Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for Criminal Justice Students in the Denver Area

Students preparing for careers in law enforcement need more than classroom knowledge. They also need practical skill development that helps them understand control, restraint, resistance, and officer safety in real-world encounters.

Lakewood Jiu-Jitsu Academy offers law enforcement-focused Brazilian jiu-jitsu training for criminal justice students at Denver-area colleges and universities, including Metropolitan State University, the University of Colorado, Colorado Christian University, Red Rocks Community College, and other programs.

This training is designed for students who are considering careers as police officers, deputies, detention officers, probation officers, or other criminal justice professionals. The focus is not sport competition. The focus is personal safety, practical control, positional stability, restraint transitions, and safer management of resistance.

Control and restraint skills matter because many law enforcement encounters are not resolved by verbal commands alone. Officers may need to stabilize a resisting person, protect their own weapons, and transition to handcuffing without causing unnecessary injuries. Brazilian jiu-jitsu provides a structured way to understand body position, leverage, balance, and recognized restraint methods.

Medley teaching tactical decision-making at ACJS

The program is taught by Professor Jim Medley, a former police officer, police academy instructor, and criminal justice professor. Prof. Medley is a black belt Gracie jiu-jitsu instructor whose work focuses on police use of force, restraint, training design, and officer decision-making. Medley holds a law degree, a master’s degree in Criminal Justice Management, and a master’s degree in Education with a specialization in Tactical Kinesiology. His teaching integrates law, biomechanics, defensive tactics, and criminal justice education.

For criminal justice students, this training offers an important bridge between academic study and the physical realities of law enforcement work. Students learn why control must come before restraint, why proper positioning can mitigate force escalation, and why structured training can improve safety for both officers and the people they encounter.

Colorado presents a unique challenge for police officers training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. The typical sport BJJ jiu-jitsu gym encourages and trains students to pursue "choking" techniques as a means of winning sportive tournaments. These techniques are problematic for Colorado law enforcement officers, as carotid/ vascular neck restraints are illegal under Colorado use-of-force law (CRS 18-1-707) and can constitute a felony assault (CRS 18-3-203 [i]). Lakewood Jiu-jitsu teaches officers effective methods for controlling and restraining resisting subjects without violating the law.

Lakewood Jiu-Jitsu Academy is located in Lakewood, Colorado, and welcomes Denver-area criminal justice students who want to better prepare for the professional demands of policing, detention, and public safety work.

Interested students may contact Lakewood Jiu-Jitsu Academy for class information and law enforcement-focused training options.