Life doesn’t happen in silos — so why do we train that way? We’re fully capable of learning and applying multiple skill sets at once. I strongly believe in the crawl-walk-run progression to build competence and retention, but the real question is whether we consistently connect those individual skills into a cohesive, integrated response.
Police academy training has long followed a structured, segmented model. Recruits move through “learning domains,” each focused on a specific discipline — defensive tactics, firearms, vehicle operations, communication — mastering one skill at a time before attempting to integrate them in scenario-based exercises. I teach within that system at a regional academy, and while it builds foundational competence, it raises an important question: Is that how real-world policing actually unfolds?
On the street, situations don’t arrive in neat segments. They are fast, unpredictable and layered with competing demands. Officers don’t get the luxury of isolating one skill set at a time — they must think, decide and act in a fluid environment where tactics, communication and force options intersect in real time.
That’s where Adaptive Control training represents a meaningful shift.
At its core, Adaptive Control emphasizes decision-making under stress, the integration of tools and tactics and the importance of giving officers options instead of rigid scripts. It recognizes a fundamental truth: There is rarely a single “correct” response to a dynamic encounter. Instead, success depends on an officer’s ability to assess, adapt and respond to evolving conditions.
Adaptive Control is “a hands-on training methodology centered on effective control techniques, instructional confidence and real-world readiness.” Delivered through instructor-led training and practical application, it is designed not just to teach techniques, but to build instructors who can pass on those skills with clarity and purpose across their organizations.
What makes this approach different is its focus on integration. Rather than teaching combatives, tools and tactics in isolation, Adaptive Control frames them as part of a single operational system. Officers learn to blend empty-hand techniques, weapons and decision-making processes into one cohesive response. The training is scalable, functioning either as a complete defensive tactics framework or as an enhancement to existing arrest and control strategies.
Equally important, it is designed to develop coaches — not just practitioners — equipping trainers with methodologies that can drive long-term cultural change within agencies.
I was first introduced to this concept at Axon’s customer conference in Phoenix, where I met the Norwegian police officer, professor and martial artist Espen Dahlen Lervåg, who demonstrated a series of dynamic defensive tactics scenarios. I spoke with him in Phoenix last year and later had the opportunity to speak with him again in Nashville at Axon’s customer conference this year, and his message has remained consistent: We need to stop thinking of training as separate categories — TASER energy device training, baton training or firearms training, for example — and start thinking of it simply as training for the whole mission.
Watch Jim Dudley’s interview with Dahlen Lervåg:
Lervåg’s demonstrations on officers reminded me of the old training videos depicting attacks, and in particular edged weapons attacks, on officers. In several surprise attack demonstrations, their responses were often flawed and often fatal. Some officers retreated while others attempted to draw their firearms in response. Neither response proved viable. The officers fell back (literally and figuratively) on training habits they learned. Lervåg showed the counterintuitive move toward the attacker to get into close quarters and leverage the attackers and ultimately subdue them.
What Lervåg demonstrated instead was compelling: In certain close-range attacks, moving toward the threat — closing distance, controlling the attacker’s limbs and disrupting their movement — can provide a more viable path to survival. His techniques varied depending on the scenario, from wrist and arm controls to grappling and ground stabilization, but the underlying principle remained the same: Adapt to the moment; don’t rely on a scripted response.
Watch Lervåg’s demonstrations of Adaptive Control techniques:
Over the past year, that philosophy has gained traction. Lervåg described how Axon founder and CEO Rick Smith traveled to Norway to observe these methods firsthand, asking Lervåg to shape the evolution of Adaptive Control into a broader training model. The goal is not to replace existing training, but to connect it — acknowledging that real encounters are complex, with “so many variables in place,” requiring officers to adjust continuously as situations unfold.
This idea of fluidity extends into scenario design. Instead of placing officers into narrowly defined situation — such as a domestic violence call with a predictable outcome — Adaptive Control encourages scenarios where role players can think, react and improvise. Officers must then respond accordingly, selecting the appropriate level of force and adapting as resistance changes.
Andy Wrenn, Axon’s vice president of training, emphasized that this model is already scaling nationwide, with agencies training instructors who can bring the methodology back to their departments. The emphasis on “training the trainers” ensures the approach can grow organically and sustainably.
With traditional law enforcement training, we tend to separate firearms, driving and defensive tactics into distinct silos, often teaching them in controlled environments that don’t reflect the complexity of real encounters. Adaptive Control challenges that model by blending these elements into integrated, scenario-based experiences. An officer might move from a vehicle stop to a foot encounter, to a physical struggle all within a single training evolution — mirroring the realities of the job.
For line officers, this shift is more than theoretical. It reflects how they actually engage, think and survive. While it may be tempting to introduce these concepts only to seasoned personnel, the consensus among these trainers is clear: Adaptive Control should begin at the academy level. Building these habits early avoids the need to “unlearn” outdated approaches later in an officer’s career.
Ultimately, Adaptive Control training represents a broader evolution in policing — one that prioritizes adaptability over rigidity, integration over isolation and critical thinking over rote response. If training is meant to prepare officers for reality, then it must look, feel and function like reality. This model moves the profession closer to that goal, equipping officers not just to respond — but to prevail in the unpredictable environments they face every day.
