Police Judo / Military Combat Training: Enforcement Utilizing Hand, Stick, Knife, Gun Offensive and Defensive Tactics and Strategies

“I was in a fight with a suspect that was much bigger and stronger than me who was able to get on top of me and almost took my gun. I had been in this position before under Hock’s training and was able to calmly and clearly think through the situation and save my own life using techniques and skills I learned through Hock and his instructors. Hock’s training is far superior to any “Advanced Officer” defensive tactics instruction I have ever received as a police officer. It is easy to learn, apply, and it works unlike the training most police officers are given. Thanks Hock Hochheim and Tim Llacuna.” – Nick Ward, Antioch Police Officer, Antioch, CA

 In the 1940s through the very early 70s in the USA, almost all martial training was called simply “judo,” an easy, generic name. Even karate was called judo back then by many experts because of this. And, for many in “old school” law enforcement, defensive tactics was often, first loosely called police judo and passed on informally in gyms, workouts sessions and academy classes. Such were the places where W. Hock Hochheim first learned of police judo, mostly from retired FBI agents, military police and city cops who studied and specialized in fighting to survive, win and arrest.

The original, old-school, police judo is not anything like the Japanese sport of grappling judo, but rather is a collection of survival strikes, kicks, takedowns, contain, restrain, handcuffing and small weapons combat. It involved hand, stick, knife and gun play. Mixed weapons. It was part tactics, part tricks of the trade old-school. Police judo later morphed into the various enforcement acronyms and training programs one finds today, but many of these new programs are strictly filtered to ease the worry of police administrations and insurance companies rather than teaching hard core, street survival for the individual officer, alone in worst case scenarios. Life-saving, worst case scenarios methods, completely legal in desperate times, have dissolved away from the modern programs. It’s a concept of defensive tactics from a time when many called the training “police judo,” as for so many back then, so much of all fighting was nicknamed “judo.”

It is not my intention to move in and replace existing police agency and/or military combat training, use-of-force and tactical programs. Not at all. Police Judo adds on to existing police and military combat training programs with advanced applications and innovations in situational and positional problem-solving.

“I wanted to re-organize a physical-response system based on police judo and military combat training statistics and probabilities, positional and situational scenarios. No single, response fits all situations. Even the U.S. Supreme Court recognizes how “fluid’ these situations can be.” – Hock

After over 37 years of military and Texas law enforcement, bodyguard /protection work (for clients such as NYC Mayor and presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani) and private investigation, with multiple martial art black belts, W. Hock Hochheim now tours 11 countries teaching his brand of hand, stick, knife and gun, practical/tactical strategies. This is not SWAT team training or for officers with machine guns. This is for street cops and detectives. Hock has taught police officers, agencies, and academies worldwide, as far away as Australia, Germany, Guam, at the one South African Police Academy, as well as Sweden and all over the United Kingdom. He has taught police in the United States since the 1980s. He has been a paid consultant for four branches of the U.S. Army, Navy Air Force and Marines. Military, frequently this included sessions for his old alma mater – the military police. He currently travels to the Middle East on a D.O.D. contract to train our troops in CQC.

“I have decided to resurrect the pure concept of police judo, the old-school, practical, problem-solving, scenario-driven approach through informal workouts and training based on positions and situations. But I will also include all the new statistics, strategies, theories, bio-medicine, psychologies and science.” –Hock Hochheim

 Hock teaching a Midwestern USA SWAT team. Over the last 19 years, Hock has police officers and SWAT teams from over 400 police agencies from as far away as South Africa and Australia.

Through the late 1980s to today, Hock was and is  a regular guest instructor at Texas Police Academies teaching “Mechanics of Arrest,” Criminal Investigation, and problem-solving fights.

“Though I teach various teams, I do not specialize in team tactics, except for some very popular modules like ‘Breakheart Pass.’ I do believe that before you can fight as a team, you have to be able to fight alone.” – Hock

The Main Police Judo Modules:

An important outline/skeletal structure of these modules is the Stop 6 format. It is utilized throughout all training. The modules appear here in no special order. The Police Judo Training Modules and topics are designed to augment and add-on to the preexisting knowledge base of the average police academy and in-service school graduate and the experienced enforcement officer and agent. They already exists within agency use-of-force rules. The material is organized from the core material and customized into police related modules. The modules are based more on problem-solving the major personal, survival concerns of the working enforcement officer.

