Will, a paramedic with 15 years of experience, has found an unexpected tool that helps him manage the physical and mental demands of emergency medical services: Brazilian jiu-jitsu. What started as an occasional practice has become a serious commitment over the past year, and he’s discovered that the grappling art offers benefits that extend far beyond the gym.
Training at a Sacramento facility, Will has noticed a trend among his fellow practitioners. Many come from EMS backgrounds, police work, and other first responder roles. For them, the practice serves as what he describes as “almost like a meditational practice,” offering both stress relief and practical application.
The practical benefits became clear during a recent call. Will and his partner responded to a garage where they found a large man, approximately 6’3″ and heavily muscled, receiving compressions from a friend.
After administering Narcan for what appeared to be an opioid overdose, the patient regained consciousness but immediately became combative, throwing punches and tearing off his oxygen mask in a confused, hypoxic state.
“We’re trying to figure out what’s going on with him,” Will recalls. “We’re trying to calm him down verbally initially, and he just was not calming down.”
With four or five responders present, including firefigh ters, the situation required immediate physical control without causing harm to the patient.
Will employed a crucifix hold, a jiu-jitsu technique where he used his arms to control one of the patient’s arms and his legs to secure the other, while firefighters assisted with the lower body.
“I essentially used two of my arms to grab one of his arms and then my legs to wrap around the back side of him and contain his other arm,” he explains.
Crucially, they ensured the patient had space to breathe and for his chest to expand.
The hold allowed them to safely maintain control until they could administer ketamine and transport the patient to the hospital. By the time they arrived at the emergency room, the patient had stabilized, and he eventually recovered fully.
This type of scenario is becoming increasingly common in medical settings, and the response is evolving. Will notes that some places now offer medical-specific jiu-jitsu classes because the techniques prove effective at controlling combative patients without striking.
“There’s no striking involved in jiu-jitsu. It’s all like holds and grappling and different types of pinning and things like that,” he says.
The benefits extend beyond physical techniques. For Will and many other first responders, jiu-jitsu provides essential mental health support in a high-stress career. Making $9.25 an hour as an EMT in 2014, he recalls calculating that he earned about six dollars during a 35 to 45 minute period in which he helped save an 18-month-old who had fallen into a pool. The child was discharged days later with no neurological deficits.
The low compensation, combined with regular exposure to traumatic situations, takes a toll. Will emphasizes the importance of hobbies and outlets for first responders, who face some of the highest rates of mental health challenges in any profession.
His commitment to jiu-jitsu represents what he calls “a way of life,” providing both physical skills and mental resilience for a demanding career.
