniques to your DT arsenal is to know what is practial and reality based verses what has little actual utility. I studied Tae Kwon Do in the 1970s and 1980s. I learned strong kicking mechanics and punching techniques but ultimately it had limited street value particularly for law enforcement and even more so in Minnesota where I police. I began studying Hapkido in 1986 and it had far more applicable techniques for law enforcement which a lot of emphasis on joint locks but as with any art, you have to separate what is useful and pragmatic from what is fluff and a waste of time . . . Hapkido being no exception to that rule. By the 1990s I also added Jujitsu studies and lately I’ve been studying Krav Maga which is very street worthy. The bottom line with anything you study is to realize that many maritals arts emphasize the “art” while others emphasize the “reality.” If you’re a realist and you’ve been a cop for some time, you should be able to sort them out fairly easily.
I’m a new DT/Baton/Arrest Tactics instructor at my department. Though I am relatively inexperienced, I think it also allows me to be more impartial (I like our system, but I am not married to it). I think we should teach enough ground fighting to ensure our guys can get off of the ground. I believe joint locks are a great thing and extensive training can make them applicable in any situation. The problem is their relatively high level of complication combined with lack of training time.
I think our department teaches too many techniques with too few repetitions. I can’t speak for other departments, but I would reckon this is a common problem when teaching a more complicated form of self defense. We as trainers need to realize the limitations of our training (not necessarily our trainees, but the environment they learn in is not always conducive. to them learning what we would prefer them to).
One of the keys to joint manipulation can be distraction. We always teach some form of a distraction to start a technique as a means to ensure the suspect is not focused on what we are about to apply to them. Distractions need not be all that physically damaging, but our guys should do what they need to do on the street to make things work (within reason).
A final thought: I think krav maga is just as cool as the next guy, but I disagree with its applicability to police work. It may be useful as a self defense technique, but from my (granted, limited) experience with it, I think it is a bit too violent to be the standard by which we teach.
We can’t spend all of our time teaching people to fight and never teach them a worthwhile system of handcuffing and suspect control. Had we taught them that in the first place, the fight may never have begun.
I just signed up a few minutes ago and already have found this site well worth the time. Several comments are right on the money when talking about street real vs sport. Having 33 years experience in the field (25 as an officer the rest as a trainer) I have not found a single system that fills all the needed requirements. When I say that I refer to some of the necessary elements needed in a true fighting system such as: must work for all size officers, must work when you are tired, must work against larger opponents (yes, there is a limit here), must work in limited light, must work against multiple attackers, must be simple enough that it does not require hours of practice every week to remain proficient, and this is just the short list. When I say must work that does not mean it will always work, just that it is feasible and mechanically possible. This can only be obtained from combining numerous systems and as AH stated, that leaves precious little training time for all the other “stuff”.
After reading my own post I realized I failed to follow up by agreeing with Matt, joint locks, take downs, and throws are a must. That is not to say you should not learn punches and kicks, just that most students will never master the abilty to use punches and kicks affectively. Many instructors tend to teach what they are best at. If you have been punching and kicking for years you may be very skilled with these techniques. If you get into a fight they will most liklely work for you. No one is asking you to stop using them but will they work for your students? Not to mention the most broken body part in a fight is one of the many small bones in the hand when made into a fist.
What about Krav Maga?
Krav Maga is extremely effective for self-defense. The major problem with it is how violent it looks to witnesses and on video. This may or may not be a problem at your agency, but most agencies encourage (if not mandate) that officers use only their approved techniques. Because of the visually violent nature of Krav Maga, you may be justified in your force but cause your chain-of-command to have a heart attack. This can cause problems for you within your agency. This factors into why it isn’t in my top choices for police officers.
Thanks,
Matt
well im going to be a cop and well i study some judo moves and mainly savate and mauy thai strikes yet i don’t think it would be good for someone like me because in a spar with a friend i threw him 4 feet higher [ total of 4 feet 6 inches off the ground ] and 3 feet in front of me i mean it would be good but it gives him distance, yet with savate has leg strikes rendering there legs useless so they can’t move so why not do that ?????
Any martial art training will work. (assuming you have to sweat and take some pain every now and then) Any an all will increase your speed and reflexes and help with strength and flexability. Cops get seriously hurt in fights when they get hit and never knew it was coming. Most fights are just us trying to get idiots handcuffed and they dont want to be. In many cases you could just lay on top of them and have a slice of pizza till they wear out, then cuff them. In reality-alot of the time there is no real hurry to get them cuffed- sometimes there is- it is situational\
A basic fact is that when a fight occurs and someone really wants to put you on the ground, they can, especially with the onset of so many Mixed Martial Arts fighters. You see this in professional competition fighting. So pick an art that teaches you how to place and keep someone on the ground, learn how to fight on the ground VERY WELL. The main reason that most police officers tend to avoid the ground are; the possibility of multiple attackers, or their lack of ground fighting expertise. But you see most of them say “get on the ground”, or take each one down to the ground to avoid getting struck or kicked while cuffing them (which I agree with).
