Intercept - Stabilize - Resolve
What is the ISR Matrix?
The ISR Matrix is a unique teaching and training methodology that integrates mind and body in the process of learning and performing activities that require both a complex understanding of the processes and procedures involved as well as the immediate capacity and capability to execute wide, ever changing and varying degrees of actions based on them.
ISR Matrix International has provided strategic and tactical training to law enforcement, military and professional security professionals since 1999 and offers civilians its depth of experience and insights through their full spectrum pro-active personal protection and self-defense programs.
Our system and various programs are dynamic, performance driven, functional and reliable under pressure. They have been tested and vetted as both legally and morally defensible in the use of force throughout the world and in some of the most dangerous working environments possible.
The Three Strategic Phases of the ISR Matrix:
- INTERCEPT: To engage, intercede, enter, gain or regain initiative.
- STABILIZE: To acquire, apprehend, control and manage positional advantage.
- RESOLVE: To establish, secure and achieve success and finality of action.
ISR Matrix History
ISR Matrix's International is recognized today by the United States Department of Defense as the historical center of origin for many of the modern approaches to state and federal law enforcement defensive tactics, subject control and apprehension being taught today. ISR Matrix has been featured in numerous print magazines and press including SWAT, Black Belt, Blitz, Contact, Police Down Under, ACAP, MMA Sports, Response Australia, Australian Security, LE Technology among others. ISR Matrix has presented at numerous Law Enforcement conferences such as Tactical Week Australia, Australian Warrior Expo, Land Warfare Conference, International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association (ILEETA) conference in Chicago, the International Association of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors, Inc. (IALEFI) in Florida, Total Warrior: Tactical Training & Winning Mindset Camp, New Jersey and more. ISR Matrix International has also been a featured presenter on the Police 1 online LEO resource network.
ISR Matrix Law Enforcement is at its center and source, a unique integrative teaching approach and training methodology created and developed by Luis Gutierrez. It is by design, a systematic framework or strategic template to methodically and safely teach and train law enforcement with modern functional tactics. Highly adaptive and structurally dynamic, it utilizes specific stages and phases of uniformly patterned steps that gradually evolve with incremental instruction and layered drilling sequences to cyclically advance students through training goals and fixed curriculum requirements.
Its initial expression, ISR Matrix 101, was co-founded with and launched alongside Officer Paul Sharp in 1999 who contributed his wealth of law enforcement experience and martial sport's knowledge to its original VHS format and public presentations. For the next few years Luis Gutierrez and Paul Sharp would introduce the material via short teaching blocks at BJJ and MMA camps hosted in Oregon by the Straight Blast Gym and a couple of memorable and pioneering LEO only sessions to close out those camps. Luis Gutierrez (Florida) and Paul Sharp (Illinois) would then separately teach their own students back home, some of which would eventually go on and start their own successful companies and become popular years later.
In 2005 Luis Gutierrez was sought out, evaluated, and invited to introduce ISR Matrix Law Enforcement (LE) to the USAF OSI Anti-Terrorism Specialty Team. The intent was to further develop a team oriented and weapon centered apprehension system within the context of the unique missions being assigned to their special operations teams working in various capacities within combat zones. Blending aspects of law enforcement with their role in counter-terrorism, their missions needed them to be able to escalate and de-escalate within military rules of engagement and from going hands on to weapons and / or apprehension to combat and vice-versa.
From 2005-2008 Luis Gutierrez would further evolve and expand the ISR Matrix's LE curriculum and training approach to incorporate the needs of security and special operation forces and through these instrumental and formative years, integrate and further unify the system's apprehension and combative principles and tactics for the Armed Forces which became the ISR Matrix AF. This transformative work would lead to further inquiries and requests for the ISR Matrix among Special Response Teams stateside and overseas and soon after that, trainers from Homeland Security, Air Marshals and DEA were attending courses regularly.
In the decades that would follow, the ISR Matrix Law Enforcement System was taught and trained throughout North America, Australia, Europe, Iceland and Asia and and would be shown periodically to Law Enforcement educators and trainers at national and international events, conventions and shows.
In 2018, Luis Gutierrez introduced the ISR Matrix’s Civilian Systems which were designed around personal protection and self defense and further developed and introduced its women’s counter abduction and counter assault program, the ISR-C.A.T.
ISR Matrix Law Enforcement is at its center and source, a unique integrative teaching approach and training methodology created and developed by Luis Gutierrez. It is by design, a systematic framework or strategic template to methodically and safely teach and train law enforcement with modern functional tactics. Highly adaptive and structurally dynamic, it utilizes specific stages and phases of uniformly patterned steps that gradually evolve with incremental instruction and layered drilling sequences to cyclically advance students through training goals and fixed curriculum requirements.
Its initial expression, ISR Matrix 101, was co-founded with and launched alongside Officer Paul Sharp in 1999 who contributed his wealth of law enforcement experience and martial sport's knowledge to its original VHS format and public presentations. For the next few years Luis Gutierrez and Paul Sharp would introduce the material via short teaching blocks at BJJ and MMA camps hosted in Oregon by the Straight Blast Gym and a couple of memorable and pioneering LEO only sessions to close out those camps. Luis Gutierrez (Florida) and Paul Sharp (Illinois) would then separately teach their own students back home, some of which would eventually go on and start their own successful companies and become popular years later.
