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Machado Method Tactical Training Reserve a seat

Level 1 Instructor Certification

Certify your instructors. Train your whole department.

Three days at the Harris County Sheriff Academy. Your instructors come back able to teach the Machado Method Tactical curriculum in house, to the whole department.

Reserve a seat See what is taught
Feb 8-10, 2027
Monday to Wednesday
8 hours a day
Three days
Humble, Texas
Harris County Sheriff Academy
$1,000
Per person

Retention-first training

The test is what the officer still has months later

A law enforcement defensive tactics system built around rapid recall, practical application, and performance under pressure.

Rapid recall

Drilled until the movement comes back on its own. The officer is not searching for a technique they last saw in a classroom.

Practical application

Built for the positions arrests actually happen in, on the feet and on the ground. Simple, replicable skill sets, not a demonstration.

Performance under pressure

Repetition built so the technique survives the adrenaline, and physical ability holds up when the encounter is real.

Level 1 curriculum

What the three days cover

Six blocks, taught in the order an encounter runs: from the feet, to the ground, to the cuffs.

  • Stand-Up

    Control from the feet, taught as a simple skill set an officer can repeat.

  • Ground Control

    Position and control once the encounter goes to the ground.

  • Containment

    Holding a subject in place while staying in control and de-escalating.

  • Restraint

    Restraint applied with precision, which is how force stays proportionate.

  • Gear Protection

    Keeping your gear on your belt through the struggle.

  • Handcuff Application

    Finishing the arrest with the cuffs on.

Officers with no prior Jiu-Jitsu experience take this course. The emphasis throughout is staying in control and de-escalating, which is how force stays proportionate.

Who teaches it

The instructors in the room

Master Carlos Machado

Carlos Machado

Founder and Chief Instructor

Creator of the Machado Method Tactical curriculum.

  • 8th degree coral belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
  • More than 55 years on the mat
  • Direct lineage under Grandmaster Carlos Gracie Sr
  • Trains roughly 200 academy owners across the country
Professor Anthony Bernabeao

Anthony Bernabeao

Director of Law Enforcement Training

Runs the law enforcement side of the program.

  • More than 30 years in law enforcement
  • Certified Master Peace Officer and TCOLE Licensed Instructor
  • Use of Force Expert and BPOC Counselor, Harris County Sheriff’s Office
  • Lead author of the Ground Fighting and Weapon Retention curriculum used by the Harris County Sheriff’s Academy
  • 5th degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Carlos Machado

The details

Dates, place and cost

Dates
February 8 to 10, 2027. Monday to Wednesday.
Format
3 days, 8 hours a day
Venue
Harris County Sheriff Academy
Address
2316 Atascocita Road, Humble, Texas 77396
Cost
$1,000 per person
On completion
Individual Certificate of Completion
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Enrolment

Reserve a seat

$1,000 per person. February 8 to 10, 2027, at the Harris County Sheriff Academy in Humble, Texas.

Per seat

$1,000

per person, 3-day format

What the seat includes

  • 3 days, 8 hours a day of instruction at the Harris County Sheriff Academy
  • The full Level 1 curriculum, stand-up through handcuff application
  • Instruction from Machado Method Tactical certified instructors
  • Individual Certificate of Completion, issued to the individual officer
  • Authority to deliver the Machado Method Tactical curriculum inside your agency

Before you enrol

Questions training directors ask

Who should we send?

Send the officers who will teach defensive tactics inside your agency. This is a train-the-trainer course. Your certified instructors then deliver the curriculum to the rest of the department. Large departments send several, so there is a trainer on every shift and at every site.

Does the officer need Jiu-Jitsu experience?

No. The course takes officers with or without prior experience, and concentrates on simple, retainable skill sets.

What does the officer leave with?

An individual Certificate of Completion, recording proficiency and skill set, plus the ability to teach the curriculum inside your agency.

Can you run this at our academy instead?

Yes. Machado Method Tactical instructors travel to the requesting agency to deliver this certification on site. Ask us for a date that fits your calendar.

How do we pay?

By card, through the checkout on this page. If your agency buys by purchase order, contact us before you enrol so we can set that up.