• Police Judo Module: The Stop Six – the six common, physical, stopping points of an arrest or fight
• Police Judo Module: The Hammer Lock – a classic arm wrap versus the unarmed, stick, knife and gun attacks
• Police Judo Module: The “While-Holding” Module – all strikes and kicks with and without holding weapons
• Police Judo Module: The Shove! Doing the Shove and Being Shoved, and the Fall, all in a mixed-weapon world
• Police Judo Module: Gun Arm Grappling! Enforcement Counters to Weapon Quick Draws and Armed Threats
• Police Judo Module: The Clinch! Enforcement Clinches, Body Rams and Mixed Weapon Arm Grappling
• Police Judo Module: Enforcement Takedowns: The basic takedowns while holding pistols, batons, long guns
• Police Judo Module: Ground Zero! Enforcement Survival Ground Fighting Measures and Maneuvers
• Police Judo Module: Enforcement Counters to Sucker Punches, Strikes and Tackles
• Police Judo Module: Enforcement Pistol Disarming and Retention Measures
• Police Judo Module: Enforcement Disarming and Retention Measures
• Police Judo Module: Enforcement Measures: What LEOs need to know and practice!
• Police Judo Module: Enforcement Tactics vs. Multiple Opponents with Mixed Weapons
• Police Judo Module: You! Hostage! Enforcement Measures When Taken Hostage!
• Police Judo Module: Enforcement Traffic Stop Combatives from Hand Fights to Gun Fights
• Police Judo Module: Enforcement Joint Cranks/Locks and Control Measures
• Police Judo Shooting Modules with simulated ammo (numerous – see gun combat page)
• Police Judo Module: Tactical Team Combat Skills, Drills and Team Building (in conjunction with other trainers) * Police Problem-Solving Modules Constructed at your Request

 Throughout these modules is Hock’s unique “Stop Six” format , problem-solving fights, shoot-outs and arrests in the six common situational collisions

The newspapers covered Hock while teaching at the London Metropolitan Police Academy back in 2005. Hock teaches there biannually.

 “Hock is a retired patrolman and detective, “city” and military cop. He gears his training primarily to LEO’s and soldiers. He will differentiate the finish for every technique based on YOUR individual needs. He shows a comprehensive game, start to finish, for police in accordance with a proper Use of Force continuum, and then take the technique and show the end game option available to the soldier. He trains police forces all over the world, i.e. England, Germany, Australia and Scandinavian. In all honesty, his training has been the most applicable and pertinent to Law Enforcement that I have ever been through – And I have been through damn near all of them. There are guys out there who have NEVER worn a badge, slinging their snake-oil “gospel” and police administrators are slobbering all over these guys, to buy into it. Not so with Hock. Those who know better, realize that he has a proven method that works in the realm of Law Enforcement. I don’t receive dime-one for endorsing andrecommending his training; I would be negligent as a Federal Defensive Tactics Instructor if I didn’t give you the best of my knowledge. Department of Homeland Security and FLETC – Federal Law Enforcement Training Center sent ME and paid for it- And FLETC is the Agency that USFWS bases it’s use of force policy on, or we wouldn’t be training you guys.” – Greg S. FLETC, Georgia

“My marine unit at 29 Palms (military police) had a day training session with Hock in 2003 and I think to this day – June, 2010 – it’s still one of the best defense training classes I’ve ever had. The man kept things real and in perspective, which is more than I can say for other training I’ve attended. I took a brief break from law enforcement, but I’m headed back into it, and as soon as my credibility is up to snuff in my new unit I will be suggesting we attend more Hock seminars.” – Stephen. L. Clogston, USMC

“The officers told me that they learned more from you the first day than they have in years in years of training.” – Commander Don Davis, La Paz Sheriff’s office

 “Hock, I have seen your tactics work again and again on the streets. You should be proud of yourself. I wonder how many lives you have saved throughout your years and you do not even know it. Looking forward to seeing you again.” – Officer Stan Shupe, Hays Police Department , KS

“Hock! The _____ Brothers, both heroin “salesman” (caught them with 75 Bindles-intent to distribute), and needles on their person the other night!  One attacked me with a knife and he “experienced” the “Hock/red neck” version of an early phase knife disarm from yours truly.  Again, of all my instructors, titles, tests and rank … your teachings saved my a** again and again! THANKS MAN.” – T. Pierce, Police Officer, North Carolina, USA