What training would be good for future FBI service?

[Heroic Wolf]

I want to join the FBI some day. What training would be good for that? I've heard that a lot of law enforcement officers can only grapple and handcuff criminals and aren't supposed to strike their opponents. Would judo be a good idea?

[ltindiandaeng]

Jujitsu,either Japanese or Brazilian,would both be a good idea for anyone going into law enforcement.I was a defensive tactics instructor in New York,and I can tell you there were instructors who studied just about any martial art you can name,so it is a matter of personal choice. It is true that arrest techniques basically involve grappling and restraining holds,but it is not true you cannot strike a suspect.Sometimes it is a matter of survival so you do what you need to do,but for liability reasons any department will prefer you use grappling techniques to striking,provided you have a choice.

Nowadays I hear krav maga is very popular in law enforcement,but I must say from what I have seen this looks alot like WWII commando tactics,which are also very effective.

[Guest]

I want to join the FBI some day. What training would be good for that?

Analytics, Problem Solving, Teamwork, Communication & Influencing, Information Technology, Politics, Economics, Languages, Current Affairs.......

I really wouldn't worry about martial arts, it isn't any kind of pre-requisite. If they want you trained in something they will train you themselves, thats why they have an Academy.

[DonKey]

I think BJJ and FMA would put you in a good spot. Too many crazies out there to not train for weapons...

[Guest]

If you are recruited as a Field Agent (which I assume is where your aspirations lie) then you will be issued with a handgun.

I believe the standard issue is a Glock 22......they're pretty good at dealing with weapons, and crazies

[DonKey]

story time

Several years ago I went to the range with an FBI friend of my dad's, he was nice enough to bring along his mp5/10 for us to drool over. I outshot him handily with pistol and the mp5. I was 16.

They don't train edged weapons a whole lot either. At least not to the level you would get from some dedicated FMA.

Back in those days the FBI used a sig 226 in 9mm. They had a 228 available for people with smaller hands.

[Guest]

Well, thats certainly a story.

They shifted from SIG to Glock a number of years ago, but outside of standard issue an agent can be free to carry the sidearm of his choice, so it can vary.

Very few Law Enforcement or Military Organisations allocate any form of real time to train edged weapons, or martial arts for that matter. Any why should they? Its not their job, its a tiny, minute fraction of what their role might involve. They have far more important things to be doing.

[TTEscrima]

Very few Law Enforcement or Military Organisations allocate any form of real time to train edged weapons, or martial arts for that matter. Any why should they? Its not their job, its a tiny, minute fraction of what their role might involve. They have far more important things to be doing.

Why should LEO and the Military train in the martial arts and edged weapons? Because not doing so will leave you ignorant of their uses and make you more vulnerable to them. You cannot arrest someone (part of the job) without going hands on and making arrest is not a minute fraction of police work (or a soldiers these days). Knowing your enemy and the tools he may use against you while on the job is a basic tenet of warriorship and a key to survival.

They have far more important things to be doing.

Have YOU ever arrested anyone????? I damn sure have and without a functional knowledge of edged weapons use and the martial arts I wouldn't be making this post.

Training to properly do your job and survive is perhaps THE most important focus any officer should have. IF you're a paper pusher or a computer geek then H2H may not be that important but anyone tasked with detaining and arresting potential terrorist (FBI Agents) needs H2H and edged weapon training because its a part of the terrorist toolkit. The FBI allocates time for spiritual training for its field agents, thats FAR less important than proper weapons training IMO.

[DonKey]

The vast majority of FBI agents have accounting or law degrees, there are lots of paper pushers and computer geeks.

If getting into the FBI is the goal then H2H training shouldn't really be on the list of things to do. A 4 year degree, language skills and relevant work experience should probably come first.

But the OP came to a martial arts board to ask about supplimental training before he goes in, so I figured it was safe to assume he wanted to learn some kind of fighting art.

[TTEscrima]

The vast majority of FBI agents have accounting or law degrees, there are lots of paper pushers and computer geeks.

If getting into the FBI is the goal then H2H training shouldn't really be on the list of things to do. A 4 year degree, language skills and relevant work experience should probably come first.

But the OP came to a martial arts board to ask about supplimental training before he goes in, so I figured it was safe to assume he wanted to learn some kind of fighting art.

