Real Life Stories

Police Report

"I responded to a residence in reference to a theft report. As I met with the suspect's father, I was informed that the suspect was at a friend's house down the street with the stolen property.

I made contact with the suspect at this residence and began interviewing him about the theft he was accused of. The suspect is described as a white male, 6'3"-250lbs, and believed to be a mental health patient. I am 5'8" and 157 lbs and had completed the Gracie Combatives course one week prior to this incident.

As I was interviewing the suspect I noticed he was very nervous. He clinched his fists and tried to intimidate me by clinching his jaw. Since I am a K-9 handler, I wanted to get the suspect near my vehicle so that I could utilize my dog. I began directing the suspect towards my vehicle so that I could isolate him from his friends who were also in the house. The suspect pulled away from me. I told the suspect that he was not under arrest right now, and that all I wanted to do was to talk to him. I told the suspect that for my protection I wanted to put handcuffs on him while I interviewed him. The suspect began clinching his fists again, and as I began controlling his right hand to put handcuffs on he swung around with his left elbow trying to strike me. I released the grip with the handcuffs and established the clinch. He attempted to use a nearby car to avoid getting taken to the ground but I was still able to execute the leg hook takedown. When we hit the ground I established a modified mount position. The suspect quickly rolled to his knees and attempted to get up after I established the Back Mount, then I immediately applied the Rear Naked Choke. As soon as he felt the pressure on his neck, he agreed to cooperate. The suspect did not sustain any injuries, nor did I. The suspect was arrested for Theft and Resisting Arrest."

- Chris V.
Lubbock County Sheriff's Office

Sexual Assault

"Last Thursday, my cousin and I went to a house party in a neighboring city to meet up with some girlfriends of ours. After a few hours we were ready to go home, and, as we were leaving, a guy who I had met for the first time that night asked if we could give him a ride home. He had been drinking, so we agreed to help him out. By the time we arrived at his apartment I needed to use the restroom, so he invited me to come in. I accepted the offer, and while my cousin, who was driving that night, waited in the car, I went in and used the restroom. What happened next shocked me beyond belief. I finished using the restroom, and when I opened the bathroom door, the man was standing there completely naked. He began making verbal passes at me, and when I told him that I wasn't interested in him, he suddenly grabbed me by my shoulders and threw me onto the bed. Before I could react, he was straddling me and was trying to take my top off. Initially I tried to scratch him and push him off, but neither attempt was successful since he was much heavier than me. Then, I somehow remembered the Trap and Roll Escape, which I had only practiced a handful of times, and I thrust my hips up and rolled him off to my left. This caused us both to fall off the bed and because I ended up on top of him, I was able to stand up and run out of the apartment back to the car where my cousin was waiting for me.

The day this incident took place, I had just finished my fourth lesson. What was most shocking to me was how I was able to remember and successfully apply a technique despite the terrifying circumstances and my very limited experience with the techniques.

In retrospect, I realize that I should have never entered the house of a man who I didn't know, and if I didn't have a plan, the results could have been horrifying."

- Lorena D.
Lynwood , CA

Family Protection

"Last week, I went to TGI Fridays with my sister and our mother. At the table next to ours, there were three guys drinking, and throughout the night they made several disrespectful comments towards my sister. They eventually got up and left, and about 15 minutes later, we finished and left as well. When we got outside I noticed that all three of them were still talking near their cars, and as we walked past them, one of them asked my sister if she wanted to go home with them instead. Up until that point I had ignored their comments, but when he said that, I stopped and told him he should have a little respect. He immediately took offense to what I said, and, feeling confident with his buddies around, he approached me with a typical tough-guy attitude. After a short exchange of words, the man rushed towards me and tried to tackle me to the ground. As he did, I quickly blocked him and wrapped his neck with my arm to apply the Guillotine. With the choke I was able to prevent him from taking me to the ground, and after about 6 or 7 seconds, he started to go limp. When I let him go, he wasn't totally unconscious but he still fell to the ground. His friends went to help him and chose not to jump in, and we quickly took off. The craziest part about the whole incident was how I was able to apply the Guillotine so easily, even though I had learned it five days before the incident and practiced it no more than a total of 15 or 20 times!"

- Nathaniel G.
St. Paul, Minnesota

Younger, Stronger Opponent

"About 3 weeks ago, during the holiday season, I went to Home Depot. After I parked, I got out of my car, and to my complete surprise, there was a man who had just gotten out of his car and was walking towards me absolutely furious. I'm 56 years old and 155 pounds, and this man was at least 20 years younger than me and weighed over 200 pounds. The man was cursing violently and after a quick analysis of the situation, I realized that I had inadvertently taken the man's parking spot. Once he was about 10 feet away from me, I told him to relax but that seemed to anger him even more. Without hesitation, the man charged at me and tried to punch me in the face. I instinctively established the clinch, and as he continued attacking me, I went for a quick Body Fold Takedown. We went crashing down onto the pavement, and just before my hands got crushed under his back, I released my grip and posted out for base. In one explosive motion, the man rolled to his knees and I immediately took his back and applied the Rear Naked Choke. Because I drove my hips into his low back, he ended up belly-down on the pavement. Right as he passed out, I let go of the choke. He woke up right away, but because I didn't know what he was going to do, I kept him pinned to the floor. He verbally surrendered, so I agreed to let him up. When he got up, he walked away very demoralized. Although I did feel bad for ruining his ego, I am glad that the techniques worked, and neither one of us got hurt."

- John B.
Thousand Oaks, CA