What would be a recommended Martail Arts style for Law Enforcement?

Question

I am wanting to learn some kind of style of martial arts, I just cant make my decision on what style. I am trying to choose a style that would be best fit for law enforcement being thats the field I am in. I would like to learn a style that uses non deadly tactics more a style to simply disable your opponents without severe consequences severe injuries; or something that won't get in trouble if I use it.

Answer 1

I have trained many Law enforcement officers Martial arts and i personally feel that the best you can learn is not one specific style. You need to learn a varaity of things or mix arts because as an officer you are often in situations you have to adapt to at a moments notice and all you have to defend yourself that split moment is the self defence you know.

Notice you said self defence? As an office you do not want to be on the attack or the aggressor of course. I think learning a combination of jujitsu, aikido, karate (any style shotokan, goju shorin ryu, all are good but not TKD in this case), it focuses on 70% kicking and you will have to much gear on to rely on kicking high. Your kicks will need to be mid level to low for incapacitating moves.

I also recommend learning some judo for flips, boxing Muay Thai or kickboxing will help you greatly with endurance and getting into shape and having strong kicks and punches, while the others will allow you to use the style that best adapts to your personal situation.

I have used Jujitsu to defend myself before, and I have used Shotokan before and even Judo. You never know what you will need, so it is best to learn a mixed style of defence in law enforcement in my opinion.

Jujitsu and Aikijujitsu are great for incapacitating an opponent and using their own body weight and mechanics against them so you do not have to rely on your own strength, just good technique and you do not hurt your opponents either.

PS to the Kenpo man, I have met Jeff Speakman a few time is the mid nineties, he saw team usa off to australia in 96 while we were in LA waiting to go there.

I hope that helps.

Answer 2

I know Aikido is the official martial art of the Tokyo police. They train in Yoshinkan style aikido. Yoshinkan is a bit harder than other styles and corresponds to the "old school" of Aikido, which used to be taught at the beginning of Morihei Ueshiba's career, before he got interested in the more spiritual and philosophical aspects of his arts.
The reason Aikido is a good idea for law enforcement officials is that the idea of escalation is incorporated into the art. Techniques are shown which will show a person to neutralize a attacker using the minimal amount of force for a particular attack. So the person defending against physical attacks has a choice of how to respond, depending on the intention of the attacker, which can go from simple deflection to complete (and painful) submission.

Answer 3

Tim Bulot is Police officer in the state of Texas who is a black belt in the Art of American Kenpo under Master Larry Tatum (Pasadena, CA.). Mr.Bulot has done TV show interviews and also marketed a few videos on Kenpo Karate, I for one have all 4 on DVD format and they are very good. I am not sure if you'd find any demos of Tim Bulot's Kenpo on youtube.com but you could check out other Kenpo demos, try a few names like, Larry Tatum, Jeff Speakman, Frank Soto and Ed Parker.

I Have studied 6 different Arts over the years and have been learning & teaching Kenpo for more then 10 years now and, would like to say it is a very well rounded self defense system. Kenpo has truly devastating techniques and I know from my own experiance that it is very effective on the streets.

Check your phone book for locations and also give a call to the Martial Art supply stores in your area, go and watch a few classes, take some notes and see if they have any brochures with Kenpo History, etc.

Answer 4

Most martial arts teach what is termed lethal and non-lethal tactics although lethal tactics are not taught to beginners or intermediate students. Once they have shown the maturity, understanding and proper control they are taught these things, (usually at the advance and black belt levels) and the responsibility of when to use them lies with the individual just as it does with a police officer of when to draw and fire his weapon.

Arnis and Escrima (Philippine martial arts) are very good for baton and PRK as well as wrist and joint lock and disarming techniques. These types of programs are not as common as the others. If that is the case then look for either a karate or Tae-Kwon-Do school where there is a lot of emphasis placed on Aikido, Judo, Ju-Jitsu, Aki Ju-Jitsu or Hapkido along with the punching, striking and kicking aspects.

Answer 5

Any of the 'Aiki' styles of jiu-jitsu would be very suited for law enforcement. Hakko-Ryu Jiu-Jitsu is taught at the Massachusetts State Police Headquarters in Shirley, MA.

