For Arizona Hospitals & Healthcare Employers
Workplace Violence
Prevention Training
Arizona law and Joint Commission accreditation require your staff to be trained in physical intervention. A video cannot teach a nurse what to do in the two seconds after a patient grabs her wrist. We teach that part, on your floor, with your people.
40
Years Teaching
26
Countries Trained In
150+
Fights Cornered
6th
Degree Black Belt
The hands-on half you cannot click through
Most of your workplace violence requirement can be satisfied with an online module. Recognition, reporting, documentation. That part works.
The Joint Commission standard asks for training in de-escalation, nonphysical and physical intervention. Video cannot deliver physical intervention.
That gap is not a marketing angle. It is a physical fact, and it is the only thing we do.
What you are required to do
Arizona Senate Bill 1311
In force since July 2023. Every health care employer in the state must maintain a written workplace violence prevention plan, train all employees, investigate incidents, and review the program annually.
Joint Commission National Performance Goal 2a
Effective January 2026. Accredited hospitals must deliver training at hire, annually, and whenever the program changes.
We are not a compliance vendor and we do not sell certificates. We deliver the physical skills portion inside those requirements, and we document attendance so your training records hold up.
Who teaches it
Professor Scott Tannenbaum has spent 40 years in martial arts and 26 of them teaching. He has trained police, FBI and Special Forces units in 26 countries, and he has cornered more than 150 MMA fights, which means decades spent watching which techniques hold up against someone genuinely resisting and which ones quietly fail.
Most defensive training assumes a level of cooperation from the other person. Real incidents do not offer that. That distinction is the whole reason this training exists.
Credentials
- Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, 6th Degree Black Belt under Rigan Machado (Red Belt)
- Vice President of No-Gi Affiliations, Rigan Machado BJJ Association
- Aikido, 3rd Degree Black Belt
- Japanese Jiu-Jitsu, 1st Degree Black Belt
- Judo, Black Belt
- Head Coach of UMMAF, Team USA
- Founder of the TNT BJJ Federation
- Has taught seminars in 26 countries
- Numerous seminars delivered for Police, FBI and Special Forces
- Coached over 150 MMA fights
- Amateur record 8-0, professional record 11-2
- Over 40 years martial arts experience, 26 years instructing
He is also the only 6th Degree No-Gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt in Arizona. Full background →
What a session covers
- Recognising escalation early, and the positioning that buys you time
- Stance and distance, so you are not easy to grab
- Breaking grips: wrists, arms, clothing, hair
- Getting free of a bear hug or a hold from behind
- Creating distance and exiting a room safely
- Protecting yourself on the ground if you are taken down
- Team response: two or three staff safely managing one escalated patient
- What to do with your hands when restraint is not an option
Everything is taught at a level a non-athlete can perform under stress. No mats, no uniforms, no fitness prerequisite. Staff train in scrubs.
Formats
On-site session
We come to you and train your staff in a space you already have, sized to your shift patterns.
Train the trainer
We certify your own educators to deliver and sustain the physical skills portion internally, so you are not dependent on an outside vendor every year.
Annual refresher
Recurring sessions to satisfy the yearly training requirement without rebuilding the program.
Multi-site
Scott has taught in 26 countries. A schedule across several Valley locations is straightforward.
Who this is for
If your staff can be grabbed, cornered or struck at work, this applies to you. In practice that is most of healthcare and a good deal beyond it.
Hospitals & health systems
Emergency departments, ICU, med-surg floors, triage and reception. The staff most often assaulted are the ones patients reach first.
Behavioral health & psychiatric
The highest assault rates in healthcare. Staff need control options that do not rely on strength or on a second person arriving in time.
Skilled nursing & long-term care
Same legal obligation as hospitals, usually far less prepared. Dementia-related aggression is a daily reality, not an edge case.
Home health & community care
Staff who enter homes alone, with no security, no cameras and no backup. The highest-risk role in the sector.
Hospital security teams
Often the first physical responders and frequently the least formally trained in grappling, which is what a real hold becomes.
Clinics, urgent care & dental
Smaller sites without security staff, where the receptionist is the whole front line.
EMS & patient transport
Confined spaces, moving vehicles, patients who may be impaired or altered. Nowhere to create distance.
Social services & outreach
Caseworkers making home visits and staff running walk-in services carry the same exposure with less institutional cover.
Roles that usually book this
- Director of Safety and Security
- Chief Nursing Officer and nurse educators
- Risk Manager or Workplace Violence Committee chair
- Clinical Director in behavioral health
- HR or Employee Health leadership
- Facility Administrator or Director of Nursing
FAQ
Does this satisfy the Joint Commission requirement on its own?
No, and we will not tell you otherwise. Your program also needs policy, reporting, risk assessment and documentation. We deliver the hands-on component that e-learning cannot cover.
Is this too physical for our staff?
No. Techniques are chosen because they work for someone smaller, tired, and not a martial artist. Nobody is asked to spar and nobody is put on the ground against their will.
How long is a session?
It depends on your staff numbers and shift coverage. Tell us what you are working with and we will propose a format.
Request an on-site assessment
Tell us about your facility and we will come back with a scope and a quote.
Request an on-site assessment
Tell us your facility type, roughly how many staff need training, and your timeline. We will come back with a proposed format and a quote.
TNT MMA Training Center · 1515 W. Deer Valley Rd, Suite B-105, Phoenix, AZ 85027 · Serving the Phoenix metro and statewide.