PICKAWAY COUNTY, Ohio — Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson stepped onto the mats at Roundtown Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) on Wednesday, joining local martial artists and law enforcement advocates to highlight the critical role defensive tactics play in modern policing.
The visit to the academy, located at 25260 US-23 in Pickaway County, came after an invitation from local practitioner Sonny Kerschner, a 2024 World No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu gold medalist who first connected with Wilson at a recent “Boots and Badges” competition.
Hands-On Training with Local Leadership
Wilson participated in a Gi class led by Roundtown BJJ owner and head instructor Donnie Worthington, a former Columbus police officer and black belt. Kerschner served as Wilson’s primary training partner during the session.
“Coach Worthington, as usual, showed some great technique, and Andy took right to what Donnie was showing,” Kerschner shared following the session, describing Wilson as a competitive presence on the mats. “I really think more leaders should step out of their comfort zone and learn to defend themselves.”
Reshaping Police Culture Through Training
For Worthington, hosting the state’s chief law enforcement officer aligned directly with his mission to expand martial arts training across law enforcement agencies. He emphasized that regular BJJ practice serves as vital “stress inoculation” for officers.
“Officers can come into jiu-jitsu one, two, or three times a week and get weekly stress inoculation that gives them confidence mentally and physically in any type of verbal or physical altercation,” Worthington said. “It gets them used to playing that human chess and being under control, even in high-stress situations.”
In His Own Words: AG Andy Wilson on Police Training
Following the session, AG Wilson addressed the class, speaking candidly about why hands-on defensive tactics are vital for officer safety, public trust, and de-escalation:
- On the Importance of Hands-On Confidence: “Defensive tactics—that’s the ability to go hands-on if needed—is one of the most important skills that a law enforcement officer can have. Why? Because officers who are confident in their ability to go hands-on are less likely to have excessive use of force.”
- On Protecting Both Officers and Suspects: “They’re less likely to hurt themselves. They’re less likely to hurt the people that they’re having to arrest. Why? Because they’re making their decisions from a rational decision-making matrix, as opposed to a fear-based or emotional decision-making matrix.”
- On Moving Beyond Minimal Training: “The problem is a lot of agencies don’t prioritize this… Unfortunately, too many agencies are just doing it once a year in service for hours, and as a result, we’re setting their officers up for failure out on the streets. We need, as a profession, to mandate, incentivize, lead by example, whatever it takes.”
- On Preventing Lethal Escalation: “If you know how to handle yourself, you’re less likely to engage in tactics that ultimately end up breaking somebody’s nose, breaking somebody’s jaw, or worse comes to worse, you’re so scared because you don’t know what to do, you go to a weapon and you end up engaging in deadly force in a situation that you could have de-escalated or used less than lethal with just your hands.”
Wilson expressed appreciation to the staff at Roundtown BJJ and indicated plans to return to the academy when traveling through the area in the future.
