By Stephen Hauck
Disclaimer: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has undeniably proven to be one of the most valuable tools for law enforcement, offering significant benefits that extend into many qualities essential for great officers. However, it’s important to recognize that BJJ is just one of many skills required to excel in this profession, all of which require a time commitment to keep up. Competing priorities should not create an environment where BJJ is unreasonably taking time away from other vital training. While its advantages can enhance an officer’s overall effectiveness, BJJ alone is not nearly sufficient to achieve the level of expertise and versatility needed for a successful career in law enforcement. The intent of this article is not to compare BJJ to other martial arts but rather compare the trained BJJ officer against the officer who is untrained in any form.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) has become increasingly recognized as a valuable tool in addressing modern policing challenges, particularly in light of society’s growing focus on the use of force and demand for reform. Its effectiveness in helping law enforcement officers maintain control, ensure custody and promote de-escalation has been widely discussed. However, beyond these tactical advantages lies a wealth of hidden benefits that are equally — if not more — important for officers.
1. Universal respect and ego control
Experienced BJJ practitioners recognize that while physical attributes like size, weight and athleticism play a role, they are not the ultimate determinants of control. At some point during your BJJ career, you will be defeated by somebody who is significantly smaller than you.
This realization fundamentally alters how individuals approach risk and conflict. It instills a deep understanding that every person — regardless of their appearance — could possess significant skill or training. This awareness naturally fosters respect for everyone an officer encounters, emphasizing the importance of treating every interaction with humility and caution. While respect should already be a foundational value for all officers, this mindset shift enhances it, resulting in a more composed, effective professional.
Many officers possess type A personalities, which can sometimes devolve into unhealthy egos. Training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu offers a unique counterbalance. Most BJJ gyms cultivate an environment rooted in respect, empathy and mindfulness. As officers develop practical skills for controlling others, they also undergo personal growth, fostering humility and self-awareness — qualities that enhance not only their performance on the job but also their overall character and professional demeanor.
2. Increased skill under pressure
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu demands critical thinking under the immediate threat of a joint lock or chokehold, honing the ability to stay composed and make sound decisions under extreme pressure. This constant practice of operating effectively in high-stress situations directly translates to real-world scenarios, such as foot pursuits, felony traffic stops and active shooter events.
BJJ serves as a form of stress inoculation, helping officers maintain control over their body and mind during intense incidents. Without this type of training, officers are more likely to default to brute strength, mindless yelling or reactive punching and kicking — responses that can escalate situations rather than resolving them. Regular BJJ practice is transformative in mastering the ability to think clearly and act deliberately under pressure.
In their book, “Street Survival II: Tactics for Deadly Force Encounters,” authors Jim Glennon and Dan Marcou and Charles Remsberg explain the dangers of not training BJJ: “At the other end of the spectrum under high-stress, instead of simply fighting to survive the moment, some people experience what Calibre Press refers to as hyperfight. Instead of fighting to survive, officers may harshly overreact and behave outside of community expectations and even legal conventions. When in hyperfight mode, officers may shoot without legal justification, punch, kick and strike excessively, use a barrage of foul profanities and issue orders that are inappropriate and patently illegal.” [1]
3. Expediting experience
Traditionally, stress inoculation occurs over years of service and is based largely on experience from the job and department-led training. BJJ can be particularly useful for young officers to expedite this process.
Frequent training in an activity that provides both physiological and psychological stress increases a person’s ability to process information during critical incidents. [2] The police force is becoming increasingly young, and getting more net training hours in by using off-duty time is crucial. Most professionals do not train on their days off, and this includes police officers. The benefits are further magnified when considering that young officers training in BJJ are not only investing in a high-value skill set, but also accumulating significantly more training hours compared to those who do not train on their days off. Combining consistent off-duty training with high-quality, purposeful practice provides an ideal way to solve the innate problem of inexperience.
4. Control of mental well-being
An officer’s perceived ability to cope with a particular problem will allow them to avoid a fight-or-flight response and ultimately avoid unnecessary adrenaline dumps.
