When I was young, I witnessed two police officers rescue a family from its drunken patriarch by making a physical arrest. At that moment, I received my sacred calling — deciding I would serve and protect like those officers when I grew up.
As I matured, I realized serving came naturally to me, but it would take an acquisition of skills to protect. In response, my father started me down a training path. Being a former boxer, he insisted on teaching my brothers and I to box.
I remember my father’s message about self-protection, which he demonstrated vividly. He said, “You won’t start fights, but when someone else does, you’ll know how to finish them. Let the other guy throw the first punch — slip it, block it, then counter-punch hard. Hit ’em back first! Most people, after taking a well-focused combination, won’t come back for seconds.”
To supplement this training, I wrestled all four years of high school and then became involved in martial arts, specifically seeking out controlling skills. I pursued these activities not to win championships, letters or colored belts, but to consciously train for my anticipated career in law enforcement, reasoning, “How can I protect anyone else if I can’t protect myself?”
Inadequate defensive tactics training
While studying police science in the 70s, I researched the defensive tactics instruction in police recruit academies and was appalled to discover that it consisted of only a 12-hour block, with little to no follow-up training offered by agencies post-hiring.
I concluded that I would first acquire protection skills on my own. Secondly, I would dedicate myself to finding a way to ensure my fellow officers could access the knowledge and skills they needed not just to survive in this profession, but to thrive in it.
In those days, most martial arts training focused on repetitious movements of basic skills, forms, sparring and traditional martial arts weapons. These drills were valuable, but nothing about them resembled real street scenarios. I felt that, for my skills to be applicable to law enforcement, I needed a connection to the street.
I found this connection in the training of Master Don Cowling, Grandmaster Larry Klahn and Master Ferdinand Roth Jr. They were not only gifted martial artists but also law enforcement officers. I even worked the streets with Roth and Klahn, which allowed us to apply our skills together as partners. We also co-taught officers.
Through these instructors, I was able to develop what I call my “first move capability.”
Cowling’s approach
Cowling’s style, American self protection, would be categorized today as a “mixed martial art.” After first teaching all students to fall expertly, which enabled realistic training, our skills began to take shape.
Every technique taught was a response to a specific assault. The assaults we defended against were realistic, and the trained response was designed not only to counter the assault but also to control the assailant in a defensible manner. We learned step by step, starting slow to focus on form and gradually increasing to street-application speed.
Our training began with us knowing what assault was coming and then progressed to dealing with sudden, unknown assaults. These could include a rear-strangle, a chicken wing, a ground assault, punches, any style of kick, or an attack with a club, knife or pistol. Our training partner would attack, and we would counter and control. Then, we would return the favor and attack our training partner. This training felt like real street encounters.
When I later experienced some of these attacks as an officer, my counter after the suspect’s first move was so seamlessly connected to the assault, thanks to countless training reps, that it seemed as if the suspect’s attack was part of my first move.
Note: Addressing training to react to a suspect’s first move as a resister or attacker does not suggest that an officer, who deems it tactically appropriate, legal and justifiable, cannot make the first contact with a suspect whose actions have warranted arrest.
Grand Master Klahn and Master Roth offer a second street nexus
Klahn and Roth operated a Traditional Tae Kwon Do studio, which also offered Judo and Hapkido. In the studio, students practiced traditional forms — one-step sparring, tournament-style sparring and Judo sparring (Rondori).
Additionally, Roth and Klahn introduced a non-traditional drill called “American one-step sparring,” which became the street nexus for me. In this exercise, students would face each other, and one would alternately punch or kick at the other without warning. The defending student would block, counter, use an avoidance movement, a control technique or any combination of these. Each student chose the most suitable defense and practiced it repeatedly. The training felt realistic, but all techniques stopped short of causing injury.
I incorporated my police techniques into these exercises, significantly increasing my street proficiency.
Application to police training
As a police trainer, I developed exercises to enhance each officer’s first move capability for making physical arrests and handling initial resistance. The officers:
- Applied control holds without backup, first without and then with instructor-guided resistance.
- Applied control holds as a team, first without and then with instructor-guided resistance.
Officers were pre-trained in specific first moves to counter a variety of suspects’ initial resistance.
To prepare officers for sudden assaults, training attackers would:
- Apply a stranglehold from the front and behind.
- Grab their holstered weapon (using a specially designed smooth training weapon to prevent injury).
- Grab their unholstered weapon (using a specially designed smooth training weapon to prevent injury).
- Be riding them while they were on their stomach.
- Be on their back, riding them.
I also trained officers in first move capability during deadly force encounters by using interactive firearms training. In this setting, officers used their duty weapons loaded with duty ammunition, while training realistically to win gunfights. (For a complete description, see “Street Survival Two, Tactics for Deadly Encounters.”)
The feedback I received after each lifesaving first move was done for many, many repetitions from officers who recontacted me to say, “This training saved my life.”
One essential type of first move exercise is designed to train officers in weapon retention, including retaining their baton, TASER, duty weapon and carbine (training weapons should be used for these exercises).
Creating exercises to develop first move responses
To construct your own first move exercises, study real street encounters to prepare for what could happen. Here are examples of first move responses to consider.
Note: The trained response should be carefully selected to ensure that every first move option you prepare is not only effective but also defensible, safeguarding both the physical and legal survival of your officers.
By properly developing your first move capability in response to specific street-like resistance or assaults, you may discover, as I did, that if you have prepared well, the suspect’s first move will become your first move!
