logo   t
 

Military Police:  Taiho-Jutsu or Combative Measures?
While Taiho-Jutsu is generally associated with police, and Combative Measures associated with the military, an interesting question arises as to which system would be most appropriate for military police (of all branches of the services). On the surface, it seems as if arguments could be made for either.

Teaching the Taiho-Jutsu course to non-military police is equipping them with the best possible means of self-defense and arresting techniques they could receive. While easily learned and easily retained is a guiding principle, a sad reality is that the majority of police, regardless of what area of law-enforcement they're in, receive a minimal amount of time for learning unarmed police tactics. Proficiency is usually achieved via post-academy training and practice.

Teaching Taiho-Jutsu to military police is somewhat "easier". The time allotted for training is usually longer than their non-military counterparts, and the method of training, generally speaking, more controlled and more intense. It is then logical to deduce that military police will exhibit greater proficiency after the basic course than non-military police. Given this greater proficiency, the follow-up question is, is the Taiho-Jutsu course enough for their needs?

t

Military police are specialists. They have certain specific duties to perform, and with good training, do it well. In this light, they may be compared to medical specialists, who are also well-trained and perform their tasks well. However, before the surgeon, for example, becomes a surgeon, s/he had to complete the more broad-based general medical curriculum. Only following this training was s/he able to become a specialist. It is the basic general knowledge which enables him/her to handle unexpected situations which may arise.

So too is the case with military police. Prior to becoming specialists in the art of arresting techniques, the scope of their duties may well extend to where they require the more broad-based skills than specialized ones. Given the military milieu they are in, it would seem that the broader spectrum of techniques taught in Combative Measures is more appropriate for military police. Following this training, it would then seem logical and most beneficial to focus and "specialize" in areas of Taiho-Jutsu.

Return to Table of Contents