Tournaments (Sport) vs. Combat vs. Police Force

Note: I am a Marine (currently inactive). I am a martial artist. I have competed in sport tournaments. I have trained in self-defense. I am NOT a Police professional. I have worked with Police, military, as a Physical Security Officer (Civilian civil service GS-11) and I have studied many subjects to include violence, force, self-defense in California, etc. BUT I am not an expert in any one area, just knowledgable. 

"...When the military or police search for an empty hand combat or self-defense instructor to teach their troops or officers, why do they not contact a tournament champion? Why do they not look for someone who has proved themselves in tournaments with others who in many cases possess far superior speed and power in their techniques than does most anyone on the street or in the field of battle..." ~ Marcos Lianes, Post on Ryukyu Martial Arts FB Wall

First, “When the military or police search for an empty hand combat or self-defense instructor to teach their troops or officers, why do they not contact a tournament champion?” Well, because a tournament champion is a sport champion. Combat is totally different. Not to say that one could not adjust their sport to a combative but in my limited exposure and experience that is not done too often, if at all. Most tend to think that their sport is more than adequate to self-defense and/or combat. The rules of engagement for sport vs. combat as well as self-defense vs. Police force, etc. It is often the rules that bog you down in a real violent encounter. 

Not to say that sport is not a good training tool to learn how to deal with stress and pressure, they are. They are not adequate for combat or violence. Someone I know who is a special ops type told me it is not about squaring off with an enemy but more about how you can sneak up on them unobserved from behind and kill them before their minds even register their presence, i.e. one moment the enemy is breathing then next they are lying on the ground dead. Sport is about other things not related to this kind of combatives. 

Second, “Why do they not look for someone who has proved themselves in tournaments with others who in many cases possess far superior speed and power in their techniques than does most anyone on the street or in the field of battle.”

Proving yourself in a rule based sport is not the same as gaining the experience of killing in combat. Even when seeking out training for military vs. police there are vast differences as to rules of engagement. While a combatant may be authorized to kill regardless the police have to go through the training necessary to assess a situation so they can apply the proper “level of force” to not kill but rather to restrain and detain as well as arrest. I don’t have to be a police person to see the glaring differences in this one and I am a Marine, currently inactive. I have not served in Combat but I understand the fundamentals since all military regardless of combat experience are required to train in those rules of engagement. 

Third, it is a huge mistake to lump all martial arts under one umbrella for sport, fighting, self-defense, police and military training because they are just that, separate and distinct methods of conflict. There is bound to be cross over but the core or essence of each is distinct and has their own rules of engagement. 

I like to use a movie quote to help understand this even tho it is limited, i.e.,

Movie Quote: Jesse Stone: Stone Cold with Tom Selleck

Candace Pennington: Did you ever box?

Chief Jesse Stone: Oh, I don't box, I fight.

Candace Pennington: What's the difference?

Chief Jesse Stone: Rules.

Note: remember, fighting is against the law. Also, I suspect that police are not actually allowed to “fight” when handling people but it is a nice quote.