Why the police need Jiu-Jitsu
The debate over police brutality and the role of law enforcement has flared up again in the United States. The death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020 rocked a nation that was already on edge from unaddressed systemic racism and police brutality, as well as the Coronavirus lockdown. George Floyd was an African American man who died at the hands of Derek Chauvin, a police officer, who knelt on his neck for nearly eight minutes while he was handcuffed face down in the street. This episode of police brutality sparked protests and riots throughout the country, leading both sides of the political spectrum to condemn the officers involved.
George Floyd’s name is near the end of a long list of African Americans who were killed by the police over the years. This list includes Eric Garner, Michael Brown, John Crawford, Freddie Gray, Breonna Taylor and Rayshard Brooks, among many others.
Many solutions have been proposed to solve the issue of police brutality. Jiu-Jitsu training is rarely one of them. However, when Andrew Yang was running for President, he suggested that all police officers be purple belts in Jiu-Jitsu. Andrew Yang practices Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with his son.
The suggestion was met with a mixture of enthusiasm, skepticism, and jokes. Some people thought it was a brilliant idea. Others said it was his stupidest idea yet.
The idea that law enforcement train in martial arts is not new. Law enforcement in the United States integrated elements of martial arts into their training decades ago. Today, nearly all developed countries train their law enforcement and military in hand-to-hand combat. The United States Marine Corps even has an official martial arts system called MCMAP, which stands for the Marine Corp Martial Arts Program.
What exactly is Jiu-Jitsu?
Jiu-Jitsu is a method of unarmed combat that originated in Japan. This martial art is known for its submission techniques, as opposed to the punches and kicks in other martial art systems.
The roots of Jiu-Jitsu go back thousands of years. The techniques that are familiar to us today were formalized by the samurai. In the West, the styles of Jiu-Jitsu practiced by the samurai are sometimes referred to as Samurai Jiu-Jitsu, distinguishing them from the more modern Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu systems.
Samurai Jiu-Jitsu later evolved into Judo, which has become an Olympic sport. Judo was developed by Jigoro Kano in the late 19th century. Kano was a respected educator and Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. He believed in the virtues of physical education and adapted the less lethal movements of Samurai Jiu-Jitsu into a sport. Today, Judo is practiced around the world by children, mixed martial artists, and Olympic athletes.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu evolved from Judo and exploded into popularity when Royce Gracie won the first Ultimate Fighting Championship. Royce defeated bigger, stronger, and more violent opponents using his family's fighting system called Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. Royce shattered myths about fighting by defeating his opponents from his back using a technique called the “guard.” Most of Royce’s defeated opponents left the cage relatively unhurt because of his use of submissions rather than strikes.
A short history of Jiu-Jitsu in policing and politics:
In feudal Japan, Jiu-Jitsu was the preferred method for lower-ranking samurai to arrest criminals without injuring them. The social politics of feudal Japan were complex. It was the duty of the samurai to maintain the social order, and the pressure to do this was high. Infringing on another samurai’s honor could result in a brutal death for either warrior. If a low-ranking samurai were ordered to arrest someone of a higher social status it was dishonorable to use conventional weapons. Therefore, his only option was Jiu-Jitsu.
Jiu-Jitsu was introduced to the West in the late 19th century. The end of the old feudal system left the samurai jobless and without purpose. This period was dramatized in Tom Cruise’s movie “The Last Samurai.” During this period of radical change, the newly-formed Japanese government was on the rise. Many former samurai became officials in the Imperial government. During Imperial Japan’s expansion, Jiu-Jitsu became a tool for demonstrating the “strength” of the Japanese people. Displays of strength often took the form of challenge matches in foreign countries. A Japanese martial artist would take on a local tough, who was usually bigger and stronger, in a public match. They would shock the crowd by using techniques never seen outside of Japan to submit their opponent.
One American official fell in love with Jiu-Jitsu. President Theodore Roosevelt was by today's definition a mixed martial artist. He was an avid boxer, wrestler, Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and lover of contact sports. President Roosevelt would regularly train and arrange matches at the White House. His teacher was Yamashita Yoshitsugu, a direct student of Jigoro Kano. As the story goes, President Roosevelt used Jiu-Jitsu to lose 20 pounds for an election.
