From Hands Up to Face Down: Prone Control for Police That Works
Getting a resisting person from standing to a safe, controlled position for handcuffing is one of the most common physical tasks in policing, and one of the easiest to rush. Good prone control for police comes down to a short sequence done in order: off-balance first, control the arm on the way down, then position your knee and your pull so he rolls to prone instead of fighting it. Two short reels show the pieces. This post connects them.
Off-Balance First: The Start of Prone Control for Police
Every clean takedown starts before the takedown. If he's balanced, he can resist. If he's off-balance, he's busy trying to catch himself, and that's your window. In the first reel the entry is simple: break his posture and move his weight over one foot before asking him to go anywhere.
Trying to force someone down while they're still balanced turns the encounter into a strength contest. That's tiring, unpredictable and harder on both people. Taking his balance first lets you use far less force.
Control the Arm on the Way Down
As he goes down, keep control of the arm. This is the link between the takedown and the handcuffs. Officers who let go of the arm during the fall often end up chasing it on the ground, and that's where scrambles start.
Keep the arm attached to your body, and think "same entry, rep two." The goal is that each rep looks the same, because consistency under stress comes from boring, repeatable reps.
He Won't Roll to Prone? Fix Your Knee and Your Pull
Sometimes he lands on his side or back and simply won't turn over. The second reel covers the two most common reasons.
1. Your knee is too deep. It's natural to over-penetrate and end up with your knee up by his shoulder. From there you have little leverage on the arm. Instead, keep your shin on the triceps, about an inch above the elbow. That placement gives you control of the arm and lets you guide his shoulder.
2. You're pulling straight back. Pulling the arm straight back toward you jams the shoulder joint, and the body won't rotate. Move the arm in a circle instead. The circular path lets the shoulder rotate naturally, and he rolls to prone.
Both corrections are small. Both make the difference between a long struggle and a smooth roll to a handcuffing position.
Prone Control for Police Is About Safety on Both Sides
The point of prone control isn't to dominate. It's to get to a stable, controlled position as quickly and calmly as possible so handcuffing can happen and the person can be sat up or moved to a recovery position as soon as it's safe. Less time on the ground and less struggling means less risk of injury for everyone.
Good positioning also reduces the need for weight and pressure. When your shin and your pull are right, you don't need to pile on. That's better for the person you're controlling and easier on your own body over a career.
A Simple Drill Progression
Entry only. Off-balance your partner and stop. Ten reps, both sides.
Entry plus arm control. Take them down slowly while keeping the arm attached.
Knee and pull. Partner lies on their side. Practice shin placement above the elbow and the circular pull until they roll to prone.
Put it together with light resistance, building up as the sequence becomes automatic.
Train with control, tap early and communicate. Short, regular reps keep these skills sharp.
Train It With Your Team
If your agency wants regular, realistic subject control training that builds clean transitions from standing to handcuffing, see our law enforcement programs or book training. For the full sequence from a failed armbar to proning, see our earlier post on recovery options for a failed standing armbar.
Amir Khillah is a peace officer and the founder of Centurion Modern Law Enforcement Subject Control.
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