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Survival / Defensive
Tactics
Hosted by Captain
Chuck Mantkus, NRLO Director of Training
Written by Jon Felperin
-
All photographs depicting defensive tactics are provided
by Jon Felperin -
Survival / Defense
Tactics INDEX
"Preventing an Attack on Your
Life"
Five steps in the "use-of-force"
continuum
First in a series of articles in
"Survival/Defensive Tactics"
by Jon Felperin, M.A.
Police
Trainer, Instructor, Martial Arts Expert, Professional
Educator
About
Instructor Jon Felperin
Attacks on Law
Enforcement Personnel are commonplace. According to FBI
statistics, last year alone (2002), over 58,000 Officers across the
country were assaulted; some were seriously injured. Many
Officers experienced debilitating injuries as a result, and some
even went out on permanent disability or took early
retirement. Of course, some of those attacks could have been
prevented or lessened if Officers had understood the dynanmics
of control, requested sufficient back-up, and properly followed a
"use-of-force" continuum.
In the State of California,
most agencies follow a five step, use-of-force training model.
You must be able to articulate why a greater level of force was
necessary in dealing with a resisting subject under
arrest.
Reasonable force in an arrest
is only that which is necessary to restrain a person and
get him to submit to custody. Courts will use the standard as
judged by a "reasonable Officer," given that Officer's training and
experience.
The person placed under
arrest, in turn, has a legal duty to submit. When he does not,
you have force options available through the continuum. The
five steps in the use-of-force continuum are:
-
command
presence,
-
verbal
commands,
-
controlling
force,
-
injuring force,
and
-
deadly
force.
Command Presence:
Most citizens do
not actively resist the Police. For those who do, studies have
shown that your command presence can do more to diffuse or dissuade
an attack than all of the weaponless defense moves combined!
Essential to this are your appearance and confidence level.
This is why working out regularly and staying in shape are two of
the most important things you can do to enhance your survival.
And not just on the street. Preventing illness and the
negative effects of stress through regular exercise can make you
more alert, patient, and aware - both on and off the job.
Verbal
Commands:
Verbal commands, the
second step on the continuum, can range from simply ordering someone
to "stop" to talking someone into handcuffs. Here,
interpersonal skills play a big part as does your knowledge of
psychology or Verbal Judo. The important point, and one often
reiterated by veteran Officers, is that given enough time, most
people can be talked into jail. Perhaps this is what separates
the neophytes from the more experienced. Or could it be all
those injuries previously mentioned which allow veteran Officers to
take stock and be less in a hurry to effect an arrrest using
force?
Controlling Force:
The third stage, controlling force, is where the use
of physical defensive tactics comes into play. Control holds
and pain compliance are the two most common techniques. Here
the use of a Jujitsu- type hold is often enough to allow you to
restrain and handcuff a potentially combative individual. At
this point, there is no immediate danger of injuring force or
damage. Finger twisting, hair pulling, a gooseneck hold, or
even chemical agents will only cause temporary discomfort.
Should the suspect continue to escalate the resistance, the next
level of force would be required.
Injuring
Force:
Injuring force is closely
associated with the use of baton or impact weapon. However,
any defensive tactic striking move, particularly against any of the
joints (knee or elbow), is likely to cause some physical
damage. When lesser options have no effect or if the subject
has intent to do you great bodily harm, injuring force may be
necessary.
Deadly
Force:
The fifth step, or deadly
force, most often involves the use of firearms. However, in
some jurisdictions (Los Angeles PD, for example), the carotid artery
choke hold is considered part of deadly force options. Any
blow to the head or throat, with or without an impact weapon, could
also be considered deadly force. The mere physical size and
sheer intent of a suspect to do great bodily harm might in some
cases justify the use of deadly force, as would your defense
against multiple assailants when struggling for control of your
firearm.
Summary:
In summary,
reasonable force is only that force which is necessary to carry out
an arrest, prevent escape or overcome resistance. The
use-of-force continuum gives you a framework from which to select
and justify your action. By staying in shape, by always
maintaining good command presence, and by using proper tactics, you
can prevent many assaults before they occur. However, you must
be mentally prepared (and trained) to utilize whatever is at your
disposal to neutralize a threat. Your life and the lives of
others depend on it. Stay safe!
Together with an LAPD
Sergeant, Jon has recently formed a company called The Center for
Law Enforcement Training which is located at The Martial
Arts Institute based in Northridge, CA (9349 Melvin Ave. #7,
Northridge, CA 91324) and is now on-line http://www.ACareerInLawEnforcement.com Email: jfelperin123@earthlink.net ).
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INDEX
*************************************************************************
A Step in the Right
Direction
By Jon
Felperin
"Too
often, sudden attacks leave little time for response.
Therefore, learning to angle out and pivot are your best defense for
clearing the line of the attack."
