I’m going to skip the part where I try to convince you to train. If you’re not interested in improving at your job, I hear they need help in the fast food industry. When you come to a Bjj class, I want you to get the most from the experience. Pay attention to these things.
1. Know where you are, learn how to control the position. You’re not just “rolling around on the ground” you’re in a specific position. Each position has a different set of problems and advantages. How can you understand the difference between Broadway and Quindaro without spending time walking around on both? Side Control and Mount are not places you plan to go. You still want to understand the dangers of the position, and be able to calmly and competently get out. Learn how to get out of bad places, and how to control good positions. This is a safe environment to practice these things at full resistance.
2. Make a genuine effort during lessons that don’t seem relevant. You don’t need spider guard for street defense. But, you can learn some facts about human body mechanics that will make you better.
3. Don’t worry about guns, tools, and punches until you are competent without them. I’m happy to study these things with you, but it’s not healthy to fixate on possible death every day. Relax, learn how to enjoy the process. You didn’t learn how to drive while shooting and being shot at, right?
4. Takedowns are a common place to get injured. Spend some time learning how to pass the guard first, especially standing. Unless you have a background in Judo or Wrestling, takedowns will take some time to get comfortable with. If you do have a background with takedowns, you will want to find the most sustainable options for yourself and your training partners. Most wrestlers retire at 18 (often with permanent injury), and we plan to last long term. If you feel like takedowns are urgent for you personally, look up some videos and begin working on breakfalls and standups today.
5. Learn how to handle people without hurting them. Pain compliance is unreliable. Everyone has a different threshold, and drugs and alcohol are a constantly present variable. Furthermore, it sucks to train with a reckless partner. We are here to test things at full resistance, but we have to balance our decisions with sustainability in mind. You need to train at least once a week to maintain any decent skill level, so set a pace that allows you to train consistently. If you feel beat up the day after training, you’re probably going too hard. Leverage, proper weight distribution, superior angle, and many other important concepts will prove to be useful tools. You will understand more when you are handled in class by people of different levels. Pay attention.
6. Be a part of the community. (Don’t exclusively train with other cops.) You want to train with as many different people as possible to understand what changes and what remains constant in certain positions. Of course, this means you will leave an impression. Don’t worry. Nobody expects you to be any good, and we are all here to help each other. After a roll, you can ask about what happened. The constant exchange of technique and information is what keeps us all constantly improving. Everyone at my gym and most other gyms in the country understand what you’re here for, and are glad to train with you. When I was growing up in the 80s, children were taught that police are here to help us. We were told to trust them, and everyone understood that it was a necessary job. Today is a public relations nightmare. Training with regular people is a great way to meet people in the community and demonstrate that you are invested in being good at what you do.
Police Training in Bjj
