Captain LEVINET IN RUSSIA THE SPETSNAZ TRAINING Photos: Edith LEVINET
Professional Self Defense After his international experience, fairly meaningful in itself, with different law enforcement units and federations in the US, Canada, Australia, Japan, Israel, Hungary, Austria, Spain, Italy and Argentina, the international expert Captain Jacques Levinet speaks to us about the ROS (Real Operational System) Police Training method, of which he is founder 10th Dan black belt, for Russian special forces (Spetsnaz) of the OMOH and the Bureau of Narcotics. We wanted to know his impressions after this exceptional movement.
Budo international: How did the famous Spetsnaz get to know about your methods? Jacques Levinet: I was invited by the highest authorities of the Russian Republic of Yakutia (Siberia) at the request of Tselestin TSYKHTSINSKI, the Russian expert worldwide known in the environment of Martial Arts and combat techniques. Prior to that, he, who is constantly traveling the world in search of new talents, had contacted me at a recent seminar I had given in London (England). He had been seduced by the ROS and wanted to make it known to the special units in his Republic. B.I.: Which are these units and how did they react to the SPK and the ROS? JL: They are central intervention units of the OMON (Otryad Mobilny Osobogo Naznacheniya, Special Purpose Mobile Unit) and the Russian Federal Drug Control Agency, and the strength of these forces is not a legend, same as the extreme
continental climate of Yakutia with -60 째 C in winter and + 40 째 in summer. Some strapping and determined young fellows awaited me, with certain doubts and rudimentary training conditions. That is, to work in a real situation, and that is what I appreciate most. I had no room for error or uncertainty, which is why the answers were supported on and adapted to the environment. B.I.: Can you tell us more about those Russian units? J.L.: They are very discreet and inaccessible unless you are recommended by someone at a high level. Training sessions are held in undisclosed locations and under the watchful eye of officers and team leaders. The OMOH, accustomed to crisis situations, as in Chechnya, are true fighters who are not afraid of almost anything and are familiar with high-risk interventions. The Bureau of Narcotics is equally effective in the fight against drug trafficking and its agents perform large-scale interventions for dismantling organized networks. Bulletproof vests and camouflage wear are the Bread & Butter of these troops. The ROS captivated them by the realism of its method which considers the different levels of confrontation, ranging from empty hand fighting techniques to the use of fire guns, as well as tonfa, operational baton and handcuffing, always according to the complementarity and
Informaci처n sobre cursos y formaciones POLICE TRAINING ROS www.policetrainingros.com y www.academielevinet.com Tel. +33467075044
permanent interaction of ROS and the dangerousness of the circumstances. B.I.: Did you apply a specific ROS program? J.L.: Yes, of course! The ROS has the peculiarity to adapt to the different laws of the countries involved in the field training. The type of self-defense and the equipment are not the same everywhere, for example the disarmament procedure against the
Russian pistol that has its own particular characteristics. The traineeship program was organized around scenarios that I decided, as danger and the reactions of the aggressor or aggressors increased. The ROS is not a self-defense system of one against one, or school learnt technical intervention gestures, but the possibility for police forces to always be a step ahead and have resources available in front of a
situation that degenerates. In addition, Russians are not passive people and it was necessary to go to the end of the intervention techniques with percussion, in order to test their effectiveness. But once they are convinced, they show no problem, respect your knowledge and ask for more. B.I.: What experience have you gained from this trip?
J.L.: The satisfaction of having been able to pass the ROS test at full scale, as these units never do anything halfway and spare no efforts. The constant questioning is a must if we want to progress in all humility. The confrontation abroad avoids selfcomplacency and the national "navelgazing". The enthusiasm of the Russian forces matched the height of the rewards I received: the medal of the 200th anniversary of the creation of the
militia in Russia and of the Ministry of Sports of Yakutia, as well as the Spetsnaz badges. Moreover, I had the privilege of being invited by the Academy of Police officers and having a profuse interchange with instructors and responsible officers, which has enriched my experience. Finally, a continuing Spetsnaz training project is planned. In the light of the upcoming trips of Captain Jacques Levinet to the Police
Academy in New York, Germany, Italy, Austria, Bulgaria, England and Denmark, our polyglot French expert has no other option than learning Russian. Information on courses and training POLICE TRAINING ROS www.policetrainingros.com and www.academielevinet.com Tel. +33467075044