By Keith W. Strandberg
An adapted form of the Japanese martial art of Aikido, which means “art of harmony,” could offer law enforcement a less-violent method of restraining suspects– and help minimize charges of police brutality.
Steven Seagal movies and police brutality claims might seem odd bedfellows, but they are contributing to a surge in popularity of an obscure Japanese martial art, Aikido, in police training. Seagal uses a combat form of Aikido in his movies, and the rise in police brutality lawsuits has steered many law enforcement people to look for an alternative to kicking and punching. And, for many, that alternative is a hybrid form of Aikido.
Aikido, which literally means “the way of harmony,” is a Japanese art developed in 1938 by Ueshiba Morihei to foster peace. Aikido quickly became a popular alternative to the very combat or sports-oriented martial arts of Japan as it is characterized by very soft, circular movements that are almost purely defensive in nature.
Recently, a great deal of attention has been turned toward the use of Aikido in law enforcement applications-not only to foster development of the practitioner (i.e. the police officer), but to afford police officers a less violent and less dangerous method of subduing and restraining criminals.
Aikido uses joint locks and circular movements to accomplish its goal—controlling the attacker-instead of the hard kicks and punches of the more well-known martial arts like Karate and Tae Kwon Do. Aikido was designed to be a more humane alternative, and it concentrates on redirecting the force of the attacker, and then controlling the attacker through the use of joint manipulation or a throw.
Strict Aikido has no offensive techniques at all, and traditional Aikidoists do not even practice kicks and punches. Watching an Aikidoist do his/her thing is mesmerizing, as you see attackers twirl in circles, controlled by seemingly simple movements that are in reality very painful if resisted. Law enforcement instructors are not teaching traditional Aikido, however, because it isn’t completely suited for law enforcement applications.
“I don’t think the total martial art of Aikido is applicable directly to law enforcement,” says Ed Nowicki, executive director, American Society of Law Enforcement Trainers. “However, various techniques are very effective in a law enforcement application. In law enforcement the purpose is control, and most Aikido moves are meant for control. It is a good art to inject into training.”
Many instructors are adapting techniques for law enforcement use, and finding great success. “Aikido is extremely effective,” says Robert Liedke, an instructor with over 31 years of training in that martial art. “Aikido uses a person’s own force against them. The catch phrase right now is ‘gain compliance’: Aikido uses pain to get someone to comply. Aikido is very, very painful when it is resisted. The pain level is tremendous-and you use that pain to control your attacker.”
“Aikido is much more practical for law enforcement,” concurs Chief Dennis L. Winters , Woodcliff Lake, NJ. “For example, Tae Kwon Do emphasizes kicking, but when a police officer has his gun belt, flashlight, baton and everything else on, it’s very hard to kick. Also, you don’t have the time to stretch and warm up on the street, so your kicks aren’t going to be as effective. Aikido, on the other hand, is strictly a method of controlling the attack, and you don’t have to warm up.”
There are many benefits to integrating Aikido techniques into training. For one, there is a much reduced risk of injury to the criminal. “Here at the Long Lane Juvenile Correctional School, we can’t use weapons, but we have to handle the juveniles a lot,” explains Claudia Trainer, a sergeant with the State of Connecticut Police Department. “We use Aikido moves to control and manipulate them safely. We’ve had to get away from choking, and we can’t use strikes. We rely on the ‘come along’ holds. I am a female and can get a lot more control with less effort, and I have the opportunity to use the techniques every day. We are not allowed to strike the juveniles, but with Aikido we can control them without hurting them.”
And, this in turn could significantly reduce the risk of police brutality suits. After all, if all an officer is doing is reacting to the attack of a criminal with Aikido, the chance of brutality is greatly minimized.
“Aikido is safe-you’re not snapping arms and breaking noses,” notes Steve Giordano, Police Officer, Waterbury, Connecticut. “You are controlling someone, using their own force against them. I’ve used it dozens of times, and I am more confident and more in control in situations now.”
“The chance of injury is not as high, and the Aikido philosophy is to perform the techniques without any injury at all,” adds Chief Winters. “With Aikido, the movements start out soft and once you become proficient, you can increase the power as the need arises. Without a doubt, learning Aikido would be a benefit for any law enforcement person. If everyone in law enforcement trained in Aikido, the incidence of brutality claims would be greatly reduced.”
Also in its favor, Aikido doesn’t lose any of its effectiveness even though it doesn’t use kicks and punches or overtly aggressive responses to attacks. “Aikido is one of the most suitable arts for law enforcement applications,” says Shihan (Master) Michael DePasquale, Jr., an Aikido/Jujitsu instructor to police departments and correctional facilities with 32-years training. “It emphasizes close range, control techniques that police officers can use every day to control attackers. It has some great wrist and arm locks. Aikido is much more suitable than kicking and punching. You can decide how much injury and pain to inflict.”
Simple Aikido techniques are relatively easy to use and master, although the more complicated moves require a great deal of time and practice to truly learn. “Some Aikido moves are too complex and should not be used,” emphasizes ASLET’s Nowicki. “The complicated movements are difficult to use unless you have extensive training, and, unfortunately, most officers only have the training they received in recruit school or in mandated service training. So, the simpler the moves, the better.”
When Aikido is correctly adapted for law enforcement use and integrated into an overall training program, it can be extremely effective. “What’s most effective is to take various components from different martial arts and apply them,” says Nowicki. “Most joint manipulations we currently use in training are Aikido moves-but no martial art is 100 percent acceptable for direct application to law enforcement.”
Steven Seagal, in his movies “Above the Law,” “Marked for Death,” and “Out for Justice,” has made a reputation as the supreme hard guy, but he’s done it all with Aikido moves-responses to attacks that come at him (that is, when he doesn’t have a gun in his hands). What Seagal does is a much more brutal form of Aikido, taken to extremes like bone breaking for the benefit of the movies.
Traditional Aikido is very gentle, very spiritual and very complex. The complete art of Aikido is not suited for law enforcement, and therefore has to be adapted to be effective. And, not everyone can adapt it, so care should be taken with choice of instructor.
Given the cries of police brutality in recent months, it can only be good if the methods of control and restraint become less combative and gentler, while at the same time becoming more effective. Aikido offers this, and more, and police departments across the country are increasingly concentrating on integrating Aikido techniques into their training programs.
January 1992
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