How Police Training Got It Wrong: The Failure of Wrist Locks & Armbar Takedowns

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00:05 – Intro
01:44 – Citizens arrest a man – what methods do they use?
02:21 – What are wrist locks and armbar takedowns?
03:36 – How do they differ from other methods?
04:10 – Arm drags are not equivalent to armbar takedowns
04:28 – Performance in combat sports
04:44 – So why do police train this way?
06:08 – Why do we teach police this way if it doesn’t work?
07:17 – Fighting is impossible to understand without doing it.
08:14 – Discussing examples
09:41 – Safety concerns
11:43 – Do wrist locks and armbar takedowns have any use at all? 12:41 – What should we teach instead?

Baseball bat disarm in road rage incident

Bludgeoning weapons like baseball bats are lethal, but it’s quite possible to nullify that force by closing the distance. They need some room to swing and get the full effect.

Might seem counter-intuitive, but it’s better to move in than back away and stay in the range they need.

Bystanders: the critical aspect of self defense and policing we don’t talk enough about

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Bystanders, brawls, and the court of public opinion

The narrative surrounding an event can often be as influential as the event itself. Public opinion and the perceptions of bystanders can significantly shape the narrative, even if they do not have full context or understanding of the situation.

This is particularly true for police, who in recent years have seen worsening results in the public discourse.

The “court of public opinion” is now increasingly magnified, where social media and online platforms can amplify and distort narratives. Our actions, especially in public situations, can have far-reaching consequences beyond the immediate confrontation; despite millions of interactions where nothing noteworthy happens, a single bad police interaction can even lead to protests and unrest in other countries.

My message here is ultimately simple – give some consideration to how you might appear to bystanders in any given situation. Facts are subservient to emotion.