A healthy ego is good for confidence and keeping you and other safe. An unhealthy ego is dangerous and counterproductive. Maybe it's not BJJ for you, but PLEASE train (especially if you're a law enforcement officer) We have a BJJ All Day group on Sheepdog Nation, the online community for first responders and all who support them without all the unnecessary censorship and bias. Become a citizen today: www.sheepdognation.com FREE in the app and play stores as well. ---- Check out Warrior Way if you're in the area: www.warriorway.com

We have a couple cops who train at my gym. One time while rolling one of the cops was kind of loosing the round and my coach goes “tell him to stop resisting” everyone started laughing including the cop lmao

My ego went out the window when I started training. There's always going to be someone with better technique, physical conditioning, and quicker reflexes. That has no bearing on your own personal improvement.

I'm a career cop and "former" Marine in my early 40's. I started training Jiu Jitsu about 3 months ago at a local Roy Dean affiliated gym. Best decision I ever made, I should have started years ago. And for the record, I've been tapped and tossed around by old dudes, younger women... and I have never had better training in my life.

I saw my high school friend that I haven’t seen in many years. He was in the process of hitting the weights and bulking up. He said he was assigned to West LA, sipping lattes and check out girls but just got assigned to South Central. And those guys and gals are constantly having to wrestle guys to the ground. He had the right mindset. I think that if you’re in law enforcement, overcoming your ego and getting on the mat can be the difference of going home to your loved ones or taking a ride in an ambulance.

I started Jiu Jitsu last August because of videos like this. I've watched many cop videos saying you should train Jiu Jitsu, but it means so much coming from you by far my favorite channel. It's really special seeing you as a cop with a purple belt. I'm now two stripe white belt.

We have officers come into the boxing gym I train at. They come in real tough and leave real quiet.

I think BJJ is actually one of the best ways to improve actual striking (if you're trained in a striking style) because you no longer fear the ground, which honestly opens up a lot of your striking offense. If you fear the ground, you'll play it safe to avoid getting into grappling range.

I have signed my kids up for BJJ due to you. I really hope they develop the skills to protect themselves if needed. 1 month in, my 11 year old daughter freaking loves it, my 10 year old son, well....cries... but we will keep him going 🤣

Sadly, we see exactly the same thing at the range. I've watched cops show up once or twice, then retreat to the fairy-tale world of the police locker room where they feel safe that they are firearms "experts" and can't be beaten. And yet, even the most "average" sport shooter is probably a better marksman than the average cop on the street. Cops HATE being shown that they are NOT automatically the best at what they are often touted to be the best at, and far too many, instead of actually going through the necessary work to actually BECOME the best, retreat from the reality.

If I were ever to have become a cop, I'd of wanted to be in the best shape as possible and have self-defense nailed down perfectly. The badge isn't a big enough shield with criminals who live to fight and have no respect for the law or anyone else.

8 years on the job, only 4 months into my bjj journey. Wish I started sooner :(

As an aspiring state trooper and new Jiu Jitsu practicioner, I found this to be interesting, informative, and encouraging. Thank you sir!

We have a whole gang of cops and correction officers training at our gym, most of them are older, late 30's 40's and have been there a while - are purple/browns. All of them are down to earth guys and gals and very respectful training partners. It's shitty the amount anti-cop comments on here, it's a pretty thankless job to begin with......

I am a brown belt and GST level 1 certified instructor. In my opinion, every BJJ practitioner, who’s also a law enforcement personnel, should take this course.

Outstanding video! Loved the words of wisdom. We all can continue to learn, as long as we are open to it. Thanks, Mike!

When you have learned some skill enough to have mastered it, starting some entirely OTHER skill starting as a NOVICE can be mighty frustrating. It takes real confidence to be a newbie over and over, but it can be really rewarding. First, you have to get satisfaction from every little bit of progress you make. One thing that's helped me is to seek out training from people who actually know what the hell they're doing, not just some dub who's going to teach you wrong stuff and not even know it's completely wrong.