Recently I read
of an incident that occurred in a Midwest City that caused me to
reflect on the importance of proper stepping in defensive
tactics.
Two Officers were dispatched
to a disturbance call at a local motel. An anonymous caller told
Police that two people were doing drugs and arguing. Loud
crashing noises and screaming were heard in adjacent
rooms.
Upon entering the motel room,
the Officers discovered a female overdose victim and her male
partner, unconscious, apparently from excessive drug use. At
that moment, a noise was heard in the bathroom. After a
cursory check, one of the two Officers approached the door leading
into the bathroom. Suddenly, a man with a knife bolted out
from behind the door and rushed toward the Officer driving a knife
downward toward the Officer's chest. The knife struck the
Officer in his ballistic vest, which prevented the blade from
penetrating the Officer's heart. Nevertheless, the Officer was
badly hurt.
The second Officer responded
by drawing his service weapon and firing one shot, hitting the
suspect. However, the assailant continued moving forward and
knocked the second Officer through the door and out into the parking
lot, where an ugly fight ensued. The first Officer was able to
draw his weapon and finally neutralize the attacker, but not before
both of the Officers sustained life threatening injuries.
Fortunately, no one died in the incident, and both Officers
eventually returned to active duty. 
Had either one or both of the
Officers understood the dynamic of removing their bodies from the
direct line of the attacker, the outcome might have been
different. The obvious way to remove yourself from the line of
an attacker is to side step. However, in the case of a
determined adversary or a disturbed individual with a knife, a
simple side step is often no better than moving backward. An
Officer would need to angle away from the attacker and then use a
slight pivoting movement to wind up to the rear of the person, in
what is generally referred to as the position of
control.
(PHOTOGRAPH ABOVE SHOWS "CONFRONTATION
BEGINS") 
First of all, the movement
must be a forward (not a backward) step and be at a 45-degree
angle. This clears the line of the assault and allows the
Officer to remain in control of the attacking arm. The short
pivot creates enough distance to clear the arc of any counter attack
to the Officer's movement. At this point, the Officer would
either have disengaged, moved back and drawn his/her weapon, or
responded with a powerful empty-handed technique.
(PHOTOGRAPH AT RIGHT SHOWS "STEP OUT TO
CLEAR LINE") 
Unlike in the movies, it is
extremely difficult to strike a moving hand with an impact weapon;
and OC spray is not incapacitating enough to immediately neutralize
a lethal force encounter.
(PHOTOGRAPH
AT LEFT SHOWS "PIVOT
AWAY")
(PHOTOGRAPH AT RIGHT SHOWS "ROTATE AND SEIZE
ELBOW")
The
Tuellner Experiment showed, when in direct line of a knife attack, a
reactionary gap of 21 feet is necessary for an Officer to draw his
or her weapon and fire. And that is when the attack is
perceived and enough response time is available. Too often,
sudden attacks leave little time for response. Therefore,
learning to angle out and pivot are your best defense for clearing
the line of the attack.
It has been shown often enough
that the way you practice is the way you will respond under
pressure. It is, therefore imperative to work on footing and
movement in all directions, while keeping your balance, to respond
quickly and effectively. Drill your footwork advancing and
retreating, moving side-to-side, and pivoting.
Getting these movements into
muscle memory and maintaining them require little time and
effort. They can even be practiced while doing other things,
such as watching TV or standing around in your backyard.
Practice makes perfect, and
that is a step in the right direction. Stay safe!
Together with an LAPD
Sergeant, Jon has recently formed a company called The Center
for Law Enforcement Training which is located
at The Martial Arts Institute based in Northridge, CA
(9349 Melvin Ave. #7, Northridge, CA 91324) and is now on-line
http://www.ACareerInLawEnforcement.com Email:
jfelperin123@earthlink.net ).
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INDEX
***********************************************************************
The Anatomy of an
Armbar
By Jon
Felperin
"A rule of
thumb is that the more pressure you need to exert on an arm, the
less effective the move is likely to be; and the possibility of
damage occurring is quite high. By neutralizing an opponent's
strength and leading him or her to where there is no natural
balance, you will have an easier, and safer time of controlling a
resisting or combative individual."
It is the most
common "defensive tactic" movement shown at Police
Academies. Street-level Officers swear by it.
Supervisors and managers love it because it causes no permanent
injury; and with it, a smaller Officer can control a larger
adversary. What is this technique? It is no other than
the "armbar."
Why is the armbar so
effective? How does it really work? How can we apply it
more efficiently? How can you adjust it when you have a
combative suspect? The answers lie in the anatomy of an
armbar. 
The human arm moves in only certain
directions. When limbs are manipulated against their natural
structure, pain occurs. If you continue to exert pressure in
spite of the warning, the bone will break or the nearest joint
will dislocate.
