Law Enforcement Classes - Billings

SK Martial Arts offers POST Certified Defensive Tactics Training for Law Enforcement Officers and Military either in group setting or private settings.

THE US ARMY GOES GRACIE

After the UFC took the world by storm in 1993, people all over the world realized that Gracie Jiu-Jitsu was the only system that would give someone a realistic chance against a larger, more athletic opponent. The US Army was among the first to recognize the effectiveness of our self-defense system. In 1994, they contacted Rorion Gracie and asked him to develop an intensive course based on the most effective techniques of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, which would give soldiers maximum hand-to-hand combat effectiveness, in the least amount of time, with the least amount of injuries. The result was Gracie Combatives. Since the inception of the Gracie Combatives course, we have taught the techniques to special operations forces including US Army Special Forces, US Army Rangers, and US Navy SEALs, the CIA, and conventional units in the US Army, US Navy, US Air Force, US Marine Corps, and US Coast Guard. In January 2002, the US Army officially adopted Gracie Jiu-Jitsu as the foundation for its Modern Army Combatives Program (MACP) with the publication of a manual based primarily on the original program designed by Rorion Gracie.

Concurrently, members of the law enforcement community asked Rorion to develop a program that police officers could use that was non-violent and court-defensible. The result was G.R.A.P.L.E. (Gracie Resisting Attack Procedures for Law Enforcement), a specialized defensive tactics program that has since been adopted by virtually every federal law enforcement agency, including the FBI, US Secret Service, and US Border Patrol, along with countless state, county and local law enforcement agencies.

GST – THE ULTIMATE SOLUTION

Today, assaults against law enforcement officers and excessive force allegations are at an all-time high. Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks it is also common for military personnel to be assigned humanitarian missions, which often consist of performing police duties in foreign countries. In order to accommodate the needs of our clients during these changing times and blurred lines of the battlefield, we have merged the highly-effective, easy-to-learn techniques of the original Gracie Combatives military course with the court-defensible G.R.A.P.L.E. course to form Gracie Survival Tactics (GST), the ultimate combatives/defensive tactics solution for any military or law enforcement organization.

THE GST TRUTHS

1. The bad guy always has the ambush advantage.

In a real fight, there is no referee to start or to stop the fight when you are getting assaulted, and there are no weight classes, time limits, or rules to save you either. Only the bad guy knows when and how he will attack. Any time you are close enough to conduct a pat-down, or to exchange documents, you are close enough to be ambushed. In the GST program, we teach simple and effective sudden assault defense strategies that enable you to neutralize the threat and achieve a position of advantage while minimizing injury to yourself and the bad guy.

2. Never grapple with the bad guy by choice.

If you enter into a "grappling match" with the bad guy, you put yourself in great danger since the bad guy could take your weapons and use them against you. If, however, the fight goes to the ground against your will, you must know what to do. In the GST program, we teach time-tested escape techniques that can be used to get you off the ground and back to your feet so that you can establish distance and utilize the appropriate force option to neutralize the threat. GST also features a series of leverage-based weapon retention principles you can apply in any grappling scenario to keep your weapons secure until you have the opportunity to disengage from the ground fight. Our philosophy is simple: "Learn how to fight on the ground, so you don’t have to."

3. In a street fight, there is no "tap-out."

In MMA and sportive jiu-jitsu matches, the tap-out works immediately; in a fight for your life against someone who wants to injure or kill you, a tap-out will not save you. For military and law enforcement professionals, we understand that victory isn’t achieved until you neutralize the threat and apprehend the bad guy. In the GST program we have devised a series of simple, yet reliable, handcuffing procedures you can use from virtually every position in the fight, and the techniques are applicable to both solo and partner arrest scenarios.

WHAT SETS GST APART FROM THE REST?

With dozens of new defensive tactics courses popping up every year, it’s hard to differentiate between one course and the next. Aside from the fact that the program has been developed and refined over nearly two decades, here are some of the key factors that set GST apart from the rest.

Universal Applicability

The techniques in the GST program are designed to be effective for any military or law enforcement professional regardless of age, gender, size, or athletic ability (we recommend a minimum level of fitness). While most other defensive tactics programs rely on the strength, speed, and coordination of the user, all the techniques in the GST program are based entirely on leverage, timing, and efficient use of energy so that they can be successfully applied by anyone against a larger, stronger subject in the field.

Reduced Liability

One allegation of excessive force can undermine a Law Enforcement organization’s authority and jeopardize its relationship with the community it serves. All the techniques in the GST course are specifically designed to be maximally effective, while at the same time minimally injurious to the subject on whom they are being applied. Nearly all of the organizations that have adopted the GST program have reported a significant decrease in the number of excessive force allegations.

Tactical Gear Tested

There are many martial arts techniques that are perfectly applicable and highly effective when wearing normal street clothes, but are totally useless when applied by someone who is wearing restrictive body armor or a bulky duty belt. Before any technique is added to the GST program, it is thoroughly tested to make sure that it can be applied in the restrictive tactical gear. In fact, in the online GST course, we included full tactical gear demos so that you can see how effectively all techniques can be applied, regardless of the body armor and duty belt restrictions!

A "Living" Curriculum

Gracie Survival Tactics (GST) is a living curriculum that is constantly evolving to meet the needs of those whose lives depend on it. Since 1993, our techniques have been taught to hundreds of thousands of Military and Law enforcement professionals by GST certified instructors. Over the years, we’ve received hundreds of reports from professionals who have used the techniques in the field. With their feedback, we’ve been able to modify, adapt, and, on some occasions, add new techniques to the GST program, so that it continues to serve as the most cutting-edge, yet user-friendly, combatives/defensive tactics program in the world today.

The 4-hour GST Training Module

Although the exact amount of combatives/defensive tactics training time varies from one organization to the next, from what we’ve gathered over the years, most Law Enforcement agencies provide somewhere between 4 and 8 hours of defensive tactics training to their in-service officers each year. In the Level 1 GST Instructor Certification Course, not only are the course participants certified to teach all GST techniques, but they are given precise instruction on how to administer a condensed training course for their colleagues in 4-, 8-, or 12-hour training blocks.

Dealing With Educated "Bad Guys"

MMA is the fastest growing sport in the world, and the general public’s knowledge on basic fighting strategies and techniques is at an all-time high. Consequently, there is a very real risk that a military or law enforcement professional will encounter a bad guy with some form of mixed martial arts training. Fortunately, the GST program is specifically designed to give any military or law enforcement professional – regardless of age, gender, or athletic ability – the skills to: 1) Neutralize the immediate threat from an aggressive subject, 2) Retain control of their weapons during the fight, and 3) Achieve a position of advantage so they can utilize the appropriate force option.

Remember, while you are reading this, your enemy is training.

SK Martial Arts / Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Billings is a Law Enforcement / Military friendly training facility. The Gracie Combatives is an excellent solution for Law Enforcement Officers looking to enhance their Defensive Tactics skills. SK Martial Arts also offers private Defensive Tactics courses certified by Montana POST. GST is taught only by Certified GST Instructors - these Instructors teach only to their respective agency.