Officers who don’t like joint locks say:

• they are mostly ineffective.

• they only work on the training mat.

• they don’t work when the suspect resists intensely.

• they rely too much on fine motor control.

• you have to be too close to the suspect.

While there are shades of truth to these under certain circumstances, there are solutions. Here are my quick responses; we examine the issues as we proceed.

• Joint locks are mostly ineffective

Aikido is a martial art that is mildly controversial among other fighters who practice what they deem to be more hardcore fighting systems. When someone proclaimed to the salty old aikido master that his art was ineffective, the old one responded, “Aikido is effective; but yours isn’t.” Police joint locks and leverage control holds are highly effective, but they require practice and intelligent application, i.e., a good understanding of how, when, why and where to use them. I recall an Arkansas trooper telling me in his slow drawl, “Yuh wouldn’t do one of them thar fancy wrist locks on a big ol’ country boy comin’ at yuh with a whirlin’ chain saw.” This is true. Wisdom helps your success rate.

• They only work on the training mat

Most often, techniques work better on the mat because conditions are more sanitary, controlled, and there is more cooperation from your training partner than what you get on the street. Sometimes this is just the way it is because the agency, concerned about injury, forbids all-out resistance. I once allowed a recruit class to practice without restraint. Two days later, I had to stop after the DA’s office complained about clocks and diplomas falling when students in the adjoining training room smashed into the wall we shared. Additionally, a student suffered permanent facial scarring, another suffered a severe knee injury from a baton strike, and an ambulance carried off another recruit. Today there are full-body padding, partial body padding, soft batons, and other protective equipment that allows hardcore training to be more effective and safe. Check police and martial arts equipment outlets to see what all is available.

• They don’t work when the suspect is resisting intensely

Yes they do, but you must know how and when to apply them. When the environment isn’t conducive to drawing your weapon, and moving in for a joint lock isn’t wise, you need to “soften” the suspect first with a kick, a chair across his head or, as I did once, drape him with a mattress. Then you apply a control hold. Or, when your hold starts out fine but you meet great resistance half way into it, you either have to switch to a leverage move or soften him with a blow.

• They rely too much on fine motor control

Actually, the beauty of these moves is that they don’t. They are no more fine motor than drawing your weapon or pulling your baton. In fact, they require less fine motor skill than performing functions on your car computer or radio.

• You have to be close to the suspect

Well, you got me there. Probably what this officer meant was that you have to move across the gap between you and the suspect. Doing so is indeed dangerous but it’s all about timing, positioning and distraction. We cover these issues as we look at the techniques taught in Defensive Tactics.

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