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Old 01-15-2008, 08:37 PM   #23
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Re: Is Aikido effective for police?

Is Aikido effective for police?

Yes.

Moreover, Aikido training, which is not necessarily the same thing as "Aikido," is even more effective for police. What do I mean?

Well, in a conversation like this, the idea that all one needs is the "perfectly adapted" art is hogwash. I realize folks are not saying this, but it is nevertheless implied in the question.

In other words, if you want to be an effective law enforcement officer, train to be one. I mean, to be effective, folks have to put in the time - they have to dedicate themselves to mastering the craft. The notion of learning something fast and easily is such crap, and this, besides the painfully embarrassing fact that most cops do not train regularly in any of the perishable skills, is what ails law enforcement to no end. This is my opinion as a California Certified Arrest and Control Instructor.

I don't care what you call it but as far as arrest and control/defensive tactis is concerned a person only need two things:

1. An art form/practice that includes all of the basic tactics (joint locking, striking, ground-fighting, weapon usage, etc.) but that has them operate under a strategy capable of addressing agency use of force policies (e.g. Head-butting someone in the face, or repeatedly kneeing someone in the groin, or repeatedly elbowing someone in the spine, etc., when they pull their hand out of your grip during cuffing, OR taking someone to the ground so you can put them in a closed guard while on a city street during business hours, etc., is not in line with this kind of thinking.).

2. An art form/practice that expects and demands prolonged and continuous exposure and exploration, such that such exposure and exploration hones the overall law enforcement officer according to traditional warrior virtues (e.g. integrity, courage, honesty, etc.).

Again, I don't care what you call it after you are able to fulfill the first element - just fulfill it. And then, after you fulfill the first element, make sure one's butt is capable of fulfilling the second element. Because if one cannot, again, it doesn't matter what you call the first element, since everyone else, including the criminal, is going to call it crap. (Note: the second element is the hard one to fulfill, which is why I think someone should be asking first, "How can I get my ass to train continuously and consistently over the length of my career?" before they ask, "What art is best for police work?")

This reminds me of an event that happened in one of my ARCON classes. I don't know, I guess I was not in the mood for the dabblers. So, I'm teaching, and this one officer asks me a what-if question, even before he learned the embryonic technique he needed to learn so that he could qualify, and my answer was this: "What if? Well, if a guy does that on you, you are going to get your ass kick, because you never train. Me? I'd do this (did it), and the guy would placed in cuffs without incident." Just another version of Ikeda's "my Aikido works" statement - sure comes in handy. :-)

d

David M. Valadez
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