“It is widely understood that the body can automatically prepare us to respond to threats. Not just actual threats, but those that are perceived or merely expected,” writes police use-of-force expert Von Kliem. “Ideally, when this process is engaged, the nervous system is activated, and we benefit from heightened senses, faster decision-making, improved mental function and increased strength. But when this acute stress response is ‘maladaptive’ or prolonged, our health can suffer over the long term. And in the short term, under extreme stress – attention, perception, decision-making and even physical performance can be severely impaired.” [3]
Success for policing at its core involves control plus custody, both of which require close contact with suspects. In short, in law enforcement we must touch, search and put handcuffs on people. A lack of confidence in controlling somebody can trigger a sense of panic, however small, that hinders the ability to think critically. A large study in 2015 showed the potential and alarming effects of repeated stressful events, noting officers’ stress exposure over both short- and long-term intervals, need to resolve stressful situations and the documented negative consequences of stress exposure. [4]
Training and experience have a direct impact on how officers respond to the same stressful event. We often learn this reality by comparing how rookies and veteran officers respond to the same incident. It is also assumed that the experienced officer also has more training than the less experienced officer. A strong perceived ability to cope with combative persons through BJJ training will reduce unnecessary adrenaline dumps and promote better long-term health.
5. Additional capacity to observe officer safety concerns
Regular BJJ training frees up mental capacity for critical decision-making during high-stress situations by ingraining movements and techniques into reflexive muscle memory. This becomes especially vital when you consider more than half of all shootings that kill law enforcement officers occur within a distance of 10 feet. [5]
The process mirrors learning to drive: Initially, we consciously focus on tasks like gauging pressure on the gas and brake pedals. Over time, these actions become automatic, allowing us to direct attention to more complex tasks, such as monitoring the radio, scanning for potential threats, or operating emergency lights.
Similarly, in a confrontation with a resistive subject, the ability to control them instinctively enables an officer to focus on critical cues — such as whether the person is reaching for a weapon or if someone else is approaching from behind. For the untrained person, controlling another person is reactive — you must recognize a behavior, recall your training and take the proper action. However, for a trained person, these actions are reflexive — just like using the brake and gas. It is this way of thinking that frees up the brain to process other data about resources needed, what to say on the radio and better threat assessment. This heightened situational awareness, facilitated by BJJ training, is invaluable in maintaining safety and control during volatile encounters.
6. Command presence and reduced use of force
Confidence, command presence and competence are essential components of effective de-escalation, and an officer trained in BJJ naturally embodies these traits. When an officer lacks confidence in their abilities, it often manifests through subtle cues such as microgestures, proxemics and body language — signals that can be easily detected and potentially exploited by suspects.
Regular BJJ training instills a sense of assuredness that is difficult to replicate. This confidence becomes evident in how an officer speaks, positions themselves and goes hands-on during regular arrests. Such clear displays of skill and composure reinforce command presence, projecting authority and control that can often de-escalate situations. By exuding these qualities, an officer not only gains the upper hand in encounters but also fosters safer and more cooperative interactions.
7. Prioritization of threats
In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, practitioners continually assess and prioritize the shifting dynamics of a grappling match, deciding which threats or opportunities demand immediate attention. This mirrors the decision-making process required during critical incidents, routine calls for service and active shooter situations. Upon arriving at a scene, officers often face numerous urgent tasks. Addressing these in the wrong order can lead to catastrophic outcomes. Training in BJJ equips officers with the ability and practice to simultaneously evaluate and prioritize multiple threats, a skill that translates seamlessly into the field. By mastering this art of strategic decision-making, officers gain confidence and clarity, enabling them to handle complex situations effectively and achieve safer outcomes.
8. Fighting as a skill
In law enforcement, the term “fight” is often used ambiguously, but its principles extend beyond hand-to-hand combat. Whether the fight involves a gun, an edged weapon, vehicles or blunt objects, the fundamentals remain consistent. BJJ sharpens instincts essential for planning, attacking, defending, retreating, leveraging resources and optimizing positioning.
