Banking On Defensive Tactics

Banking On Defensive Tactics
By: Kregg P.J. Jorgenson

There is one mantra in Law Enforcement Defensive Tactics training circles that seems to be universal. The mantra is this: “It’s not a question of if you will be involved in a serious altercation on the street but rather just a question of when.”

If you listen carefully you’ll probably find it has many accents and just as much emphasis regardless of where the sun rises or sets on the training mat. DT Instructors do their best to prepare their students for as many of the real world dangerous or life threatening scenarios that they may encounter on the job.

But let’s face it, there is not enough time in the busy academy schedule or later, and limited, in-service training to cover each and every scenario so ‘prescribed’ scenarios; the ones that deal with the most likely situations that involve basic belt weapons, arrest techniques and associated tactical drills are introduced, re-introduced and practiced.

In most basic police and law enforcement academies the new recruits are introduced to the things they carry; service weapon, OC spray, baton, TASER and handcuffs. Drills and techniques are taught that are specifically designed to test the recruits’ competency and skill levels as well as to bring them up to a basic and acceptable level of proficiency.

“Think of your training as a rainy day fund for Defensive Tactics emergencies,” said Master Defensive Tactics Instructor and Arrestling founder, Don Gulla. “Each and every DT technique you practice, every drill and the frequency of that practice, is something you bank- something you may very well have to rely on.
“During basic academy training the recruit is accruing technique after technique over a short period of time. Since the training is often intense and new most of the recruits are eager to learn,” he said. “The result is that by the end of their academy training many of them graduate with a basic competency level and because of the physical conditioning they receive, many leave the academy in the best shape of their working lives.”
And that, says Gulla, is the part of the problem. “Over the years they continue to bank on what they learned at the academy to get them through their careers. But over the years, for some, that balance falls short of what they’ll need to survive.”

Whenever Gulla brings this point up at seminars that some attendees will counter with comments that they run, swim, lift weights or practice this or that martial arts to which the veteran SWAT officer and Master level Martial Artist nods and adds, “Good. Staying in shape is important. But have you tested your police defensive tactics recently against someone with resistance? Have you actually tried protecting a weapon when someone is determined to take it away from you? Have you taken it to the mat?”

The questions usually surprise some of officers while others are more candid with their responses. “I haven’t had any defensive tactics training since I left the academy ten years ago,” confided one officer. “I think about the whole if and when thing all of the time.”

The officer is not alone. After the basic academy courses there may quarterly in-service training requirements but seldom more than an hour here or there dedicated.

“Proficiency takes longer than an hour or two every quarter,” Gulla said bluntly. “If you train weakly, you will fight weakly. It’s that simple.”

Here are five DT conditioning drills that Gulla recommends.
1. Stand up striking drills.
2. Takedown drills and takedown defense.
3. Ground control drills for positioning ability.
4. Weapon retention gun out drill on the ground to work survival grip strength.
5. Wall fighting drill, teaching the officer to control someone on a vertical surface, avoids strikes, and being able to clinch and takedown a suspect.

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