But similar to the already existing KOGA SYSTEM in Los Angeles, the police are hampered by procedure. Once they adopt a martial art system for arrest & restraint, the police cannot deviate one little technique from the norm or else it gets thrown out of court.

Answer 6

obviously being in your field you can't risk doing something such as hapkido or aikido do to how long it takes to master it. krav maga is the way to go it is very quick and effective, it is used by the israeli army and is insane. it is very good because it teaches you ground skills, stand up skills, how to take care of a weapon, how to take on numerous attackers, it is also no bullshit, they put you in the worst case scenario and show you how to get out. after a while it will all become secondary reflexes. also all the places that teach krav maga should offer a military/law enforcement discount. then once you feel comfortable with that, then i'd look for a gym that does both kickboxing/muay thai and jiu jitsu if you can't find that then look for a jiu jitsu school becuase someone with a knife is a lot easier to handle on the ground then standing up.

Answer 7

I strongly recommend that you look into Japanese Ju Jutsu and into Krav Maga.

Japanese Ju Jutsu (not Brazilian) focuses on incapacitating an opponent without causing permanent damage, which is why it is called "The gentle technique/approach." Ju Jutsu consists of joint locks, especially wrist locks; controlling holds; sweeps and throws; and all of this is applied with defensive circular motion so you flow around your attacker. Judo has been suggested, but Judo is a competitive martial sport based on Ju Jutsu. Best to go to the actual martial art it derived from.

Krav Maga is a self defense art developed by the Israeli Army. It is one of the superior defense styles out there and very effective as subduing an assailant. You can look for a school that teaches Krav Maga in your area by going to http://www.kravmaga.com .

Answer 8

Over all there are many styles that fit well into the concepts of a police officer or like field. I have had many police officers train with me in mma and bjj but there are many issues with those two systems when it comes to policy and procedure. Not to mention issues with the gear they wear and issues with going to the ground. I would touch on this sorta systems if I were you but I think that Aikido would be far better for you to take up. As well I train Aikido and this style does fit within most standards and practices of a police officer. Kali/Escrima sounds good but the use of "night sticks" are not on the rise much anymore. Tasers are more effective and more practical than a night stick, not to mention mace. I would have to say that Aikido would be choice one. Choice two would be bjj or a mma system. Number three would be Kali.

Answer 9

Have you lost your instructor? Or do you not have a good instructor? You need to take at least one martial art to some degree of skill and understanding before seeking another. Otherwise you will get another cou[le years of BASICS from your new style. And each time you change styles you will get more basics. You are 25 now. After you have trained a single art for 25 years you cluopd then change to another style, and realistically expect some good to come of it. J

Answer 10

I haven't taken Hapkido, but from what I've heard, it can be great for all around self-defense.
Here's what wikipedia has to say about it:
Hapkido (also spelled hap ki do or hapki-do) is a dynamic and somewhat eclectic Korean martial art. In the Korean language, hap means "harmony", "coordinated", or "joining"; ki describes internal energy, spirit, strength, or power; and do means "way" or "art". Thus, hapkido, which shares the same Chinese characters with aikido (合気道), translates literally to "joining-energy-way", but it is most often rendered as "the way of coordinating energy" or "the way of coordinated power."

A historical link to Daito-ryu aikijujutsu is generally acknowledged, though the exact nature of which is clouded by the historical animosity between the Korean and Japanese peoples and the confusion following the end of the Second World War.

Hapkido prides itself on effective self-defense and as such employs joint locks, pressure points, throws, kicks, and other strikes. Hapkido is an authentic Asian martial art of total self-defense; it deals with countering the techniques of other martial arts as well as common "unskilled" attacks.

Although hapkido contains both long range fighting and infighting techniques, the end of most situations is to get near for a close strike, lock, or throw. Hapkido emphasizes circular motion, non-resisting movements, and control of the opponent. Practitioners seek to gain advantage through footwork and body positioning to employ leverage, avoiding the use of strength against strength.

"On the "hard-soft" scale of martial arts, hapkido stands somewhere in the middle, employing "soft" techniques similar to aikido and "hard" techniques reminiscent of taekwondo and tangsoodo. Even the "hard" techniques, though, emphasize circular rather than linear movements."