# any help with style would be great



## bradtash (Dec 22, 2008)

hey everyone,

i am about to apply to the police and will be accepted in 6 months (once i am fit enough to join).

anyway i was doing Hapkido, but due to travel expenses i could not afford to drive that far (over 1 hour 3 times a week).
my wife and I will be both doing the style that we choose.

our options that we can choose between are jujitsu, judo, shotokan karate or boxing. these are all within 20 minutes drive to us. is there any that stand out of these as being a "smart option" considering my career choice.

we were thinking maybe a mix of either jujitsu OR judo AND boxing. boxing for not only myself but for my wife who will have to stay at home alone. and judo or jujitsu for myself so that i can restrain someone without "fighting them".

any help or ideas would be great thanks,
brad.


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## seasoned (Dec 22, 2008)

bradtash said:


> hey everyone,
> 
> i am about to apply to the police and will be accepted in 6 months (once i am fit enough to join).
> 
> ...


 
Punching can be learned a lot easier then the others you have mentioned. So I would start with boxing. As time progresses perhaps a grappling art. You will have a lot of issued weapons also at your disposal.


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## jarrod (Dec 22, 2008)

i would do judo & boxing for 6-12 months, then do judo & jujitsu, depending on the style of jujitsu it is.  we have several cops who train at our judo/jujitsu club, & they have all been happy with how it has served them in their careers. 

as a side not, i actually don't recommend boxing as a primary self-defense style for a woman.  not that women can't become proficient boxers, but there is a reason that boxing weight classes go in 6 pound incriments.  

jf


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## CDKJudoka (Dec 22, 2008)

Judo/jujustu is your best best. Just don't try an RNC on anyone after you were taught it, unless you are in a tourney.


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## Nebuchadnezzar (Dec 22, 2008)

bradtash said:


> hey everyone,
> 
> i am about to apply to the police and will be accepted in 6 months (once i am fit enough to join).
> 
> ...


 
Jujutsu. "Nuff Said


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## nitflegal (Jan 3, 2009)

I asked my friend, a SWAT cop up in NH and martial artist, what his advice would be.  He said that, all things being equal, go with the jujutsu as you'll need the grappling, especially as there are a lot of restrictions about what you can do within the regs along the escalation pathway.  However, his most basic advice was go to whichever has the better teacher.  Great art plus poor teacher equals complete waste of your time.

Matt


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## jks9199 (Jan 3, 2009)

bradtash said:


> hey everyone,
> 
> i am about to apply to the police and will be accepted in 6 months (once i am fit enough to join).
> 
> ...


Sorry not to respond sooner.

Very simply, anything will help you.  You'll get enough in the academy to hopefully keep you alive -- but there's just so much that they must fit into an academy anymore that they can't spend as much time as would be preferred on Defensive Tactics.  PLAN to supplement that training.

There is no perfect police martial art; each has strengths and weaknesses.  Look at the training environment more than the style.  If it's heavily sport oriented (even MMA), it may not be a really good choice, because the instructor won't address the real needs you'll have.  Just as one example, many Tae Kwon Do schools are great activities -- but they aren't teaching what you'll need on the street; they're all about the family and the kiddie programs.  Note that there *are* TKD schools that would be great!  (On that note -- while it's great your wife wants to train, what may be right and best for her may not be ideal for you.)

If you've never really been hit before, especially since you've only got a few months until the academy, boxing might be a good starting point, if it's an actual boxing program, and not just boxing aerobics.  It wouldn't hurt you to get pounded a bit and learn to function through being rocked...

There have been several threads about this in the Law Enforcement forum under Self Defense; I encourage you to check them out.


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## arnisador (Jan 3, 2009)

Boxing will surely be a component of what you're taught so getting some practice in won't hurt. Jujutsu and Judo are great for LEOs!


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## terryl965 (Jan 3, 2009)

Combat Hapkido with all he wrist grabs and joint locks could do nothing but help you as well.


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## Aefibird (Feb 11, 2009)

Try out all the schools and see which you AND your wife like best. There's pros and cons of each art, so choose the one that feels right for you and has a great teacher, rather than selecting something you think you ought to take because you're gonna join the police. Whichever style or styles you choose it will be of benefit to you, so go with the one that feels 'right'.


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## Bill Mattocks (Feb 11, 2009)

bradtash said:


> hey everyone,
> 
> i am about to apply to the police and will be accepted in 6 months (once i am fit enough to join).



Based on that statement, have you considered aerobic training in lieu of martial arts?  I don't know what kind of environment you'll be working in, but in many major metropolitan areas, people you would like to stop have a distressing tendency to run away instead, and many of them are relatively fast.  Playing catch-up with a nightstick is no longer considered as appropriate as it once was, so physical endurance and agility are really good traits to have.  It will also make any academy training you go through much more enjoyable if you are not falling out on runs and failing PT tests, etc.  Academy is stressful enough, you don't want to get 3/4 of the way through and then wash out because you failed a PT test.