(AT LEFT, "TAKE
HOLD")
The pain of slight pressure is usually enough to gain
compliance. However, not all subjects have the same tolerance
to pain. Couple this fact with possible drug or alcohol use,
and you could find yourself holding on to the arm of a combative
individual. Even people in an agitated state will have less of
a reaction to pain than the average person. In such a state,
it is not uncommon for the Officer to have to exert even more
pressure to gain full compliance. Structural damage could
easily result.
(ABOVE, "APPLY PRESSURE
HERE")
(ABOVE, "ROLL LEFT
PALM")
(ABOVE, "ARC OVER") 
(AT
LEFT, "OR HERE ON THE RADIAL
NERVE")
However, with a strong knowledge of body mechanics
and physics, it is possible to apply this control hold more
effectively, without injuring a subject, even when he or she is
actively resisting. The secret lies in neutralizing the
nearest muscle groups to the bone or
joint.
(ABOVE, "NEUTRALIZE
SHOULDER")
One reason armbars sometimes
go amiss is that pressure is applied in the wrong place, too
early. The key to an effective application is applying
pressure to the back of the arm, just above the elbow. This is
the area of the radial nerve, which hurts when pressed. From
there, a disruption of the suspect's balance in a forward direction
will negate his or her ability to contract the back and shoulder
muscles. With that accomplished, there is only the
suspect's tricep muscle to oppose your forward momentum and
pressure.
(ABOVE,
"PULL AND
PRESS") 
The final element is to think
of your opponent's body as a coffee table, and his or her limbs, as
the legs of that table. You already know what happens when one
leg falls off a table. The table becomes unstable and leans to
the side without the leg. You want to effect the same movement
against your adversary by pulling on his or her seized arm and
directing it forward in the direction of the arm you are
holding. Once the aggressor is on the ground, he or she should
be restrained and handcuffed.
(ABOVE, "BRING
DOWN") 
(AT
RIGHT, "RESTRAIN AND
CONTROLL")
When applied correctly, the armbar is one of the most
effective techniques in the DT arsenal. Armed with a better
understanding of body mechanics, the Officer is now able to effect a
takedown without injuring the suspect. A rule of thumb is that
the more pressure you need to exert on an arm, the less effective
the move is likely to be; and the possibility of damage occurring is
quite high. By neutralizing an opponent's strength and leading
him or her to where there is no natural balance, you will have an
easier, and safer time of controlling a resisting or combative
individual. Practice hard and stay safe!
Together with an LAPD
Sergeant, Jon has recently formed a company called The Center
for Law Enforcement Training which is located
at The Martial Arts Institute based in Northridge, CA
(9349 Melvin Ave. #7, Northridge, CA 91324) and is now on-line
http://www.ACareerInLawEnforcement.com Email:
jfelperin123@earthlink.net ).
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INDEX
********************************************************************************
About Jon
Felperin - Jon Felperin, M.A., a native of Los Angeles,
California, is a professional educator, Police Trainer, and a former
Instructor at the San Francisco Police Academy. For five years
he was International Business English Instructor at UC Berkely in
conjunction with the Haas Business School. Prior to that
position, he spent a total of six years overseas: three years in
Japan studying Japanese Trade Law at Hokkaido National University
and training in the martial art of Daito Ryu Aiki Jujitsu; and three
years in Ecuador, South America, where he trained military and
National Police and introduced the PR-24 (side handle baton) into
that country.
A high-ranking black belt
with over 30 years of experience, Jon specializes in the
application of Police Defensive Tactics including weapons retention,
disarming, tactical ground fighting, multiple assailant defense,
edged weapons defense, and the use of impact weapons. He
attended the San Francisco Citizen Police Academy and the Fullterton
College Regional Police Academy based in Orange County,
California. This past year (April, 2003), Jon led a group of
five Law Enforcement Trainers to Cancun, Mexico, for a week of
Officer survival training including high-risk felony stops;
crime-in-progress, tactical entry; and riot control.
Most recently, Jon has become
concerned with the difficulties that agencies across the country are
having with recruitment, selection, and retention of new
Officers. Early retirement, rising educational standards, and
declining literacy levels are shrinking the qualified candidate
pool. Only about 3% of all applicants successfully
complete the testing, academy, and field training stages. In
fact, as many as 75 candidates are needed to fill every one
position!
To help combat the problem,
Jon is an active member of the National Partnership for Careers in
Public Safety and Security which fosters the development of high
school career academies specializing in Public Safety, Law
Enforcement, and Security careers. There are over 900
academies of this type in the United States.
Together with an LAPD
Sergeant, Jon has recently formed a company called The
Center for Law Enforcement Training which is
located at The Martial Arts Institute based in
Northridge, CA (9349 Melvin Ave. #7, Northridge, CA 91324) and is
now on-line http://www.ACareerInLawEnforcement.com
Email: jfelperin123@earthlink.net ).
******************
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