We know that Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and its concepts translate to many different aspects of life and professions. This is especially true for professions that regularly have to subdue the unwilling. That’s why it makes complete sense for a police officer to train Jiu Jitsu.
Our friends at Palm Beach Jiu Jitsu Club put together a list of the top 3 reasons that LEOs should train Jiu Jitsu. See their list below. Do you agree?
Combat Effectiveness
The effectiveness of Jiu Jitsu in combat has been proven over many years. Trained officers can rely on the effectiveness and efficiency of Jiu Jitsu when dealing with violent individuals. In addition to extreme effectiveness and efficiency the techniques and strategies of Jiu Jitsu can be applied without the use of excessive force.
How to take down a suspect? How to avoid surprise attacks? How to defend against common attacks? How to escape from underneath an attacker? How to immobilize or pin a violent attacker? These are just some of the situations that you will learn how to deal with by training Jiu Jitsu.
Stress Relief & Comfort In Stressful Situations
The stresses of being a police officer are massive. Jiu Jitsu is a great outlet for relieving stress from work in a fun, healthy and educational environment. Staying calm in stressful situations can be tough but is a necessity for reacting precisely and efficiently. Jiu Jitsu teaches you how to stay calm in uncomfortable situations and to not overreact or lose your cool. If we lose our cool or calmness we make mistakes. Now in Jiu Jitsu those mistakes mean you get submitted but in the street as an LEO it can have some serious consequences.
Health & Fitness
Jiu Jitsu truly encompasses all aspects of fitness and promotes a healthy lifestyle. Weight loss, functional strength gains, cardio gains, increased reaction timing, increased awareness are all improved by training Jiu Jitsu.
The benefits of Jiu Jitsu for law enforcement officers or anyone for that matter go far beyond what we’ve talked about here but these are some important reasons why law enforcement officers should learn Jiu Jitsu.
Andy Gonzalez is a coach at Aces Jiu Jitsu Club. He has earned his BJJ Brown Belt under 2nd Degree Black Belt, Professor Mikal Abdullah. Follow Andy on Twitter at @GoGoGonzilla
Andy lives in Austin, Texas with his wife Amanda and their 3 beautiful children. Andy is also the father of a Marine who is honorably serving in the United States Marine Corps.