I worked very closely with quite a few FBI agents and Federal Marshals for the last 10 years of my career, field agents are a different breed than those tasked with research and data. The FBI has some EXTREMELY HSLD men/units in the field. It all depends on what type of agent you hope to become, there are definitely more tails than teeth in any outfit including the military. Anyone who may have to make arrest would be well served by learning wrestling, Judo, Jujutsu and Escrima.

[Guest]

Why should LEO and the Military train in the martial arts and edged weapons? Because not doing so will leave you ignorant of their uses and make you more vulnerable to them. You cannot arrest someone (part of the job) without going hands on and making arrest is not a minute fraction of police work (or a soldiers these days). Knowing your enemy and the tools he may use against you while on the job is a basic tenet of warriorship and a key to survival.



Have YOU ever arrested anyone????? I damn sure have and without a functional knowledge of edged weapons use and the martial arts I wouldn't be making this post.

Training to properly do your job and survive is perhaps THE most important focus any officer should have. IF you're a paper pusher or a computer geek then H2H may not be that important but anyone tasked with detaining and arresting potential terrorist (FBI Agents) needs H2H and edged weapon training because its a part of the terrorist toolkit. The FBI allocates time for spiritual training for its field agents, thats FAR less important than proper weapons training IMO.

Yeah, I just read my post back, and thats actually not what I meant to say at all - it came across completely the wrong way. I know what I meant to say.....but I just can't be arsed.

You're right.

[Heroic Wolf]

Yeah, I never really thought of training Filipino martial arts or guns, that would probably help a lot

[ltindiandaeng]

I worked in law enforcement in NY for 25 years but I was never in the FBI,though I have worked with them on occassion.First of all,the times when you can use your gun are few and far between.Most of the time you will have to rely on unarmed tactics,at least when dealing with resisting suspects.Also,it is true you will receive training in unarmed defensive tactics,but it is a short basic course and unless you practice all the time,which most guys don't,you will forget.My point is it is a good idea to practice some form of unarmed defensive tactics on your own.If I had to rely on only my academy training during my career,I would have been in serious trouble.

The more you know about self-defense,the better chance you have to survive,which is the main point here.Yes FBI training is very good,I am sure,but even when training people in my own department,I always encouraged trainees to learn as much as they could on their own also.Good luck

[Heroic Wolf]

Autodidactism

Ya, its probably best to further my own skills instead of just going with what is formally taught. I guess the age-old wisdom to take responsibility for ur own life and help urself grow as a person also applies to law enforcement/martial arts

[Paco]

Hello All:

I work as an attorney for the federal government. Amongst my closest friends and training partners are two federal agents- one is an FBI agent and the other is a federal probation officer. Both are defensive tactics instructors for their respective offices.
One is a semi-pro boxer and kickboxer with a background in Muay Thai, JKD kickboxing and kali; the other has a similar background but not semi-pro. In response as to what style to train, I suggest the following things to consider:

1- Train what you LIKE. It's true that what you train has to be practical and efficient (and in the case of an agent, defensible in court) but if you were a martial artist BEFORE you became an agent, there's no reason to stop now.

2- It pays to train in a "reality-based" or "ecclectic" style: I will put my money on whomever has trained in multiple ranges, especially close and weapon ranges as well as general "street tactics" and awareness. My bias is obviously JKD-Kali-BJJ but boxing, judo, krav maga, military combatives, maybe even quality jujutsu or hapkido might serve you well.

3- True, you will train defensive tactics at the academy AND they will WANT you to use what THEY taught you, nothing else. Think of the lawsuits and legal hassles and you'll see why they insist on that. However, my friends always comment on these self-imposed limitations and say- correctly so- that they are bullshit. The cartel thug (in my neck of the woods, the Texas-Mexico border, they are ex-special forces soldiers who now run the drug trade) doesn't give a damn about you, he'll spray the area with an AK and then stab anybody left standing...
My instructor friends teach the nitty-gritty "non-approved" techniques (i.e., the ones that are guaranteed to **** up the bad guy and get YOU home) under the table, so as to avoid hassles from the suits.
One of my friends had a pretty heated argument with an instructor at one of these government academies: THEY WERE STILL TEACHING THE "X-BLOCK" AS A DEFENSE TO THE KNIFE THRUST! he tried to explain that a guy with a week's training in FMA knew how to counter that, but they would have none of it... As in many areas of the law in general, reality is divorced from legal doctrine.
My other friend's supervisor remarked that he could not fathom how any thug off the street can pick up a kerambit and use against you, but the feds were squeamish about teaching its use to agents... go figure.