We’re starting off our new review series with the Jiu Jitsu Five-O Instructional: Control & Defend. This police Jiu Jitsu instructional is designed for law enforcement officers and especially cops on patrol.
Whether you’re a LEO, a security guard, or just a person who likes to know that their BJJ will work on the streets, check out our review of Jiu Jitsu Five-O Control & Defend and see if this instructional is worth your time.
For those of you who just want the short answer: Yes! This
What does the Control & Defend instructional cover?
The Control & Defend instructional is a guide to BJJ for cops, which goes through different situations an officer might encounter on the way to controlling a suspect. Control & Defend was created by Jason Swartz, an Alliance BJJ black belt and retired police officer of eleven years.
Jason created the Control & Defend instructional based off of his Jiu Jitsu Five-O fight philosophy, which is:
- Take Your Opponent To The Ground
- Establish A Dominant Position
- Control Them & Then Handcuff Them
All in this order as Swartz says – police Jiu Jitsu needs to be systematic. He breaks his system down into two sections, which as the name of the instructional may have foreshadowed, includes: control and defense.
This instructional was created both for self defense instructors at police departments to teach cops proper self defense as well as for cops looking to improve their grappling skills. Regrettably, these skills are often neglected in police training throughout the nation, resulting in unnecessary force escalation and putting officers at risk.
Affiliate Disclaimer
Jiu Jitsu Five O provided us with access to their instructional in exchange for an open and honest review of their product. Additionally, we participate in their affiliate program and receive a portion of each sale which utilizes our affiliate links.
That said, we do believe this is a high quality instructional which is a worthwhile addition to any officer’s training.
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Instructional Overview
Intro
In the introduction, Jason Swartz goes through what all of the videos in the instructional cover and why he’s demonstrating these techniques.
There is also a legal disclaimer after the intro video. It’s just a legal waiver so that Jiu Jitsu Five-O can’t be held liable for any on the job injuries – all risks are your own!
Fundamental Movements
The first section of the Jiu Jitsu Five-O Control & Defend instructional is on fundamental movements for police Jiu Jitsu. It consists of a twelve minute video going over fundamental movements that beginner students learn in their first few classes.
- Breakfalls
- Side Breakfalls
- Hip Escapes
- Technical Stand Ups
Takedowns when facing a suspect
The section section in this BJJ for cops instructional is takedowns when facing a suspect. This section consists of four different technique videos.
- Single Leg (4 minutes)
- Double Leg (2 minutes)
- Osoto Gari (2 minutes)
- Simple Foot Sweep (1 minute)
Swartz takes you through all of the important details of these simple techniques. Everything from the level change, penetration steps, grips, and finishes.
Takedowns from the side clinch
The second section is BJJ for cops techniques that involve takedowns from the side clinch. He goes over the best takedowns from a side body lock, both with the suspect’s arm trapped and without.
- Clinch Basics (3 minutes)
- Body Fold (1 minute)
- Leg Hook (2 minutes)
- Inside Leg Trip (2 minutes)
- Shoulder Lock (2 minutes)
- Shoulder Lock w/ Head Push (1 minute)
In total, this section on side clinch takedowns is around twelve minutes of effective side clinch takedowns. This is important for every white belt to know and especially important in Jiu Jitsu for police.
Takedowns from the rear clinch
Takedowns from the rear clinch are a must for any police Jiu Jitsu instructional. Police officers must know how to control a suspect’s back, get them to the ground, and establish control over them.
- Arm Drag Setup (2 minutes)
- Chin Strap (2 minutes)
- Hip Drag (2 minutes)
- Step & Turn (1 minute)
- Knee Tap (2 minutes)
- Blast Double (2 minutes)
This section consists of six different technique videos that are around a total twelve minutes in time. All of these techniques are crucial to know for a police officer to get a suspect to their stomach.
Takedowns from the escort position
The escort position is the position, where a police officer grabs hold of a suspect to apprehend them. In some cases, the suspect will fight them and this is where the officer must know takedown variations.
- Armbar (2 minutes)
- Single Leg (1 minute)
- Americana (1 minute)
This is a fairly short section that consists of three videos around four minutes in total. Despite its brevity, these are valuable techniques and Schwartz manages to include lots of good details.
