How to Deal with Police Officers When You Are Stopped

By: John Clarke

Officer safety is the single most important thing taught in the academy and in on-going training. From an officer’s perspective, the most important goal is to go home safely every day or night.  If you follow these suggestions, it should make the entire situation as pleasant as possible.

Suggestions:

1. Never get out of your car when stopped.

This always raises the awareness level of officer safety.  Stay in your car until you are asked to get out.

2. Keep your hands visible at all times until asked to retrieve your paperwork.

On the steering wheel is best.  Keep your paperwork organized and easy to grab when asked.

3. Politeness goes a long way.

If you have to ask why you were stopped, do so after you have given the officer your paperwork.

4. Roll all your windows down as you are stopped.

This suggestion is for the officer’s visibility, especially at night.

These are just a few suggestions that will help you out for sure.  Stay tuned for more!!

John Clarke
954-931-1834
HaganaH Black Belt
RFLX Training Co-Founder and Chief Instructor
RFLXTraining.com
Police Officer
SWAT Team Operator
Pro Mixed Martial Arts Fighter and Trainer

Train How You Work! Develop Powerful Reflexes.

By: John Clarke

The more you mimic your environment the more reliable your tactics will be.  All to often officers strip down for what is comfortable in training rather than getting used to the way their bodies react with gear, especially on SWAT Teams.

Officers should be training in full uniform.  The wrong time to find out if something is working or not working is in a live deployment.  You have to train with the gear you use on a daily or nightly basis.

In the recent filming of the RFLX Tactical DVD Series we filmed in complete police uniform, bullet proof vest, under belt, web gear, and radio.  This was done for two main reasons: 1. So the viewer would have confidence in the tactics and 2. This is how we train.

I compare this to the way I would prepare for sport competitions as well.  If I was wrestling in a big tournament we would amplify the crowd noise through the gyms stereo and I would live wrestle in my singlet. If I was preparing for a fight, I would go for my runs with my mouth piece and duplicate the environment as well as the time schedule as much as possible.  The same is done in good law enforcement training.  While in K-9, we always trained at night because that is when our K-9 partners are deployed.  If you want to survive out there TRAIN HOW YOU WORK!

John Clarke
954-931-1834
HaganaH Black Belt
RFLX Training Co-Founder and Chief Instructor
RFLXTraining.com
Police Officer
SWAT Team Operator
Pro Mixed Martial Arts Fighter and Trainer

Perfect Practice, Makes Perfect!

As seen on: http://fitnessforwrestling.com

By: John Clarke

The key is drills!  Drilling is how we condition the body and mind to fire as one.  The repetition of doing one technique over and over again creates muscle memory and gets the mind to think under fatigue.  I often remember coaching wrestlers and they would beg to wrestle live versus the non stop drilling.  It is much easier to sandbag when your going live.

Another key is to drill for the duration of time that you are preparing for.  It makes the body respond properly under the stress of competition.  My philosophy is to drill as many rounds as possible to prepare for your matches, fights, or competitions.

Another key aspect is to follow the template of the rounds.

For example:

A college match is 7 minutes in duration, 3 min- 2 min- 2min…… so the athlete will work the whole duration of the match with only the break of 15 seconds in between.  In this regard, we have mimicked the match as best as possible.

An  MMA Fight is 15 minutes in duration, 5min- 5min- 5min……..so the athlete will work the whole duration of the fight with only the break of 1 minute in between each round.  In this regard, we have mimicked a non- championship fight the best as possible…… for a championship fight we would just add the rounds.

The final point is that I do not allow the fighter or wrestler to get to comfortable and I change the respective drill each minute un- announced.  In doing this we are constantly getting the mind to fire with the body under fatigue.

John Clarke
954-931-1834
HaganaH Black Belt
RFLX Training Co-Founder and Chief Instructor
RFLXTraining.com
Police Officer
SWAT Team Operator
Pro Mixed Martial Arts Fighter and Trainer

Legitimate Defense – A Right and a Duty!

By: John Clarke

When it comes to self-defense, I have always felt that you really don’t have as much of a choice as one would think.  As a Police Officer for ten years, I see the duty and responsibility the community as well as your co-workers depend on by your action.  The problem is that way to many people fall victim to: “a Failure to Act!”

The legitimate defense of society and our fellow human beings is not a green light for the murder of the innocent.  ”The act of self-defense can have a double effect: 1. the preservation of your own life 2. the killing of the aggressor….. the one is intended, the other is not.”

Someone who kills in the defense of self or the defense of another is not guilty of murder if there is no other option. You have to respect your right to life as well as the rights of others.

“If a man in self-defense uses more than necessary violence, it will be unlawful: whereas if he repels force with moderation, his defense will be lawful….Nor is it necessary for salvation that a man omit the act of moderate self-defense to avoid killing the other man, since one is bound to take more care of one’s own life than of another’s” – Thomas Aquinas

Legitimate defense is a right and a duty for those responsible for the lives of others.  Defending the common good requires that aggressors are rendered unable to cause harm.  This is why law enforcement officers are given the difficult decision and option of “Deadly Force.”

The key here is not to become what you are trying to defeat!

John Clarke
954-931-1834
HaganaH Black Belt
RFLX Training Co-Founder and Chief Instructor
RFLXTraining.com
Police Officer
SWAT Team Operator
Pro Mixed Martial Arts Fighter and Trainer