Published in the Journal of Colorado Policing: Grounded Control, Restraint, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu-Based Principles

I am pleased to share that my article, “Grounded Control and Restraint: Legal Metrics, Training Challenges, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu-Based Principles to Improve Effectiveness and Safety,” has been published in the Journal of Colorado Policing, the official journal of the Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police.

The article examines a difficult but important issue in modern policing: how officers can safely control and restrain resisting individuals during physical arrest encounters while reducing unnecessary injury risk to officers and subjects. Ground encounters are often dynamic, stressful, and difficult to train realistically. When officers are forced to improvise control under pressure, the encounter can escalate quickly, especially when the subject remains capable of continued movement and resistance.

The article argues that control and restraint should be treated as related but distinct objectives. Control means stabilizing a person’s movement, limiting their ability to generate force, and reducing the immediate risk of assault or escape. Restraint means mechanically preserving that control, usually through handcuffing or another custody procedure. Attempting restraint before control is established can create avoidable struggle, force escalation, and injury risk.

Brazilian jiu-jitsu-based control principles offer a useful framework because they emphasize positional control, leverage, structured sequencing, and the tactical use of time. In practical terms, officers should be trained to stabilize resistance before attempting mechanical restraint. This approach may allow officers to rely less on compressive force, strikes, or improvised reactions and more on trained procedures that can be practiced safely under realistic resistance. Realistic training builds confidence in the control method's efficacy.

The article also discusses Colorado’s changing legal environment. Recent statutory

reforms and federal case law have increased the importance of restraint methods that allow officers to reduce force as control is achieved. Training systems that help officers modulate force, preserve visibility, communicate under stress, and transition safely from resistance to custody are increasingly important for officer safety, subject safety, and agency risk management.

This publication reflects a central mission of Lakewood Jiu-Jitsu Academy: to teach practical, responsible, real-world control skills. For law enforcement officers, criminal justice students, and public safety professionals, jiu-jitsu is not simply a martial art. Properly adapted, it is a method of improving decision-making, restraint safety, confidence under pressure, and professional control during some of the most difficult moments officers face.

Citation:

Medley, J. (2026). Grounded control and restraint: Legal metrics, training challenges, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu-based principles to improve effectiveness and safety. Journal of Colorado Policing, 9(1), 24–33.