Establishing a dominant position
Knowing how to establish a dominant position is crucial regardless of whether you’re concerned about Jiu Jitsu for police service or for IBJJF competitions. Without knowing how to control someone from these positions, you’ll never have full control.
- Leg Drag (2 minutes)
- Toreando Pass (1 minute)
- Leg Pin (1 minute)
- Knee on Belly (3 minutes)
- Side Control (5 minutes)
- Mount (4 minutes)
- Technical Mount (3 minutes)
- Back Mount (4 minutes)
This section is one of the longer ones in this Jiu Jitsu for police instructional. There’s a total of 8 technique videos at around twenty four minutes. This section is a great primer on top control positions, where Jason shows you how to properly hold dominant positions on the ground.
Keeping a suspect flat from hands and knees
Once a suspect is on their stomach, they will commonly come back up to the turtle position to try and get up. For this reason, Jason added this section in his Jiu Jitsu for cops instructional for how to keep a suspect down – so if you thought attacking the turtle was purely sport BJJ then you should think again!
- Brabo Setup (3 minutes)
- Arm Chop (3 minutes)
- Ankle & Wrist Trap (2 minutes)
- Bulldozer (2 minutes)
- Spiral Ride (2 minutes)
- Single Leg (1 minute)
There are six technique videos in this section that are around thirteen minutes total. All must know techniques for any police officer working on the street.
Rolling a suspect onto their stomach
Rolling a suspect onto their stomach is generally easier said than done. In this section, Jason shows us the three main techniques a police officer should use to roll a suspect over
- Arm Drag (1 minute)
- Arm Lever (2 minutes)
- Gift Wrap (1 minute)
It’s a short section that is less than five minutes long between three videos, but they’re solid, must know techniques.
Arm extractions
When you see police fighting a suspect on the ground, it’s usually because the suspect is hiding their hands. This section is for police officers to learn how to isolate a suspect’s hands so they can handcuff them – while staying safe from potentially concealed weapons.
- Head Drag (3 minutes)
- Step & Drag (3 minutes)
- Shoulder Pin (1 minute)
- Leg Triangle (3 minutes)
Kimura cuffing
Kimura control is one of the strongest controls you can have and great to know for police Jiu Jitsu. Jason takes you through all of the basic kimura setups that you’d learn if you were a normal beginner student. He also provides one extra just for police officers where they can use their vest.
- Kimura Basics (5 minutes)
- Arm Trap From Knee on Belly (4 minutes)
- Kimura From Side Control (3 minutes)
- Wrist Trap From Knee on Belly (2 minutes)
- Setup Using Your Vest (2 minutes)
- Volume One Recap (1 minute)
In total, this section contains five videos at a total of sixteen minutes, plus a one minute recap video.
Breaking grips
Breaking grips isn’t just for the competition scene – cops need to know how to break grips too! This section just consists of a three minute video going over basic grips break an officer can use on the street.
Defending wild punches
A routine call can quickly turn into a fight if a suspect decides to get violent and attack an officer. Just like white belts learn basic wild punch defense so should any police officer working on the street.
This is another short section of a four minute video covering the basics of punch defenses, including basic cover and clinches to keep a suspect from hitting you.
Headlock defense
The biggest section of this Jiu Jitsu for police instructional covers basic headlock defense. If you’ve already practiced Jiu Jitsu for an extended period of time, then you probably know these headlock defenses – although some schools which only cover sport BJJ may have glossed over these fundamental techniques.
- Standing Headlock Defense (2 minutes)
- High Headlock Escape(2 minutes)
- Roll Under (1 minute)
- Rear Escape Option 1 (2 minutes)
- Rear Escape Option 2 (1 minute)
- Grounded Headlock Defense: Basic Escape (3 minutes)
- Grounded Headlock Defense:Leg Hook (1 minute)
- Grounded Headlock Defense:Bridge & Roll (2 minutes)
- Grounded Headlock Defense:RNC Escape (2 minutes)
Bear hug defense
Of course, no self defense instructional would not be complete without a short section on bear hug defense. Cops are probably the people most likely to face someone that will lock on a bear hug, so this section is important.
- Front Bear Hug w/ Arms Out (1 minute)
- Front Bear Hug Arms In Option 1 (1 minute)
- Front Bear Hug Arms In Option 2 (1 minute)
- Rear Bear Hug:Breaking Grips (1 minute)
- Rear Bear Hug Arms In Defense (1 minute)
Mount escapes
Just like in a beginners Jiu Jitsu class, Jason goes over basic mount escapes for police officers. These escapes are essential for police officers to know and be able to use, because they can’t risk being stuck in mount. It could very well cost them their life if they don’t know how to escape the mount.
