Note: Gracie Survival Tactics (GST) Military & Law Enforcement was formally known as Gracie Combatives Military & Law Enforcement (GCMLE) and Gracie Resisting Attack Procedures for Law Enforcement (GRAPLE).
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Who can take the GST (Gracie Survival Tactics Military & Law Enforcement) )program?
A: In order to be eligible to participate in the GST instructor certification course, you must be of active military or law enforcement status (reserve duty is acceptable). We require proof of active status.
Q: What if I cannot participate in the recertification course every 12 months?
A: It is recommended, but not mandatory, that you participate in the recertification courses every 12 months. The primary benefit of keeping your certification valid is that you will always be up-to-date with the modifications to the course, and you will be eligible to have a member of the Gracie Family testify on behalf of your organization should a use-of-force lawsuit arise in conjunction with the techniques of the GST program.
If after 12 months transpire and you do not get recertified, it does not mean that you cannot continue to train GST techniques to the personnel in your organization, of course you can. Our main concern is simply that after 12 months you will not be teaching the techniques as proficiently and effectively as they should be taught.
In the past, some law enforcement officers and military personnel (or their higher-uppers) mistakenly choose not to ever take the GST course because they can’t budget time and/or money to recertify every six months in the future. It has been proven time and time again you and your organization will be far better off taking the GST course once and never getting recertified in the future versus never taking the course in the first place
Q: Why did the GST Re-Certification requirement change?
Originally, military and law enforcement professionals who completed the Gracie Survival Tactics (GST) program were required to complete a 2-day re-certification course every 6 months in order to maintain their certified instructor status. Realizing that we were going to make the entire GST course available online, we went ahead and changed the recertification requirement to every 12 months. What we noticed, however, is that ever since we've made this change, recertification course participants found it a challenge to digest all the material, especially the new details and techniques, in a short 2-day recertificaiton course. As a result, starting in 2012, the instructor recertification requirement will change to a full 5-day course every 12 months. As some of you may know, we considered extending the recertification period to every 24 months for administrative purposes, but after much consideration and correspondence with several certified instructors who have successfully implemented the GST programs at their agencies, we have concluded that 24 months is too much time between courses to ensure the sustainability of the program and the safety of the GST students.
If you hold an active GST instructor's certificate, you qualify to access the GST Online Course for free for the entire duration of your certification period. Click here to learn more and to receive access.
Q: How many instructors should attend from my organization?
A: Although no experience is necessary, and only one member of your organization must participate in order for the organization to get certified, we recommend that at least two people attend from each organization. During the five-day course, if two or more people share the task of retaining all the valuable information that is presented, there is a much better chance that the course will be successfully implemented upon their return than if one person was assigned with the task.
Q: What makes the techniques taught in Gracie Combatives court-defensible?
A: Since the moves are based on leverage and technique, rather than punches and kicks, the physical damage to the suspect is drastically reduced. Lawsuits and charges of excessive force decrease significantly as a result of using the GST approach. In order for Rorion Gracie to appear as an expert witness on behalf of your department or agency, at least one individual from within the organization must hold a valid GST certification and have kept accurate records of who they trained within their department, what techniques they taught and when they taught these techniques.
MORE INFORMTION
For more information on GST, please click on the additional subcategories to be found on the upper left-hand side of this webpage.
CONTACT & REGISTRATION
For National Security reasons, additional information requires our personal attention. Please contact GST Program Director Spiro Demetriadi by sending an email to: spiro@gracieacademy.com or calling (888) 494-5345 ext. 82. Due to a high volume of inquiries, it may take a week or more to receive a reply.
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