Defensive Tactics: Street-Proven Arrest and Control Techniques by veteran police officer and martial artist, Loren W. Christensen, provides practical advice and instruction on techniques to assist any police officer improve their defensive tactics. This invaluable information contains concepts, principles, and techniques for stopping attacks and controlling and arresting suspects. Every law enforcement officer should be incorporating the information in this book into their training. If they aren’t, they should get this book and start. Lives may depend on it.
While the book is nearly 400 pages long, it is not text heavy, so it does not take that long to read. There are ample pictures illustrating the techniques and concepts Christensen teaches. I would recommend a person read through the entire book, which again, can be done quite quickly. Then, go back and systematically practice the concepts and techniques with a training partner, or partners. It’s only through practicing these techniques that you will become competent and be able to use them in real situations.
The first section of the book contains chapters on the foundational principles, or nuts and bolts, which are thinking ahead, the value of reps, the elements of balance, crossing the gap, blocking, and weight training and aerobics. Section two focuses on joint manipulation and leverage control and contains chapters on finger techniques, the versatile wrist lock, wrist crank, elbow techniques, shoulder locks, and the bent-arm shoulder torque.
Section three covers hitting, and includes chapters on hands, forearm slams, elbow strikes, and kicking. Section four, vulnerable points, only has one chapter, get the point, and teaches elements of pressing vulnerable points and the applications. Section five, head and neck, has a couple chapters that address head disorientation and carotid constraint or sleeper holds. Section six has two chapters on ground fighting. The first on ground grappling and the second on ground kicking and trapping. Section seven has on chapter on the baton that teaches body mechanics of using this common weapon for police officers.
Section 8, arresting big guys, also contains just one chapter on facing a big suspect. It does cover things like if size matters, pepper spray, mental preparation, and other important things to consider when facing big guys. The final section, nine, contains some training and fighting concepts in one final chapter. These concepts include survival concepts, training concepts, fighting concepts, and concepts to take on patrol.
Over all, this is an excellent book for law enforcement officers, and it is also valuable for those in security, bouncing, and related fields. Additionally, it will help martial artists expand their knowledge of street techniques that Christensen has proven during his law enforcement career. Highly recommend as a training resource!
(This review was from an earlier version of the book titled Defensive Tactics: Modern Arrest & Control Techniques for Today’s Police Warrior)
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