- Mount Escape Concepts (2 minutes)
- Escape w/ Suspect Punching (2 minutes)
- Escape w/ Suspect Choking (3 minutes)
Side control escapes
Just like with the mount escapes, side-control escapes are another must know for police officers. This is just like a basic class going over key details of side-control escapes that is about six minutes long.
- Side Control Escape Concepts (2 minutes)
- Basic Hip Escape (2 minutes)
- Stiff Arm Escape (2 minutes)
Sweeps from your back
Sometimes, a police officer might find themselves on their back with a suspect standing over them. Even a sure footed LEO might get blindsided by a sucker punch or trip on an unseen curb.
Once on the ground they must act quickly before the suspect jumps on them and these six sweeps are great to know.
- Simple Sweep vs Standing Suspect (2 minutes)
- Scissor Sweep vs Standing Suspect (2 minutes)
- Knee Shield Sweep (2 minutes)
- Spider Guard Sweep (2 minutes)
- Pendulum Sweep (3 minutes)
- Back Take From Closed Guard (2 minutes)
At around thirteen minutes long, these six technique videos are the perfect foundation for learning how to sweep a standing suspect.
Weapon retention
A violent suspect may try to go for a police officer’s weapons and it’s crucial to know these defenses. Before a police officer is allowed to patrol the street, they really should know the five techniques detailed in this section.
- Safety Considerations (2 minutes)
- Armbar From Standing (3 minutes)
- Push Pull From Standing (2 minutes)
- Kimura From Your Back (2 minutes)
- Leg Break From Your Back (3 minutes)
Content like this really separates this instructional from run of the mill BJJ content. Police officers need to learn specific skills which simply don’t have direct analogs in sport or even self-defense Jiu Jitsu.
Putting it all together
To wrap everything up, Jason goes into a simple drill showing some of the techniques he showed in the course. He stresses that you should come up with your own variations of each of the techniques presented and constantly drill them.
Content review
Instructional quality
Jason Swartz is very precise in the instructions he gives in each video. He goes over each important detail and explains why you must remember them. All of the techniques he demonstrates are proven effective Jiu Jitsu for cops.
Video quality
The video quality is top notch as Jiu Jitsu Five-O filmed this video in HD. You can see all of the details of the techniques clearly without having to squint to see anything.
Sound Quality
Jiu Jitsu Five-O took the time to make their videos in a training room with good acoustics. They filmed in a closed space, where the sound doesn’t echo or get mumbled like in many older BJJ instructional videos.
Who is Jiu Jitsu Five-O Control & Defend for?
Jiu Jitsu Five-O’s Control & Defend instructional was designed to teach police Jiu Jitsu. Ideally it serves as a guide for self defense instructors from police departments to teach their officers proper self defense.
While Control & Defend was created primarily to teach police Jiu Jitsu, security guards, bouncers, and people concerned about self defense can learn a lot from this instructional. Jason Swartz goes over a lot of key details about proper self defense that many Jiu Jitsu schools gloss over.
Is Jiu Jitsu Five-O’s Control & Defend worth the price?
At the time of publishing the instructional costs $150, and honestly represents a good value. You are getting an entire curriculum of techniques, containing over 80 different videos, for the price of one month of training.
Our verdict on Jiu Jitsu Five-O’s Control & Defend Instructional
Jiu Jitsu Five-O’s Control & Defend Instructional gets the Jiu Jitsu Legacy seal of approval. This is a quality self defense instructional designed to teach BJJ for cops.
This type of self defense instructional course is something that has been lacking in police departments for decades. The techniques taught in Control & Defend should be the standard taught in police departments throughout the US and the world.
If police officers knew the Jiu Jitsu techniques taught in this course, they would be better prepared for their job. There is ample evidence to show that when police officers know how to grapple they are safer when on duty and are less likely to resort to using their service weapon.
Thank you to Jason Swartz and the Jiu Jitsu Five-O team for giving us access to review their Control & Defend Instructional. This is a great self defense instructional no matter if you’re a police officer or a regular person concerned about your personal safety.
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