Thank You for your effort to get more Police Officers training BJJ. I wholeheartedly agree that all LEOs should be training BJJ from the day they go to the academy and regularly thereafter. Our gym, Shark Pit BJJ, has several State and Local LEOs that train with us regularly in Winchester, VA. One benefit they mention a lot (besides how great a Kimura grip is for cuffing) is how much BJJ improves their comfort-level being near folks that are already agitated and how that comfort in turn helps to deescalate the situation. That said, we do our part to eliminate one of the other excuses you mentioned by providing a 50% contract discount for all full-time LEO, Fire-Fighters, EMTs and Active Duty Military. We have also done some free seminars for our local LEOs and have plans to do more in the future. Feel free to drop in if you find yourself in the neighborhood and want to train with some folks who wholeheartedly support your ideas concerning BJJ training for LEOs. Thanks for all you do!

Ego is why most cops will not shoot a civilian pistol match.

True words of wisdom, when you said it applies to every skillset. It's not about who is right, rather what is right. Check your ego at the door. We all learn from our mistakes and those that don't or rather won't because of a fragile ego are truly doing themselves a great disservice. Merry Christmas Mike!

Thanks for speaking for all of us Mike. You obviously have insight on everyone that has an mcoles number.

Reason cops don’t train: many of them believe they can rely on what they learn in the academy. Developing real grappling skill, sufficient to overcome a stronger aggressor, takes a lot longer than 2 hours during police academy. And it takes time and effort to maintain. Ego also plays a roll. People don’t like to be made to feel vulnerable, so they generally try to avoid anything that’s uncomfortable. I can attest to mikes point about people getting angry at being bested by a 150 pound kid, I’m 154 soaking wet after a big meal, and I can toss some bigger guys. They usually don’t like it. But that’s the fire everyone goes through at the beginning of training.

The real reason I don’t train BJJ. I’m just lazy AF and the closest place is an hour away. But mostly cause I’m lazy AF

Amazing video! I have been training in Krav Maga for almost 6 years, I have my brown belt currently working to get my black. I just recently started training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu for the last couple months and my ego does not stop me from being humble and analyzing all the movements and constantly asking questions every class. I even ask the dumb question sometimes if I see another student who looks confused because I remember being that confused student when I first started. Keep up the great training and videos guys!😎

This is a great video! Thank you for posting. I was not in law enforcement but I spent 20 years in retail loss prevention working with police. I have also been in martial arts for 29 years and I am a bjj black belt. I have been attempting to get law enforcement to join my place for years. My experience is ego and nonstop excuses. Very true money and time is the big one. Makes me sad that it's not part of their work day or mandatory. Problem is you don't know what you don't know.

Interesting. In Japan, most of the policemen train in some sort of martial arts like karate, judo and jiu jitsu. Especially any techniques that deal with arresting and disarming. They would probably also train in BJJ if it is available there.

Been a black belt about as long as I've been a cop. My instructor is a soon to be retired cop for a department near mine. He always says "hit the nail on the head".. I tell all of my co workers that train with me, all cops are grapplers. From just cuffing to fighting. The thing I find when I try to get guys to train is the, "well I'll get injured." The real thing for many of them is, we work crazy long hours and they just don't want to find the time. Many do have an egos but I find positive responses from almost everyone during in service training. Love the video, keep fighting the good fight.

I am a 22-year officer. I started training in 2005 so I could get in shape for work. That progressed into me competing in MMA and numerous BJJ competitions. I beg everyone in my department to go train. One of the things I have found that it really helped me with is that I don't overreact because I am not scared of getting hit or getting into a grappling or fighting exchange. I still train regularly and I still get subbed on the regular. I do agree that ego is the number one hold up for most Officers. In my humble opinion, the reason so many Officers overreact and/or use excessive force is because they are scared or unsure of what really works.

Hey Mike, I didn't know you were a purple belt at the recording of this video, that's awesome!! I have been training BJJ for a little over a year now and have been watching your video for 6+. Keep on keeping on!

Damn Mike The Cop is a purple belt?? I'm impressed man.

Just don't mention you're a cop. Problem solved. sheesh.

That’s unfortunate. It could potentially save their lives more often.

Plain clothes judo... Ju don’t know if I have a gun, ju don’t know if I have a knive, ju just don’t know.

