Why the Gentle Way?

Police in America are trained with a focus on firearms. Sometimes this has tragic consequences. We can do better. Once graduated from the Academy, our police are often left with few resources for defensive tactics and de-escalation. We want to support our Law enforcement with a broader spectrum of options and capabilities to de-escalate, control, and prevent tragic situations. (For more on this see The Future of Policing in America on YouTube) 

Jiu-jitsu is a Japanese word that means the Gentle art. It is an extremely effective and systematic approach to gently controlling and de-escalating violent and dangerous situations. We want to maximize the opportunity of our Law enforcement to prevent harm and avoid tragedy in our communities. Jiu-jitsu is the most effective tool for this.

What is the Gentle Way?

The Gentle Way is a 501C3 non-profit organization that focuses on training police across the United States in Gracie Survival Tactics(GST) Level I. This rigorous five day course equips officers with the knowledge and skills of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, best practices from across the nation, and the network of Gracie University. Once certified in GST, these officers will return to their units and serve as defensive tactics instructors, teaching innovative and life saving techniques to our police.

On their return to their departments, our expectation is officers train and drill the techniques learned for 1-2 hours weekly with their colleagues as part of their duties. This will provide a baseline of muscle memory and capability for our police. We are also willing to support training specific requirements for jiu-jitsu such as mats. Under duress, we default to what we practice. We must practice other options.

Beyond this, we want our police to use jiu-jitsu as part of community outreach. The efficacy of jiu-jitsu is beyond dispute, and instructors can continue on their journey to teach young people. Jiu-jitsu is a powerful way to bring people together and build mutual trust and respect.

How can I support?

• Advocate. Contact your local Police department and let them know you want our Police trained to a higher standard. Let your local politicians know the same. We are responsible for improving the relationship between our police and our community, and this is a powerful way to build trust.

• Donate. Donate what is comfortable to provide scholarships for our officers to get trained and bring that knowledge back to their departments and communities. Each scholarship of $995 trains an officer to go back to his or her department and teach others, or provides mats to train.

• Outreach. Our police are a community resource. They are public servants and we have a responsibility to them, just as they have a responsibility to us. Instructors who are certified in GST can go on to teach young people through their local police athletic league and police explorers. Jiu-jitsu brings people together.