Around the same time, Judo expert Mitsuyo Maeda was travelling throughout the West fighting in challenge matches. Maeda took on wrestlers, boxers, Savate fighters and other martial artists during this period. He ended up in Brazil, where he trained Carlos Gracie and his brothers, including Helio Gracie, the founder of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. Because of Maeda’s connection to the Gracies he is considered the founder of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
A solution to police brutality:
It is a bold statement to say Jiu-Jitsu can end police brutality, but I am going to make an argument for it. Thousands of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners know that Jiu-Jitsu will dramatically change one’s mind and body for the better.
Training in Jiu-Jitsu activates the body's pharmaceutical factory, making the practitioner calmer, happier, more compassionate and alert.
Jiu-Jitsu is a primal activity. From the very beginning, students are asked to perform movements they might not have done since they were a child. Jiu-Jitsu literally reinforces a childlike state of mind. Students will crawl, roll, fall, be thrown to the ground, twist themselves into odd positions, and grapple with another human being. This activity releases the “happiness” hormone, serotonin.
Jiu-Jitsu can combat a systemic problem in which police officers feel little connection to the community. Jiu-Jitsu requires close physical contact with people. Physical contact releases the hormone oxytocin. Oxytocin is the body’s “empathy” hormone and is critical in the formation of social bonds. By flooding the body with oxytocin, police officers cannot help but feel a greater sense of connection to the people they serve.
Jiu-Jitsu gives police officers an alternative social outlet. The police are a tight-knit community. In the current culture, police officers only identify with other police officers. Having “blue” as only their only team can foster a “us vs. them” mentality.
There is no room for racism on a Jiu-Jitsu mat. Jiu-Jitsu is an international sport, and it is common for schools to display flags from different nations. Jiu-Jitsu also attracts people from different races, religions, sexes, and sexual orientations. The unifying bond is Jiu-Jitsu, and when you are training you are expected to train with everyone. People who display intolerance are usually driven out by the group.
Jiu-Jitsu will solve a problem in police work, which is officers not being able to fight. This lack of ability leads to use of force issues, because when an officer gets in over their head with a suspect their only option is to escalate the use of force.
Jiu-Jitsu enhances the officer’s ability to cope with physiological changes that occur during stressful situations. In addition to Oxycontin, Jiu-Jitsu releases stress hormones. An intense training session will release adrenaline and cortisol. By learning to stay calm under pressure, officers can better control their fight-or-flight response.
This might seem counter-intuitive, but Jiu-Jitsu provides an alternative to the “warrior-culture” of modern police. The warrior-culture emphasizes that police are in constant danger. It has led to the militarization of law enforcement and officers being taught that they are soldiers at war with the community. The poster boy of warrior-culture is retired Lieutenant Colonel, Dave Grossman. Grossman was an Army Ranger who went on to be a psychology professor at West Point. He has written books on the psychology of killing in combat. This is a field of study he dubbed “killology” which he has taught to law enforcement for over 20 years. A fundamental principle in killology is that communities are divided into three groups: sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs.
Sheep are the peaceful members of society. However, they live in denial that bad people exist. In Grossman’s world, sheep hate police officers because their existence reminds them that the world is dangerous.
Wolves are the criminals who prey on the sheep. Wolves have a capacity for violence and are willing to use it against the innocent.
Sheepdogs are the people who love humanity but have a “gift” for aggression like wolves. Sheepdogs are the heroes who become police officers and professional soldiers.
Warrior-culture teaches the “sheepdogs” to be afraid of their community and to survive they need to be willing to kill whoever they perceive to be a wolf. This kill order doesn’t discern between good people caught in a bad situation, miscommunication, age, or mental health issues. Police are simply told that their lives matter more than the person in front of them and to issue a death sentence whenever they are afraid.
Jiu-Jitsu has its own unique culture and can provide a balance between the two ways of life. Jiu-Jitsu culture is positive and focuses on community. Jiu-Jitsu practitioners are healthy, confident, and love life. Being afraid is not part of this lifestyle.
Obviously, martial arts training is not in and of itself a solution to the issues with systemic racism and police violence that pervade the United States. But the current system is massively harmful, and I believe that Jiu-Jitsu can be one piece of a systemic overhaul that centers on community and unity instead of supremacy and power.