I taught a seminar on ground grappling for a group of Bruce Lee JKD type guys who mostly didn't know anything about ground grappling. Some of them said they don't go down on the ground ever.

Most cops have this power trip ego. That is why most won't train.

As a public safety officer contractor bjj has saved my ass probably 100 times. No matter what prison I work it always ends up on the deck.

I think of the undercover agent South Narc, who trained unarmed against 2 guys with knives! He said a lot of guys won't train like that because it's not an ego boost.

And the lack of good training partners that understand that you have a career after a class..

Remembering a time when 2 State Trooper's were basically provoking me into a fight for no reason... It's been 6 years and here I am gritting my teeth dreaming I'll meet them on the mat some day.

My coach is/was a cop (swat). I was always surprised how few cops trained submission grappling. I asked him once why so few trained, he said they where lazy. Same goes for marksman training.

I used to work with my state's prison system. I liked to get with the defensive tactics instructors to find out what they were teaching and what they had found had worked. I was having this conversation one day with a DT guy and the subject of training came up. He said that the biggest single weakness of DT programs is getting COs to train beyond the mandatory time required for their certification. And this was a program that didn't require rolling with people like at a BJJ dojo, but just the general cooperative work that you see in most programs. We didn't get into the specifics of why COs were reluctant to put in the time and effort, but the DT guy left me with the impression that he just thought the guys were lazy.

Just got back from BJJ class tonight by my FTO Sgt. Awesome to see this video up!

Wow, Professor Angelo and Mike the Cop! Awesome video guys!

I work for a city that has some of the finest officers around. They have their own gym and keep them in shape and trained in self defense. And that’s what is needed

I have been training in martial arts for 54 years and have black belt level in various systems, and I am absolutely certain that if I stepped onto a BJJ mat I would spend the next hour or so being tapped out by every white belt in the place! ;) That wouldn't bother me though, as I'd be learning new stuff that I currently suck at. I'm confident that my other systems are still valid in their areas but as far as grappling is concerned, BJJ is a huge eye opener! At 61 years of age, maybe I should give it a go! :)

I totally understand the ego excuse. I am a correctional officer with 22 years experience. I started BJJ about 7-8 months ago. There were already a couple guys I work with going. I am looked at as being one of the “tougher” guys at the Max prison I work at, and the fear of being exposed as “weak” was a legitimate concern for me. I battled through it, and now I welcome my BJJ failures as learning experiences.

Injuries are a big factor. I've seen almost everyone get hurt at some point or another when I was training. If that leo needs surgery for a torn meniscus then he/she may lose their special assignment or take a pay cut because they cant work extra hrs. That leo's dept is not gonna stand by and not fill in that vacancy at a busy unit and wait till that officer comes back. Long story short injuries are a factor and real.

Could you give some tips in a video on what to look for in different gyms/clubs if someone is discerning starting BJJ?

If cops train bjj, robbers training parkour ☺️

Didn't know you were a damn purple belt in bjj, much respect! All cops should be this dedicated

Been in LE for five years and been training bjj for three. Very humbling and very necessary training. I wish the defensive tactics would take training from bjj.

Jiu-Jitsu will soon be banned in Virginia

We learn from experience. That's it. The whole point is to improve, not pretend you're: "already as good as it gets." Fight the people who will kick your ass, and thank them for it. Yes, ego is shit nuts, quit following it. Embrace and live sincerely. That is the essence of all legitimate fighting studies. Competence, not ego, gives confidence that won't get you killed. Ego confidence will slay you. David Weeks, Tampa, Florida.

Ego is the biggest defeater of man... I've considered myself to be humble many times. And yet, my ego has a tendency to sneak up on me when I least expect it "remind me" that it still exist. Be aware.

I miss Warrior Way so much! i'm in MSU rn and there's only taekwondo schools around and the MMA club isn't active rn

I did tai kwon do once a week when I worked patrol and it helped me. I needed it besides working out daily.

Ego and confidence are not synonymous. Inability to leave your ego at the door so that learning can occur is not a sign of confidence, it’s a sign of lack of confidence. A confident person is comfortable acknowledging there are things we do not know, which is a precursor to learning and personal growth.

I like the way he tied his belt. Is it a different knot? Confident and aggressive can certainly get you into trouble. Confident and assertive people often confuse aggressors.

