264. Tom Chuckerel - Retired Maryland Cop is a Jiu Jitsu Blackbelt and Gracie Survival Tactics Instructor

Episode 264 of the Transition Drill podcast explores law enforcement retirement, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and career transition for police officers and first responders navigating life after the badge. You’ll hear Tom Chuckerel on leaving a 25-year police career without a clear second-career plan, and what it takes to turn skills, relationships, and genuine interests into meaningful work after service.

Tom wanted to be a Montgomery County police officer from the time he was six. He joined the department in 1994, spent years working patrol in the community where he grew up, became an FTO, and explored narcotics, surveillance, and SWAT before a medical issue unexpectedly redirected his career toward training.

That move became pivotal. Tom joined the police academy staff, helped modernize defensive tactics, and brought his growing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu experience into law enforcement training. He’d started training in 1997, eventually became a black belt, taught Jiu Jitsu and Thai boxing, and built a relationship with Rener Gracie while hosting Gracie Survival Tactics (GST) courses.

When Tom retired in 2017 and moved to Monterey, California, he still wasn’t sure what came next. He considered everything from X-ray tech school to becoming a butcher. Instead, years of training and relationships created opportunities. He ran a Jiu Jitsu school, worked private security and executive protection, and began teaching GST. Today, GST is his primary work, with roughly 150 classes led, allowing him to continue serving law enforcement through teaching, safer arrest-and-control tactics, and the work he genuinely loves.

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Johnny Collins Episode:

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