The Gift Wrap: The Jiu Jitsu Gift that Keep on Giving

It's the holiday season, so it's only natural that we give you the gift of the Gift Wrap. Among the many techniques in Jiu Jitsu for Police Officers, the "Gift Wrap" is one of the most practical and valuable things to be integrated into your training. In this post, we'll help you understand what this technique is, why it's great for law enforcement and ways you can start learning and training it.

Understanding the Gift Wrap
The gift wrap is a powerful control and positional dominance technique often used to control an opponent on the ground. It's especially valuable for law enforcement professionals as it allows officers to manage situations with minimal harm to themselves and others.

Step 1: Establish Control Begin by securing side control on your opponent. Ensure your chest is pressing against your opponent's chest and maintain tight control over their upper body.

Step 2: Isolate the Arm Identify the arm you want to control. To do this, slide your knee beneath their arm, effectively trapping it against your body.

Step 3: Secure the Wrist With the trapped arm, reach across and grip your opponent's wrist firmly. Your hand should be palm down, gripping their wrist near the hand.

Step 4: The "Gift Wrap" Slide your opposite arm under your opponent's arm (the one you're controlling) and reach for your own wrist. This creates a "gift wrap" configuration, where you're essentially holding your opponent's arm in a controlled and immobilized position.

Step 5: Maintaining Control With the gift wrap secured, maintain side control and ensure your chest remains heavy on your opponent. This prevents them from escaping or countering effectively.

Check out this clip from our Gift Wrap series in the Jiu Jitsu Five-O App:

Benefits of the Gift Wrap for Police Training:
Now that we've broken down the gift wrap technique, let's discuss why it's particularly valuable for police training:

1. Dominate Control: The gift wrap allows officers to control and immobilize suspects without resorting to excessive force, reducing the risk of injury to both parties.

2. Minimized Risk: By isolating an opponent's arm and maintaining control, the gift wrap minimizes the risk of suspects reaching for weapons or escalating the situation.

3. Positional Dominance: The technique provides officers with a dominant position, making it easier to apply handcuffs or slow down the fight and await for backup.

4. Adaptable: The gift wrap can be seamlessly integrated into other techniques and transitions, like the Kimura, offering a versatile tool for officers in various scenarios and positions.

Be sure to check out our full Gift Wrap series in our app, where you can learn several ways to use this technique for both street and sport. As a member, you can access Jiu Jitsu training content anytime, anywhere.