The ILEETA Learning Lab
The Learning Lab is a series of 60 minute interviews with ILEETA Conference presenters discussing the key teaching point takeaways from their conference presentation. These interviews are packed with great content and created to serve as weekly professional development training for ILEETA members.
The ILEETA Learning Lab
Weapons-Based Grappling - Chris Mandigma
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Chris Mandigma and Kenny Bigbee Jr. will present Weapons-Based Grappling at the 2026 ILEETA Conference & Expo in St. Louis, 16–21 March 2026.
👉 https://www.ileeta.org/conference/
A NOTE FROM THE LEARNING LAB
ILEETA Deputy Executive Director Joe Willis sat down with Chris Mandigma of Tirsia Tactical to discuss Weapons-Based Grappling and why traditional training often leaves a dangerous gap between firearms skills and close-quarters survival.
In this conversation, Chris breaks down the reality that most academies spend minimal time on weapon retention and even less on ground survival with a firearm or edged weapon. When fights go to the ground, officers must be able to retain, access, and deploy their weapons decisively.
This discussion provides value whether you are attending the conference or not. It reframes how combatives, weapon access, and grappling should integrate into modern law enforcement training.
COURSE CONTEXT
Course Title: Weapons-Based Grappling
Instructors: Chris Mandigma & Kenny Bigbee Jr.
Course Length: 3 hours 45 minutes
Event: 2026 ILEETA Conference & Expo
Location: St. Louis, Missouri | 16–21 March 2026
🗓️ Find this course on the conference schedule:
[Insert Schedule Link Here]
ABOUT THE CONVERSATION
Weapons-Based Grappling addresses one of the most undertrained realities in policing: what happens when the fight collapses to the ground and weapons are involved.
In this Learning Lab interview, Chris discusses:
- The training gap between firearms qualification and weapon retention
- Why ground survival skills must include weapon access and protection
- Integrating pistol and knife awareness into grappling systems
- The difference between sport grappling and weapons-aware grappling
- Retention principles from standing to grounded positions
- Why decisiveness under pressure matters more than complexity
- Building scalable training programs for agencies with limited mat time
Chris emphasizes that weapon-based encounters are dynamic and chaotic. Officers must be prepared to transition between control, retention, and deployment seamlessly.
This is not about adding more techniques.
It is about building systems that account for weapons in every phase of the fight.
TOPICS DISCUSSED
Weapon retention realities
Ground survival with firearms
Knife awareness in close quarters
Sport vs operational grappling
Standing to ground transitions
Integrating combatives with firearms training
Training decisiveness under pressure
Building scalable agency programs
CONNECT WITH CHRIS MANDIGMA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tirsiatactical/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrismandigma/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tirsiatraining
Website: https://www.tirsiatactical.com/
Company: Tirsia Tactical
WATCH OR LISTEN
🎥 YouTube – Full Learning Lab Interview
[Insert YouTube Link Here]
🎧 Podcast – ILEETA Learning Lab
https://www.ileeta.org/learning-lab/
Also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and major platforms.