In 2005 Luis Gutierrez was sought out, evaluated, and invited to introduce ISR Matrix Law Enforcement (LE) to the USAF OSI Anti-Terrorism Specialty Team. The intent was to further develop a team oriented and weapon centered apprehension system within the context of the unique missions being assigned to their special operations teams working in various capacities within combat zones. Blending aspects of law enforcement with their role in counter-terrorism, their missions needed them to be able to escalate and de-escalate within military rules of engagement and from going hands on to weapons and / or apprehension to combat and vice-versa.
From 2005-2008 Luis Gutierrez would further evolve and expand the ISR Matrix's LE curriculum and training approach to incorporate the needs of security and special operation forces and through these instrumental and formative years, integrate and further unify the system's apprehension and combative principles and tactics for the Armed Forces which became the ISR Matrix AF. This transformative work would lead to further inquiries and requests for the ISR Matrix among Special Response Teams stateside and overseas and soon after that, trainers from Homeland Security, Air Marshals and DEA were attending courses regularly.
In the decades that would follow, the ISR Matrix Law Enforcement System was taught and trained throughout North America, Australia, Europe, Iceland and Asia and and would be shown periodically to Law Enforcement educators and trainers at national and international events, conventions and shows.
In 2018, Luis Gutierrez introduced the ISR Matrix’s Civilian Systems which were designed around personal protection and self defense and further developed and introduced its women’s counter abduction and counter assault program, the ISR-C.A.T.
Luis Gutierrez
Founder / Chief Instructor / CEO
A life long martial artist, 4th Degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt and a subject matter expert in apprehension and combatives for the US Department of Defense, Luis Gutierrez has often been called a coach's coach by his peers and has proven himself to be one of the most innovative, dynamic and pioneering instructors and voices in the industry for the past 30 years.
Featured in numerous publications such as Black Belt, Blitz and SWAT magazines, he has successfully taken his experiences and expression of the martial arts into almost every facet and area of the subject, the industry and its commercial markets and more than often at times, simultaneously.
A Martial Arts gym owner, coach and program director for over two decades, he successfully ran two competitively awarded gyms (One Dragon Martial Arts and Big Cypress Martial Arts) while likewise teaching law enforcement courses (ISR Matrix), weekend seminars and while also traveling to teach BJJ, Self-Defense and LEO. He likewise developed innovative curriculums and systems of coaching of which some became popular instructional products. (Play as the Way 1 & 2- Coaching kids in the mixed martial arts, Soflo Jiu Jitsu 1 & 2 - The Harness & Chin Strap sets, and the ISR Matrix 101 and Physical Management Sets).
A Martial Arts gym owner, coach and program director for over two decades, he successfully ran two competitively awarded gyms (One Dragon Martial Arts and Big Cypress Martial Arts) while likewise teaching law enforcement courses (ISR Matrix), weekend seminars and while also traveling to teach BJJ, Self-Defense and LEO. He likewise developed innovative curriculums and systems of coaching of which some became popular instructional products. (Play as the Way 1 & 2- Coaching kids in the mixed martial arts, Soflo Jiu Jitsu 1 & 2 - The Harness & Chin Strap sets, and the ISR Matrix 101 and Physical Management Sets).
He has professionally taught men, women and children multiple martial arts, martial fitness, combative sports and weapon centered self-defense and has done so out of garages, at parks, in warehouses, storefronts, elementary schools, universities and on reservations.
He has coached coaches, presented to and given lectures to LEO academy instructors and has trained the trainers of armed service professionals at police departments, federal agencies, remote training compounds, military bases and academies throughout America, Canada, Europe, Iceland and China.
Luis Gutierrez has been instrumental in introducing both tactics and training methodology into the Air Force Combatives Program and continues to instruct and train state and federal LEO, works with military security forces and special operations trainers and dedicates his experience and services to civilians seeking out personal protection and self defense.
“Throughout the years I have personally witnessed all the time, work and dedication Luis has put into training various law enforcement agencies, military special operators, and civilians from all over the world. He can tailor the needs of a department, military unit or an individual and develop a personalized curriculum. He is by far, one of the most gifted martial arts instructors I have ever trained with and teaches every time totally from the heart.”
- James. E. Walker
Office of Special Investigations, Anti-Terrorism Specialty Team (retired), USAF Surveillance Specialist, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Blackbelt
“I have continually been impressed by Luis’ sense of service, depth, breadth of knowledge set and humility to develop continually. His work with local, state, federal and military members and his work internationally not only validate his expertise but also speaks volumes about his capability as an effective cross-cultural communicator. There are very few people who have the experience and maturity from both Brazilian Jiujitsu and Defensive Tactics background to train Law Enforcement entities as Luis does effectively. Simply said, he is a problem solver and has revolutionized training nationwide.”
- David W. Durnil
AD-23, DAF Chief of Training and Education HQ USAF/ADPC, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Blackbelt
AD-23, DAF Chief of Training and Education HQ USAF/ADPC, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Blackbelt