Moreover, BJJ routinely pushes practitioners beyond their perceived physical and mental limits, reinforcing their confidence to endure and overcome challenges. While these principles are introduced during police academy training, they can fade over years without consistent practice. BJJ fosters the resilience and mental fortitude needed to sharpen this fighting spirit.
9. Survival isn’t just physical
A law enforcement officer faces three daily battles: surviving physical threats, surviving personal lawsuits and surviving public scrutiny. While the first is as old as the profession itself, the latter two are modern challenges that can derail careers and reputations. Excessive-force lawsuits often result in significant payouts and terminations. BJJ provides officers with an alternative to strikes, such as using body weight and positioning, which can reduce injuries and compensatory damages. As Sun Tzu wrote, “Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.” [6]
Traditionally, forceful encounters have been unpleasant for the public to witness, but they don’t have to be. BJJ techniques minimize the potential for viral videos that provoke community outrage. In today’s social media-driven world, even justified actions can lead to doxxing, harassment and threats. By establishing operational competency in BJJ, officers reduce the risk of forceful encounters spiraling into PR disasters that threaten their personal lives.
10. Preparedness
“It felt like I was sparring at the gym, just with somebody that didn’t know what they were doing,” is how one BJJ-trained officer described handling a combative suspect. This statement emphasizes the realism of BJJ training. Simunitions are the gold standard of firearm training because they mimic gunfights as closely as possible while maintaining safety. Similarly, BJJ provides a platform for nearly full-speed practice without the inherent dangers of other martial arts, such as repetitive strikes to the head and body. While no training can fully replicate a street fight, BJJ’s emphasis on live, dynamic sparring ensures officers are as prepared as possible for physical confrontations. By consistently engaging in safe high-intensity training, officers develop a level of preparedness that allows them to face combative encounters with confidence, skill and composure.
Let’s train based on reality
Leadership expert Gordon Graham’s famous counsel, “If it is predictable, it is preventable,” serves as invaluable advice for the profession. When deciding which techniques to prioritize in training, we should make the most of the resources available to us — particularly body-worn camera (BWC) footage. However, sifting through videos on entertainment platforms like YouTube or news websites can be both time-consuming and inefficient, which led me to build a new website, thebwclibrary.com. The site is transforming how law enforcement professionals access and utilize body-worn camera footage, offering more than 100 categories tailored for focused training.
For example, if you want to make the training topic escaping bottom mount, you can easily navigate to the “Grappling” category and select the “Bottom” subcategory. Other topics within the grappling section include gun takeaways, officer striking, suspect striking and TASER takeaways. Leveraging real-world footage from past incidents provides a baseline of reality that enhances the validity, credibility and preparedness of any training program.
References
1. Glennon J, Marcou D, Remsberg C. Street Survival II: Tactics for Deadly Force Encounters. Calibre Press; 2018.
2. Honig A, Lewinski WJ. A survey of the research on human factors related to lethal force encounters: Implications for law enforcement training, tactics, and testimony. Force Science Institute. Published 2008.
3. Kliem V. New study tracks officers’ response to stress during calls for service. Force Science Institute. Published 2019.
4. Bertilsson J, Niehorster DC, Fredriksson PJ, et al. Stress levels escalate when repeatedly performing tasks involving threats. Front Psychol. 2019;10:2197.
5. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Law enforcement officers killed & assaulted 2017: Table 32.
6. Sun Tzu. The Art of War. Dover Publications.
About the author
Stephen Hauck has eight years’ experience in various assignments, including police officer, police corporal, force instructor, rangemaster, terrorism liaison officer, SWAT officer and field training officer. Stephen has trained in BJJ for six years and is currently a Purple Belt, a Gracie survival tactics instructor and certified instructor at Gracie University. Stephen embraces innovation in the industry and is founder of website Thebwclibrary.com.
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