Welcome back to the Iron Sights Podcast. Today, I’m grateful to have Rener Gracie, a name synonymous with Brazilian jiu-jitsu and a prominent figure in law enforcement training.
I connected with Rener at the 2025 California Force Instructors Association Law Enforcement conference in Napa, CA. This event was a valuable one for me and the other 250 participants on a lot of levels. I’m anxious to share other interviews from some of the dedicated experts that presented in the near future.
While at the CALFIA conferenceI, and prior to the interview, I got the opportunity to listen to Rener answer audience questions as a panel member, witness him on the mat teach use of force techniques to a room full of law enforcement officers and use of force instructors, and then ultimately sit down 1 on 1 to ask him several questions that both the audience and I had about what he’s doing with Gracie Survival Tactics.
We dig into Rener’s history, philosophy and approach to training, and the controversial introduction of his Safe Wrap System as a two person solution to the highly politicized prone restraint - a topic that has sparked discussion and debate within the martial arts and law enforcement communities.
No doubt about it, Rener is a guy who wants to understand and be understood. If you haven’t heard him go deep on the who he is, what he does, and why he’s doing it, this one doesn’t disappoint.
So here we go! Hope you enjoy this After Dark episode here on the Iron Sights Podcast.
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
04:01 Rener Gracie’s Background & Philosophy
13:28 Gracie Legacy & Evolution of BJJ
18:48 Gracie University & Online Learning
26:10 GST for Law Enforcement
33:10 Birth of the SafeWrap System
47:27 Tactical Advantage & Real-World Use
54:24 SafeWrap in Action
01:06:29 Training & Implementation
01:17:40 Addressing Controversies & Patents
01:23:41 Challenges in Defensive Tactics Training
01:30:20 Legal Support & Expert Witness Role
01:36:13 Breaking Training Silos & Improving Systems
01:56:53 Global Adoption & Future Prospects
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