A Farewell To Choke Holds
I am listening to Joe Rogan’s podcast with Jocko Willink. And they brought up choke holds. Here’s what they said:
It goes until 9:02. Then, Joe Rogan asks him about a story regarding one of his friends:
So, THAT happened. The guy got his neck broken.
There are many other ways to subdue people, and honestly, choke holds are risky even with proper training. Risks include the following: “if the procedure is applied for a certain length of time, death can ensue. Another risk is that this choke can inflict damage on the upper airway, including the trachea, larynx, and hyoid bone, which can also result in the death of the assailant.”
Take Eric Garner for instance.
It’s not nearly enough to say that an experience practitioner won’t ever hurt anyone in a real confrontation on the street, since it can easily happen when just practicing.
The argument I heard on the podcast, from two jujitsu black belts, were weak and unconvincing. It’s easy to see from MMA how chokes work to end fights in a sports context with a referee standing by to assist with breaking up the action.
On the streets though, aren’t the cops the combatants AND referee? It’s a serious problem. And one that might be better solved by making a better decision. In the Eric Garner case above, the officers had options:
- Keep talking
- Other arrest by non-lethal means (tackle, trip, etc.)
- Wait for back up
- Write a violation notice
Really, the only reason any police officer would have to put anyone in a choke hold is to protect their own life. That’s it. In that case, police THEN could use batons, which, I think, there was a guy who got hit by a bunch of cops for a routine arrest. In LA. 1991 I think. Who is that guy again???
Jocko said that he spent lots of time training people to act unemotionally. Yes. Let me contrast police training versus Navy Seal training:
Per Snopes (FULL DISCLOSURE: I have donated money to Snopes), “the training time required to become a police officer in the United States in 2013 was 34 weeks, or just short of nine months.”
Now, the Navy Seals: “Preparation consists of more than 12 months of initial training that includes Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL BUD/S School, Parachute Jump School and SEAL Qualification Training (SQT), followed by an additional 18 months of pre-deployment training and intensive specialized training.” And that does not include the Navy’s eight week “boot camp”.
How can the police act unemotionally in work situations without this kind of operator training? Look, do the police need to jump out of airplanes or set bombs underwater? No. Do they need to be able to make the appropriate decisions to protect and serve the public? Yes. Do they need to be able to do their jobs as the situation fits? Yes.
How many people need to die and get hurt before we say that this is a problem and it needs to be fixed? Banning choke holds are an opening salvo.
BTW, didn’t the same thing happen in LA in 1991 that’s happening now? It’s not a coindcidence. Police brutality begets these reactions.