One thing that might disuade anyone from training in BJJ is the fact that those training often pick up nasty fungal infections from contact with both opponents as well as the mats they’re training on.

My Angelo was my middle school teacher haha!! Always was a bad ass!! Great video

In a past life, I did some training with a federal LEO who did MMA (Shooto) and his opinion is that modified BJJ and even Judo is good for law enforcement, but not necessarily the 100% pure art itself. His perspective is that he doesn't really want to roll around with an assailant with a full gear belt or lose sight of potential accomplices/suspects if he's focusing on one guy on the ground.

I agree as a former cop who had 10 years of training before I ever became a cop, there is no way that the academy training would ever be adequate for real-life physical confrontations.

Trained with a few cops in tactical. The ones that could check their egos stayed around, the egomaniacs were one timers. Most had no idea how to safely operate a primary weapon (rifle) and were sketchy at best with a handgun. I understand the rifle skills not being great because cops aren’t soldiers, but the handgun skills I don’t understand. Had one SWAT guy come into our class once, he rocked it, but he was a prior military door kicker.

Humble confidence

I recall back in 1986 when the local SWAT team came to the mat at our school in Australia (early days of BJJ in OZ) They were invited so it wasn't weird at all but after their strongest guy got his ass wiped by one of the gals they were hooked, and many continued for years as they felt that if this was going to be a thing, with members of the public able to "smash them" on the ground they wanted to know it all :)

A question. Is it also that bjj and judo strategy is about taking control by shorten distance? By shortening distance one is more susceptible to knives and such, which rhymes badly with basic police training to maintain an advantage. Of course whoever do a bjj lock first might have the advantage. But it is a risk getting stabbed. Perhaps many think whey will benefit from bjj skills. Then they find out the strategy is mainly about wrestling. Perhaps I am wrong.

I'm a Firefighter and occasionally ask Police if they train any form of grappling, they've always said no ( there are a few in my Dojo however ) Seems their reason is the same as most people in America, they still think striking is more effective.

I think Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training is absolutely awesome! I cannot say that I'm too fond of the sport version! I think training for real-world circumstances and implementing a takedown strategy and distance management training and defense against punches and kicks is a lot more realistic than starting on the knees and doing that pulling guard bullshit! That is my single and only issue with Brazilian jiu-jitsu is the guard pulling

I commend you on the desire to be competent for the job. Of course, I wish my locals have that same commitment. Can a student drop the ghe(sp?) and get experience with a full required attire incl a duty belt?

I'd love to talk about the cops that train at my gym. But we don't have any. We have a LOT of other firefighters besides me. But it's damned difficult to get cops in there.

Lookin good Mike!

View everyone as bigger faster stronger!! NEVER underestimate someone... they might kick your ass.

That violet gi is just so cute on you, can you get one next time that has my little ponies on it?

@mikethecop you should do a crazy unrealistic jiu jitsu/ cuffing technique. Like iminari roll or DLR X sweep to some cuffing situation. Anyway good video. Happy rolling 🤙🏽

Its a journey through ALL budo, regardless TMA or Sports MA.. Start and get humbled to empty your cup, then start learning to fill your cup, then persevere.. As you grow you realize SOMEONE IS ALWAYS BETTER, and fighting is the last resort.. I think cops can learn lots of de escalation by studying grappling arts... A pin cools everyone off, but a good right hook I don’t think so..

I believe one of the reasons that cops don't train is because of shift work....switching nights, days, days ,nights can take a toll on the body. I train in the Martial Arts and I sacrifice time with family sometimes to do so, but shift work kinda makes it challenging.

I used to train at the police academy (sub wrestling, not actually bjj - my coach (and his) worked as trainers at the academy), and there were way more 'civilians' than cops training - and it was free!

It's kinda like the first weeks in military training camp, when you find out that your mother isn't there to pick up all your stuff anymore... Sometimes that's hard to get through...

Jiu jitsu is a reality check you quickly see who you can put in the grave and who can put you in the grave.

Very wise my brother...!

