About Us

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 “Society has changed and as a result, there has been a dramatic increase in drug overdoses, violent crimes and assaults on First Responders in our communities. There is a gap in survival tactics training and a missing survival gear element in the First Responder Community and we are going to fill it.”  

The Heroes Self Defense Foundation is a nonprofit organization with a passion to fill the gaps in life saving training and equipment to help keep our front line Heroes and our Communities safe. Our volunteer Cadre of Military Veteran and Law Enforcement Professionals bring their experiences in Police Training, Military Leadership, and Jiu Jitsu to help make our mission successful. 

Our Military Veterans and First Responders took an oath to protect and serve our communities and families so we need to do that we can to ensure they make it home to theirs! All members of the HSDF Team have full time jobs and full time families but we believe in the old saying, "It takes a village" so we are paying it back and we would love for you to be a part of it!

Survival Tactics

Police academy defensive  tactics training, in general, is designed to give recruit officers the basic entry level training. This can include non weapon techniques such as de-escalation, creating space, blocking strikes, controlling, striking (boxing), and ground fighting. 

While boxing and striking have their purposes and can be effective, they are not always the most efficient and should not be relied on. If a suspect is in striking range for the Officer, the Officer is also in striking range for the Suspect and with MMA becoming more popular on society, an untrained Officer can become victim to a trained martial artist. 

Ground fighting has been improving across the board and a lot of agencies are realizing that jiu jitsu is the most efficient hands on system out there. These techniques usually consists of standing and ground control techniques, how to get back to their feet, handcuffing, and weapon retention. It's a good start, however like most things, training is perishable and needs to be continually built upon. 

The average police agency across the nation only requires Officers to attend defensive tactics update training four hours every two years.  That's it. As a matter of fact, Officers are required to complete more administrative training throughout the year (and their entire careers), than defensive tactics training which would save their life. Unfortunately Assaults on Police Officers are higher than ever and the reality is that police training has not adapted to that threat for a number of reasons. So what can we realistically expect from Officers who are not adequately trained in defensive tactics? 

After graduating from the police academy, Officers can either 1) Attend Ground Fighting Elective training at their academy or 2), Join a local martial arts training center. Not all police academies offer elective training but if they do, we recommend Officers take advantage of the free training. We also recommend Officers seek out local jiu jitsu training centers to build muscle memory and confidence. Officers are always welcome at our free Workshops for Cops throughout the year as well. 

Military Police Officers receive the same combatives training in basic combat training as all other soldiers so that’s like playing checkers with someone that knows all your moves.  We offer actively serving Military Police Officers (from any branch) the same opportunity to attend our workshops to compliment their training as well. 

EMS Professionals receive an abundance of life saving medical training but they don't receive training to save their own life in Self Defense.  With drug overdoses and patients suffering from extreme mental disorders, assaults on EMS Professionals are on the rise. From the scene of a motor vehicle crash, to medical call at a residence, the back of an ambulance or at the hospital, EMS Professionals are right in the mix and left defenseless. 

Law Enforcement Canines

Unfortunately, a lot of police canines units are considered non-essential by their agency and are not always supplied with the equipment they need or the funding with approximately 90% off all LEO K-9 units rely on donations to function. Canines are called upon to apprehend the most violent criminals in the most dangerous situations, but they are not always afforded the same protection as human Officers. If an agency does not purchase a ballistic vest for the canine, it will go without protection until the handler purchases one or funds can be donated. We recognize this deficiency and work with Law Enforcement agencies to determine the need for canine ballistic/knife protection vests. We work with a reputable company that provides custom made vests at a discount of $1,800 each so we rely heavily on sponsors to help with these purchases.  

Much like human Police Officers, Canines are also sometimes injured in the line of duty while apprehending suspects and in vehicle crashes. In January 2019, an HSDF team member's patrol vehicle was struck by a drunk driver causing traumatic injuries to the K-9. The outpour of support and care packages received from all over the country provided an amazing mental and physical calm not only to the canine but the handler as well. Since then, we have made the decision pay that forward and  and partner with Tanners Endless Love and Concord Pet to send care packages to injured police canines throughout the country. How cool is that! Check out our Furry Heroes page for canines we’ve helped with your support.  

Stay up to date via our website and our Facebook page @HeroesSelfDefenseFoundation

From all of us here at the Heroes Self Defense Foundation,  

Thank you for listening to our story and we appreciate your support!

Sincerely,

The Heroes Self Defense Foundation Team