Tom DeBlass has just announced that he will be adding the NYPD BJJ club to his official affiliate program. The decision came after DeBlass chose to teach a seminar for the team and received fantastic feedback from those that attended. This led to talks between him and the president of NYPD BJJ, Detective Frank, and the eventual decision for them to join his affiliation. Not only will this bring all of the general benefits that come with joining a larger affiliation, but DeBlass has also decided to offer several unique benefits for the police officers that will now be training under him.
He’s now offering free training at his own personal academy for any and all officers who are currently training, regardless of where they normally train and regardless of what affiliation their home gym might be a part of. In light of the success of the recent seminar that Tom DeBlass gave to the NYPD BJJ team, he also plans to be repeating that process roughly every two months and giving another seminar to any members who want to attend, completely free of charge.
The work that DeBlass has been doing with the NYPD and the work that he’s now going to be able to do moving forward will likely have a huge impact on the lives of police officers in the state. A long-term study conducted by the Marietta Police Department in Georgia showed that training in BJJ actually improves outcomes for both officers and the public alike. This evidence, coupled with the general feeling that BJJ helps improve safety, is what has led officers to attempt to spread BJJ throughout their precincts, and states like Michigan have even attempted to make it a requirement of their police force.
It might sound dramatic to the uninitiated, but the work that DeBlass is doing with the NYPD will likely save lives in the long-run and at the very least, will certainly make the work that the officers are undertaking safer for everyone involved. That’s why other BJJ stars like Rener Gracie are pushing for police reform on a national level, in order to maximise the impact that the sport can have across the United States.
Tom DeBlass announced the news that he would be adding the NYPD Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu club as an official affiliate in a post to his official Instagram account:
