Gracie Survival Tactics®

Since 1993, GST has been taught to hundreds of thousands of officers and service members worldwide — because when your life depends on what you know, the curriculum has to be proven.

What Is Gracie Survival Tactics?

Gracie Survival Tactics® (GST) is Gracie University's specialized defensive tactics program for law enforcement, military, and first responders. It has been adopted by agencies at every level, from local departments to the FBI, the Secret Service, the US Border Patrol, and all five branches of the US Armed Forces.

GST is a living curriculum. It is continuously updated based on direct feedback from officers who have used the techniques in real field encounters. It's not built on theory. It's built on what actually happens when officers are in physical confrontations — and what keeps them safe.

GST combines two foundational programs:

Gracie Combatives — developed for the US Army
G.R.A.P.P.L.E. — Gracie Resisting Attack Procedures for Law Enforcement, developed for police officers

Together they form the most comprehensive, field-tested, Jiu Jitsu based defensive tactics system in the world.

What GST Trains

Takedowns and ground control appropriate to law enforcement use
Suspect control and safe, efficient handcuffing
Weapon retention — keeping your firearm when a suspect attempts to disarm you
Recovery techniques — getting back to your feet and creating distance when grounded
De-escalatory control that is court defensible and medically reviewed

Why GST Is Different

A law enforcement force application is fundamentally different from a sport fight or street altercation and most defensive tactics programs fail to account for this. GST was built 100% around law enforcement applicability.

Its leverage-based techniques allow officers to humanely control resisting suspects regardless of size difference. This matters for two reasons: it reduces injury to both officer and subject, and it holds up under the scrutiny of a recorded, reviewed encounter. GST's appearance under observation is calm and controlled by design — which matters more than ever in today's environment.

Training injuries are a significant operational and financial cost for any department. The Gracie Combatives foundation of GST is specifically structured to allow officers to train at meaningful intensity with a minimal injury profile.

Formal Training Partnerships for Police Departments

NVGJJ is a GST Level 2 Certified school and an authorized Gracie University law enforcement training partner. We are now able to offer formal training partnerships directly with police departments.

Under a formal partnership, officers who train as part of an official program are treated just like any other student at NVGJJ:

Officers train at our facility in regularly scheduled sessions
Training is structured to accommodate shift rotation and operational demands
Agencies are billed directly on a per-session basis (typically around $20/class)
Officers receive online access to Gracie University's GST training materials to supplement their in-person sessions

SafeWrap® — Additional Certification for Your Personnel

In addition to ongoing GST training partnerships, NVGJJ is also authorized to deliver SafeWrap® certification — a structured, rapidly growing restraint system designed to reduce injury to both officers and subjects during physical control situations.

SafeWrap is gaining adoption across law enforcement, corrections, school security, and public sector organizations across North America. We can offer SafeWrap certification as a standalone program for your department or units, separate from or alongside a GST partnership.

Rener Gracie Is Available to Help You Close This

We understand that a new training partnership requires institutional buy-in. That's why we want you to know: Rener Gracie, co-creator of the GST curriculum and grandson of Grandmaster Hélio Gracie, is personally available to join an introductory call with your Chief or training leadership to answer questions and discuss the partnership directly.