Judo Blog: Al Arsenault’s New Police Judo Book

Both Nanka and USA Judo have focused on developing Police Judo Programs. To this end The new martial art of Police Judo covers the critical gap between talking and tasering arrestees; the difference between holding and controlling uncooperative, resistant, and violent individuals is profound. Certainly following the George Floyd incident and the world wide COVID-19 Pandemic, the need to train police officers in non-violent sub-doing de-escalation methods have never been more prevalent needed.

Comprehensive Joint-Locking Techniques for Law Enforcement offers ethically sound, and sometimes unique, control and arrest techniques and tactics for police officers, sheriffs, jail guards, loss prevention officers, and anyone who needs to effectively control those held in custody without resorting to injurious and optically unappealing striking techniques.

I’ve known Al Arsenault the book’s author is former Vancouver police officer and a founder of Police Judo in 2010 which specializes in teaching police combatives. Al a judo stalwart is a good friend of mine and Hayward Nishioka.

According to Al, with Police Judo we have effectively transferred a level training from the dojo and onto the street. After all. no one deserves to be needlessly or roughly manhandled by police, especially the drugged, drunk, enraged or mentally ill who are more often lighting themselves. The more dispassionate an officer can be when applying force, the better the outcome at all levels.

That said, police are not paid to be punching bags or sacrificial lambs. Using force is clearly required at critical moments both lethal and non-lethal. There has never been a greater need for accountability in police use of force, which is often captured on video.

The goal of Police Judo is to train our students on how to safely take into custody those who have little regard for themselves or the officers. As with any difficult job you can get it done in a more efficient and professional manner if you have the right fools. We credit our well-stocked tactical tool box for having maximal effect while using minimal effort and destructiveness to affect our purpose.

No officer is beyond the touch of evil but if one follows good tactics, has great technique and slays focused, the job can be a relatively low-risk profession (at least in Canada, where there is far less gun play!).

Al’s book in now available on Amazon for $59.95 as well as other on line book distributors.

The Nanka Calendar is pleased to announce its Fall Hands-On Police Judo Workshop October 27 & 28 2022, at Santa Clarita Valley Judo, 27737 Bouquet Canyon Rd., Santa Clarita CA 91350. For more information contact Robert Draper, rddraperiu1990@gmail.com

Updates: Kekoa Collective

Ken Teshima was featured in my last week’s Blog has a martial artist son Clifton who founded the Kekoa Foundation and the Kekoa Collective.

Their company is focused on 3 passions: Surf, Travel, and Jiu Jitsu. The mission is to help build mindful living communities across the globe and use business as an agent of doing good as the world is becoming more divisive.

At Kekoa Collective, our people and our values are our foundation for success. Not only do we aim to build a culture where all of our employees feel accepted, valued, empowered, with a sense of belonging, but we want every person who walks through our doors to experience that same vibe. The members of our company share an authentic bond connected by common goals, deep rooted passion, and similar lifestyles, which include the study of Jiu Jitsu and melding its disciplines into our everyday lives.

We are anti hierarchy. We believe in togetherness, vulnerability, transparency, and creating change for a better tomorrow. For us, it’s about having fun working collectively while serving our community. Within our company, we appreciate and acknowledge feelings through active listening, open communication, and support. We value sincere connection and bringing our local community together, whether it’s for a cause, a chance to support a local business or creative, or just an opportunity to share our experiences and talk story with one another.

One way we aim to put those values into practice is by offering an open mat space at our community store, available to anyone from any gym at any training level looking for a place to train, free of charge.

We believe, to live a fulfilling life, one must have a calm and peaceful mind. Moreover, one must also be in service of the community where we live and play. We find Jiu Jitsu offers exactly this mindful way of life. At the end of 2021, we launched The Kekoa Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) with a mission to unite cross culture, social, and economic status in our community. We do this by spreading Jiu Jitsu to our youth. We offer them a safe space where they can feel a sense of belonging. We aim to help develop their self-esteem and self-awareness; in return, they become a productive, happy, and kind member of our society.

We will continuously strive to foster an environment that inspires individuals of all ages to do their best work. Exceeding expectations or going above and beyond for each other is what we do. Join us in our community store or in our online community as we use business as an agent of change for the betterment of humanity. We believe in dreaming big and in our collective power, we’re stronger together by spreading the message of Aloha!

Goltz Judo Tiny Tot’s Class Photo 6-28-22

Each summer I teach judo at the local Chabad’s day camp

Calendar of Upcoming Events

July – 2022

17th Sunday – Level 2 Coaching Clinic by Gary Goltz – Altoona, PA (contact Jan Finkbeiner)17th Sunday – California State Games Judo Event, San Diego, CA21st Thursday to 24th Sunday – Grassroots Judo Summer Nationals, Ft. Lauderdale, FL28th Thursday to 31st Sunday – U.S. Open, Ft. Lauderdale, FL

September – 2022

3rd to 5th Saturday to Monday – Nanka Shorai Camp with Darcel Yandzi, Baldwin Park, CA11th Sunday – 1st Annual North American Judo Championships, Wayne NJ 17th Saturday – Becerra Judo Challenge, Plano, TX

October – 2022

27th Thursday & 28th Friday – Nanka’s Hand-On Police Judo Workshop, Santa Clarita, CA

December – 2022

2nd Friday to 4th Sunday – Grassroots Judo Winter Nationals & Clinics, Azusa. CA

I’m always looking for new subjects to write about regarding judo as well as contributions from my readers. Please send them to gary@garygoltz.com, thanks.

Judo blog, Judoka, Judo

Black Belt Magazine