TRAINING
Staying safe in real life
DANNY SCHULMANN
No one needs to know martial arts more than a law enforcement officer.
My name is Danny Schulmann. People know me better as“ Tiger,” the founder of Tiger Schulmann’ s Martial Arts. I have been a student and martial arts instructor for more than 40 years, and I’ ve trained every day since I was 10 years old.
Many of my students, training partners and friends are law enforcement officers, and my personal relationships and experiences with them have been invaluable. What I have come to learn is that no one needs to know martial arts more than a law enforcement officer.
Since the benefits of martial arts training are well known, including self-defense, physical conditioning, confidence, self-discipline and stress relief, among others, I will stick with the top two adult benefits and why they can have a major impact on an officer’ s job performance and safety – although, I fully believe that law enforcement officers will appreciate all the benefits, especially stress relief!
Self-defense
While civilians only need to worry about their own self-defense, a law enforcement officer’ s job is to defend themselves and the public, simultaneously. To further complicate the situation, members of the public can use virtually any method of self-defense available while facing little to no scrutiny, including escaping if possible; whereas, every action an officer takes will be highly scrutinized, and officers are expected to see each incident through to a safe conclusion for everyone, even the assailant. Civilians can attempt to avoid danger by walking on the other side of the street, while an officer is expected to cross the street and confront it. This distinction requires a high level of martial arts training on the part of the officer.
Compare this need to the reality that, while the majority of police officer training focuses on weapons, the majority of real-world use-of-force situations involve hand-to-hand combat – the skills officers are trained for the least.
Physical conditioning
Most people look to physical conditioning for the health benefits, and to look and feel better about themselves. Compare this to law enforcement officers, whose very safety, along with the safety of the public they protect, may depend on their level of physical conditioning. Just as a police vehicle is designed to maximize protection and performance in a variety of situations, an officer’ s own body must do the same for them when they are out of their vehicle.
In order to outlast and outperform the threats they face, officers need a specially designed physical conditioning program that will enhance their hand-to-hand combat skills and endurance. While many officers choose the gym, where they perform many of the same exercises an average person would, they would be much better served by obtaining their physical conditioning through a martial arts / conditioning program designed to enhance their job performance.
Staying safe
Law enforcement officers are heroes and deserve to stay safe. I’ ve always believed those who risk their lives in the service of others deserve our appreciation, respect and support. The negative publicity and hurtful anti-police rhetoric make me sick. With new political pressure, there are even more rules that put officers at risk. Even headlocks have been banned. Unbelievable, but true.
So how do officers protect themselves and keep the public safe with ridiculous restrictions and scrutiny? There is no simple answer. Every situation is different. But what we do know is that it is much more likely an officer will be in a hands-on, use-of-force situation and can be ready for it. Martial arts training not only will get all practitioners in the best shape of their lives, it will give law enforcement officers the tools needed to help them on the job and keep everyone, especially themselves, safer. d
Danny " Tiger " Schulmann is a world champion martial artist and the founder and president of the Tiger Schulmann ' s Martial Arts Organization.
78 NEW JERSEY COPS ■ DECEMBER 2016