As well, MA training in many styles involves an understanding that you'll get mushed up some.  You don't want to have a broken toe or set of jammed fingers or worse when you're doing your interviews or PT tests in academy training.

Personally, I would put MA training on the back burner for awhile and concentrate on overall fitness.  Just the opinion of a newbie to MA and a (long time ago) LEO.


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## Nebuchadnezzar (Feb 11, 2009)

Bill Mattocks said:


> Based on that statement, have you considered aerobic training in lieu of martial arts? I don't know what kind of environment you'll be working in, but in many major metropolitan areas, people you would like to stop have a distressing tendency to run away instead, and many of them are relatively fast. Playing catch-up with a nightstick is no longer considered as appropriate as it once was, so physical endurance and agility are really good traits to have. It will also make any academy training you go through much more enjoyable if you are not falling out on runs and failing PT tests, etc. Academy is stressful enough, you don't want to get 3/4 of the way through and then wash out because you failed a PT test.
> 
> As well, MA training in many styles involves an understanding that you'll get mushed up some. You don't want to have a broken toe or set of jammed fingers or worse when you're doing your interviews or PT tests in academy training.
> 
> Personally, I would put MA training on the back burner for awhile and concentrate on overall fitness. Just the opinion of a newbie to MA and a (long time ago) LEO.


 
I would think that aerobic activity would be part of martial arts training (at least in my own experience).


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## Bill Mattocks (Feb 11, 2009)

Nebuchadnezzar said:


> I would think that aerobic activity would be part of martial arts training (at least in my own experience).



Most definitely it is for me too!

But consider this - I spend a certain amount of time trying to master the crescent step.  Is this useful for a police officer to know?  It is time that could be better spend jumping rope or doing situps, IMHO, if fitness is key (and I think it might be, given the O/P's initial statement).

I was also thinking back to the academy. Remembering that every department has standards regarding use of force, and they want you to do it their way - which will be taught in academy training, and tested, too.  I'm not sure showing up as a belt-holder in a given discipline is going to be all that great news to administrative types who have to deal with things like liability insurance for the city/county/state/etc.

Six months in a given discipline is going to give you, what, a basic 'license to be dangerous' in many arts?  Green belt or so?  While six months of straight-ahead strength, flexibility, and endurance training should put even the most pudgy into some kind of physical condition.

I've been training in MA since September, about 4 1/2 months now.  I'm still quite out of shape, but I am improving.  I don't expect to be in shape by the end of six months.  But in 13 weeks of USMC boot camp, I was in the best shape of my life.  Granted I can't do what I did when I was 17, but I'll bet if I stretched it out to six months, I could be in something resembling that kind of shape again, minus whatever time has penalized my body for eating cheeseburgers and neglecting my health.

I guess if I were serious about being in law enforcement again and had to meet weight standards and PT standards, I'd get myself to a gym and start the hardcore aerobics training.


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## Nolerama (Feb 11, 2009)

Have you looked into your local police academy's gym for police-oriented MAs? Lots of academies have traditional martial artists in-house that gear their style to what works on the street. If they don't have the time for you, they can at least point you in the right direction.


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## myusername (Feb 11, 2009)

I think that Bill has given some sound advice there but if you are still set on starting a martial art alongside the extra fitness/conditioning you are going to have to do then style wise I'd personally recommend jujutsu. Especially if you are looking for something to compliment your control and restraint training. I am not a police officer but I did have to do some C&R training for when I worked on psychiatric wards and since doing jujutsu I have found that a lot of the techniques that I was taught were obviously derived from jujutsu.

However, it is worth considering that you can have the greatest martial art in the world but if the instructor is poor and the training is unchallenging and lacks pressure testing then there wont be much benefit to you. So go with the school that has the best instructor and training. If they are all good I personally would lean towards the jujutsu for what you are requiring.


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## JBrainard (Feb 12, 2009)

bradtash said:


> we were thinking maybe a mix of either jujitsu OR judo AND boxing. boxing for not only myself but for my wife who will have to stay at home alone. and judo or jujitsu for myself so that i can restrain someone without "fighting them".


 
I think that you are on the right track. Jujitsu and boxing will be a good combination for your wife if she's interested in getting in shape and self defense. Jujitsu, with it's holdings and takedowns, will be good for you considering that you are going to be an LEO. You could both do without the Judo, but it certainly wouldn't hurt.
The best choice for you, if it is available in your area, would be an FMA that incorporates "Jujisu style" hand to hand combat _and_ stick arts (for good use of a police batton) such as Modern Arnis or Kombatan. But then again I'm biased. 
Good luck.