Learn how to retain your weapon and how to change your ground position to a strong one for you. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is the best art in the world for ground fighting. I have trained 37 years in Karate, Judo, and Jujitsu and hold a black belt in each art also in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu as a police officer. The problem is finding a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu instructor that is also a police officer and has weapon retention skills and an understanding of police procedure. Most martial arts instructors tend to do the “pull my finger” type training. My funny way of saying that they teach by putting you in a non combat way into a position then twist your wrist or arm or finger to cause you pain to impress you. They never stand across from you and fight you in a free style manner to the ground and put you into position for cuffing, if they did they would be embarrassed with the outcome. Nothing hardly ever goes right on the street therefore your ability to adapt and change your positions and techniques smoothly is what stacks the cards in your favor. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu teaches this best. Judo is good for throwing but remember its a sport with rules, Karate does not cover ground work, aidido tends to fall into the “pull my finger area”. Personally I like a blend because each art has something good to offer, but very few officers have the time to devote approximately three-five years (black belt) in each art to achieve basic understanding in each art. First degree black belt means you have a basic understanding of that art and can then learn at an accelerated rate. It took me 10 years to get my first degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu that I learned from an 8th degree black belt from Brazil. Any cops have 10 years to bang that one out? There are color belts in this art everywhere but they usually lack overall training and police experience to make their information usable as taught for their police officer students. It is unwise for anyone to discuss or give advice about any martial art unless they have attained at least a black belt in that art. However anyone can look and see the effectiveness of any art if they see it done in free style fighting, find an instructor that can do it in free style, not the “pull my finger” setting then consider training with them immediately. I hope this information has been useful to anyone that reads it.
Most krav Maga instructional courses tend to be offered as (a short course), and short courses help but are not the same as training in a martial art for 3-5 years to earn a black belt, beware of the short courses. They promise the world but can fall short. However if you want to make money and get your teeth into police departments, offer short courses, they love it. Most defensive tactics instructors across the nation had a two week course to get certified and if they have any skill at all its because of their personal efforts to train outside of the police department.
My policy is to not lock horns with anyone that has a knife and I know how to fight very well, if they pull a knife or offer to use it on you, ask them to drop it then shoot them until they drop it. Don’t get pulled into a fight or ground fight with someone that has a knife, but cover methods to take knives away from people on the ground because it could happen. When I test police cadets I usually smuggle a knife in my Gi then pull it during the ground fighting part, usually after I have back mounted them.
I like Jerry’s comments. Your feet are on the ground buddy.
Basically here is reality. Many police officers work long hours with weird schedules. I do too and I still train about 5 hours per week doing free style fighting with other black belts, and training them for ground fighting competition. So training can be done, but most guys will not do this. So my advice is to stop being lazy, constantly train if you are going to be an officer. Don’t belly ache over which art is effective, just go find out and train. Take the advice of experienced martial artists that have trained in multiple arts, not from someone that has not. Stay on your feet if you have not had enough training to go to the ground. If you have not had ground work then stop avoiding it because eventually you are going to end up there like it or not. My advice is to “not let your bull frog mouth overload your tadpole ***”. Know the difference between limited resistance and an all out fight. “Don’t spray O.C. in an enclosed environment”. “Don’t drink the day before you work”. “Don’t fall asleep during duty”. “Never let anyone put their hands in their pockets”. “Keep your gun hand free”. “Never talk about anyone behind their backs”. “Take care of your fellow officers”. “Treat folks the way you want to be treated”. “Accidently shine your flash light through the side mirror before advancing to a car window”. “Call in your plate before initiating the stop”.
“Always carry some tissue or hanky with you in your pocket”. “Handcuff behind the back most of the time”. “Never get your meat where you get your bread”. Ha Ha
Any Police trainers or Heads of Defensive tactics programs that need an on site expert and want to offer me a job, please write me. I am working now in Georgia and need a better job and can relocate.
thanks a bunch,
Hope these suggesting help you guys and gals
I have been involved in the “Ninja” arts for nearly 10 years. Its not about swords and black suits, the only surviving Ryu-Bujinkan, is actually a school of 9 martial arts. It is a living art changing with times. It uses destroy techniques as well as holds, and compliance. In it, nearly all techniques can be done by anyone, not acrobats or rubberband people. Its really good, but has faded from the limelight of the 80’s. But the good thing is, so have nearly all of the phonies. A good instructor follows the Masaaki Hatsumi chain, he’s the guy who wrote most of the books along with Stephen Hayes.
Guys,
While my base is Taekwondo with well over 30 years, I’m a Krav Maga practitioner and have taken classes in several other arts. Plus I’m an IDPA/IPSC competitor (I shoot a lot!)
The trouble is, I train like this cause it’s my sport, my enjoyment. But most people would rather play golf or just watch sports.
I suggest those of you who feel you need more self defense skills make it your hobby or avocation instead of just running or weight lifting. That way you will spend many hours practicing just for the fun of it and gain much skill. Be it Karate or Jiu Jitsu or boxing or KM. Same goes for shooting skills.
Do that and if the gong ever sounds for real you will be ready.
What about systema? It is a russian martial art taught to Spetsnaz operatives? Would that be a good martial art for police?
Lots of arts are popping up every day and each one promises the world. Most police departments fall for their marketing schemes because they offer short courses with amazing results. These new arts take peices of traditional arts and call them their own. I say why learn some spin off when there are plenty of clubs around that have long range programs. There is “no” replacement for training that is offered over a longer time span, if the instructor is good so will you be. If the instructor recieved a short course and teaches to others it is the “blind leading the blind”. The longer the training under a masterful instructor produces great results. Take the time to train long and hard, put your sweat into it and you will have the best chance of survival. Remember that there are more and more Mixed Martial Arts people training (millions) and its a sad day when you meet up with one of these people having taken the short course.
escrima, jkd, and krav maga are great martial arts for cops. i highly recommend studding them all.