We have had a few cops at the gym where I used to practice Muay Thai. Most cops think they are tough guys because they use violence against untrained civilians. They feel like they are familiar with violence. But when they have to spar against another person who is really and truly comfortable with violence they get a reality check and find out that they aren’t the big tough guys that they thought they were. Most of these guys walk out and never come back.

Mike, I think before we get into cops training BJJ/self defense, we need to get cops into training for general physical preparedness/basic fitness. I don't know about your department, but the one I retired from had no physical fitness requirements/standards that had to be met/maintained after graduating from the academy. True, practicing BJJ or any martial art will help to keep you in shape, but I think the first focus needs to be on getting in better shape as a profession.

Many BJJ techniques are difficult to perform while wearing a bulky gun belt.

Mike, the same is true for action shooting competitions like IDPA and USPSA. There are some officers who compete in these competitions, but they are the rare cops who are gun guys and gals. Most cops won't compete. More than a few come once, start the competition thinking that they are awesome, get humbled by some 50-year-old computer programmer who is also a USPSA master, and never come back.

Hey Mike, how long did it take you to get to purple belt?

Basic knowledge of BJJ and 'Wrastlin' saved my life multiple times.

Because most of them are trained in judo and wrestling and Karv maga

Ego is more likely to get you hurt on the job than training in JJ is.

Some Officers will downright try to delegitimize jiujitsu and training because of an unintact ego. Unfortunately there is a lot of scowl at training today but it will change. I hope.

I did 4 years active duty USMC and 29 years as a cop. At the age of 50 we were mandated to attend the BJJ training. I cautioned the instructor and administrators that throwing out of shape 40,50, even 60 yr old cops on the mats to contort their bodies around once every two months for 8 hours is a recipe for serious injury. Guess who got seriously injured after that? Me. A life threatening dissected carotid artery in a headlock escape maneuver between me and a giant 57 yr old cop who fell on me with my head locked and twisted. After being misdiagnosed by Workers Comp flunkies I admitted myself to the hospital where I was told 3 times in one night by 3 doctors that I might die any minute. 3 days in ICU, 3 cerebral angiograms, weeks more in the neuro ward. Years of battling workers comp and my own agency and I finally was forced to retire. And, I was in better shape than most of the 30 year old guys. So the training is valuable but it cant be done safely when its done every so often and without proper conditioning. So if a cop finds himself in a life threatening encounter, donuts or no donuts, use whatever weapon you need to go home to your kids, despite what the cop haters will say. Blue lives matter.

Great training, just don't be lulled into a false sense of security with it! Cross fit training is necessary for cops in addition to Jiu jitsu or hiit training for endurance.

I’m a correctional officer and started training almost a year ago and bjj was really humbling for me. I train in multiple martial arts but bjj is by far my favorite. I think it’s almost essential for my profession being around 100’s of inmates at time we’re greatly outnumbered. Being submitted by 60 year old guys is pretty humbling lol

I trained with a handful of cops over the years and i do mean a handful..like 5 LoL 4 nyc cops and 1 dc area cop. But its kinda true the excuses for not doing BJJ as the average person as well

I have several Police officer friends that practice BJJ, they are real good at it.

I think law enforcement folks obviously don’t want to be vulnerable and get worked. However, you can say this about anyone. People have ego, don’t want to show weakness, and are not used to giving up their power. That’s why martial arts in general have high turnover. I’ve seen law enforcement folks who are very nice and train smart and I’ve seen the ones who have ego issues - just like other people who walk in the door.

i will not be studying bjj as they dont teach it here in wasilla alaska. so i figured i would take seibukan jujutsu. and work on getting my black belt in that. i have my 1st dan in chinese kenpo. so figured i would take up a different martal art this time. and go as far as they will let me. and when they had nothing more for me to learn then id move into krav maga. and then over to shoshin ryu. from there.

Having a schedule that allows you to make it to a regular class is a major issue, the rest is nonsense

At the bjj gym i went to, there was a cop who was one of the highest ranks... Once i got him by luck in a guillotine, he got so mad he started going 100% on me( a white bekt with a few weeks of training)

Listen up rookies!! Stay safe

I still prefer Krav Maga, but I am not against someone training different martial arts as well. It is good to learn your limits and how to work with them. Or even overcome them with training.