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## Nebuchadnezzar (Feb 12, 2009)

JBrainard said:


> I think that you are on the right track. Jujitsu and boxing will be a good combination for your wife if she's interested in getting in shape and self defense. Jujitsu, with it's holdings and takedowns, will be good for you considering that you are going to be an LEO. You could both do without the Judo, but it certainly wouldn't hurt.
> The best choice for you, if it is available in your area, would be an FMA that incorporates "Jujisu style" hand to hand combat _and_ stick arts (for good use of a police batton) such as Modern Arnis or Kombatan. But then again I'm biased.
> Good luck.


 
Arnis techniques with a police batton? Holy excessive force Batman! Do you know what those things are made of? Not just wood!  He'll get plenty of batton training at the academy.


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## firerex (Feb 12, 2009)

I would personally go with jiu jitsu because i have some cops that i work with that are telling about fight stories or when they go to the ground and have to call for back up


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## JBrainard (Feb 13, 2009)

Nebuchadnezzar said:


> Arnis techniques with a police batton? Holy excessive force Batman! Do you know what those things are made of? Not just wood! He'll get plenty of batton training at the academy.


 
There is a lot more to the Arnis baston than striking. If you take a closer look at modern FMA's, Kombatan for example, you will find techniques designed specifically for use by police. Locks, takedowns...


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## Touch Of Death (Feb 13, 2009)

DarkPhoenix said:


> Judo/jujustu is your best best. Just don't try an RNC on anyone after you were taught it, unless you are in a tourney.


Exactly, Boxing is a sport, that teaches habbits condusive to the ring; so, for overall abilty to defend yourself I would consider Judo or Aikido, then you might dabble in boxing.
sean


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## bowser666 (Feb 13, 2009)

I would suggest something that has chin na ( joint locking) , good hand techniques, blocks etc,   Wing Chun, or a Southern Style Kung Fu perhaps. Going to ground in teh street is a last resort IMO that will only work if it is a 1 on 1 situation. If you are dealing with a group unless you are superman, you will not haev time to submit a person. So you will need something with good defense training.


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## bradtash (Mar 31, 2009)

ok so,

since i started this topic i have moved from where i was.
to start the fitness side of things i have really got into Muay Thai, i am training 3 nights a week and am practicing every night the techniques that i have learnt.

i am just about to start JuJitsu in 2 weeks and am doing it 2 times a week (only offered 2 times a week). 
should i cut back the Muay Thai? i love it, but at the end of the day i am going to be a police officer and dont really want use excessive force or anything like that. 

another school offered near me here is Zen Do Kai, i have heard mixed opinions on this, can anyone elaborate?

thanks,
brad.


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## Bruno@MT (Mar 31, 2009)

Be careful that you don't get a burn-out.
Training 5 or 6 times per week is great, and I did it myself when I was in college. But make an inventory of the priorities in your life and make sure that you can spend some time on all things that are important to you and your family.

This will be different for everybody, but if you have a family, you are going to have to spend time with them. If you have a job, you might need additional courses / lessons / schooling for that. Do you have other obligations, a house that you are renovating, etc...
So determine the maximum number of trainings you can comfortably go to per week, and take it from there.

I had the burn out happen to me in college. I trained 5 times per week, was assistant teacher for 2 youth classes on saturday, I was studying hard for my final exams of my masters degree in electronics, and I was doing a time consuming internship in an engineering company.
I burned out on MA and dropped my >3 years of jiu-jitsu and concentrated on my education / future job. If I had just paced myself before that, I probably wouldn't have dropped out then, and I would have been much farther ahead, 10 years down the line.

I now have a wife and kids, and a house that still needs renovation.
So I decided up front that I was not going to attend MA class more than 2 times per week, and not in the weekends.
That way I have enough time left for the things that really matter to me and I can still enjoy MA.
MA is like a marathon, not a sprint.

Just my 2ct. Whatever you decide, enjoy it.


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## KenpoMaster805 (Jul 23, 2022)

American kenpo karate will be good for you


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## Monkey Turned Wolf (Jul 25, 2022)

KenpoMaster805 said:


> American kenpo karate will be good for you


Just as a heads up, your last two posts recommending styles to people were both from people who were looking for over a decade. Not likely that they're still looking-they either found something or gave up, and if they are, their life circumstances almost definitely have changed. 
In this particular case, the OP responded, in this same thread 2 posts above yours, that he has already decided on styles. 

Also, in this case, just fyi, he listed the styles near him, which he could do, and American Kenpo Karate was not one of them.

I know you've said in the past you only read titles, but this is a good example of why it's important to read more than that.


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