Coral Springs Police Implement Jiu-Jitsu in Training
By: Captain Ryan Gallagher
Professor Nei Seda of Alliance Jiu-jitsu (center) poses with his Coral Springs Police Officer Students at his Alliance Jiu-jitsu training center.
The City of Coral Springs Police Department (CSPD) is committed to providing the highest level of law enforcement service to the community. This includes using advanced training techniques, as well as researching new and innovative ways to ensure the safety of officers and the public. The department recently partnered with a world-renowned Professor of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, Nei Seda, of Alliance Jiu Jitsu located in Coral Springs.
Professor Seda, who is originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, started training in the art of Judo at the age of 6. At 14, Professor Seda was introduced to the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), earning a black belt in 1998. Seda came to the United States in 2007 where he continued to train, as well as instruct students. Seda is currently a 5th degree Jiu-jitsu black belt, a black belt in Judo and world-renowned referee in the sport who travels the world at the request of competition event coordinators.
In 2018, Professor Seda opened his own Jiu-jitsu academy in the City of Coral Springs, welcoming Coral Springs Police Officers Augusto Carvalho and Timothy Coker as students. Carvalho had already been a long-time student of the martial art, training at multiple locations. Officer Coker, who was newer to the art of Jiu-jitsu, quickly realized the benefit of training with Professor Seda, and quickly became an advocate for the school, sharing its benefits with other law enforcement professionals.
When asked about the benefits to police officers training in the art of Jiu-jitsu, Coker explained, “I felt it was important to spread the word about training at Alliance, because I saw firsthand the importance of BJJ in police work. The goal of any response to resistance encounter is to gain compliance by using the least amount of force as possible. By using BJJ, officers can easily gain compliance and control without having to use strikes, impact weapons, batons or Tasers. It’s a win-win situation when you are able to avoid injury to the arrestee or officer. BJJ trains you to use simple holds, pins, and body locks, to gain control, while staying calm and composed during stressful response to resistance encounters. The more the officer trains BJJ on a regular basis, the more prepared he or she will be to handle these encounters and make smart and sound decisions.” Thanks to Officer Coker sharing its benefits, CSPD currently has 15 officers training with Professor Seda.
Recently, there have been multiple law enforcement encounters throughout the country, requiring “Use of Force,” which resulted in lives lost. The CSPD Training Unit analyzes such events and consistently looks for new ways to improve the skill set of officers. Sergeant Carla Miller, who supervises the unit, as well as Officer Rafael Caballero, attended FDLE Defensive Tactic Instructor, Advanced Defensive Tactics, and Gracie Survival Tactics Instructor Schools. Sergeant Miller was introduced to Professor Seda, reviewed his training and provided him with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Defensive Tactics curriculum and the CSPD response to resistance guidelines. Equipped with this information, the CSPD Training Unit began training at Alliance to share the techniques learned during yearly in-service training provided to all CSPD officers.
In addition to in-service training, newly hired officers during field training take self-defense classes at Alliance. Sergeant Miller says, “Training in the art of Jiu-jitsu for law enforcement teaches new officers basic control techniques, how to overcome suspect resistance using leverage and technique over strength and force. During their career, officers will encounter suspects who are of varying degrees of size and ability. When an officer has training in these tactics, they are better prepared to maintain control of a combative person, which may decrease an incident escalating in additional force. FDLE recently updated their curriculum for Defensive Tactics and Defensive Tactics Instructors to incorporate more control and ground control techniques based on Jiu-Jitsu style training.”
Police Chief Clyde Parry recognizes the importance of having the most well-trained police department possible, saying, “We owe it to our citizens and the men and women who took a sworn oath to protect and serve our community to give officers the tools they need to do their job. In law enforcement, officers are often placed in stressful response to resistance situations, which require a quick, efficient and effective response. This type of training provides the tools necessary to ensure that response.”
According to Seda, “Over 98 percent of physical encounters wind up on the ground. Jiu-jitsu helps de-escalate a conflict, gain better control of a bad situation, and assists with rapid decision making, reducing the chance for panic.” Adding, “I am proud of what Jiu-jitsu training has done for the members of CSPD, and I am hopeful other agencies will implement similar training for their agencies.”