One of the vital popular police dramas on TV to is NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service which is usually referred to by is acronym NCIS. Each week hundreds of thousands of viewers tune in to look at Mark Harmon and the remainder of the forged tackle criminals, terrorists, and traitors in Washington D.C. and across the globe. While there may be loads of motion and intrigue how much of what happens on the show actually goes on in a typical NCIS agent’s day? Now of coarse any TV show greatly exaggerates any real life situation, but is every part the fictional agents of NCIS completely fantasy? While NCIS is not overly technical and in no way a documentary of the agency it does get quite a bit right, they usually do know how one can fight.
Prior to the Korean War Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) handled most of the duties NCIS handles today, but within the 1950’s more civilians began joining the force and by 1969 they were their very own separate unit. The mission of the true NCIS is protect the families and assets of the Navy and Marines, and is summed up of their three strategic priorities, Prevent Terrorism, Protect Secrets, and Reduce Crime. While the list is brief it keeps the over 1,000 agents in 14 field offices and 140 locations all over the world very busy. In recent times NCIS agents caught spy Jonathan Pollard, and after September 11, agents were deployed to Cairo to guard shipping within the Suez Canal, and agents have uncovered billions in fraud. The agency protects Navy and Marines personnel in order that they’re higher capable of fulfill their duties.
If you happen to discuss with anyone about NCIS you’ll likely soon realize the show is character driven, and since of that there’s not as much concentrate on the technical side of things. Supervisory Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs a former marine and agents Anthony DiNozzo, Timothy McGee, and Caitlin “Kate” Todd are all good examples of NCIS agents with backgrounds in law enforcement the military, and computers. Medical Examiner Donald “Ducky” Mallard and Forensic Specialist Abby Sciuto are also typical of the agencies’ support personnel. Mossad Liaison Officer Ziva David then again is pure fantasy, and no intelligence agency has foreign agents even from a friendly nation on staff. The agency requires its agents to have a bachelor degree and backgrounds very from law enforcement to journalism.
The show is accurate to some extent, however it also vital to know that the agents also show some reality in how they fight. When the team has to take down a steroid crazed marine they do not use any fancy techniques, they simply overwhelm him with numbers and effective brute force. They weren’t afraid to get hurt, they usually knew normal techniques would not work in that situation. In a single episode when Gibbs and DiNozzo are figuring out within the boxing ring Tony asks if Gibbs learned how one can box within the Marines, Gibbs than catches Tony’s arm and takes him to the bottom with a combat judo take down and says, “they teach you fighting within the Marines not boxing.” When Abby has to cope with successful man on her own she uses mace and a tazer to defend her self until help arrives. At the top of season 6 agent DiNozzo uses one in all the few possible defenses against a rear choke when he’s fighting for his life against a rogue Israeli agent’s in Ziva’s apartment.
There are other examples of NCIS members using correct techniques in combat, but in the long run they fall victim to what many fictional characters experience. Reality is not exciting enough for entertaining purposes. In lots of episodes a fight might have been cut short by an easy strike to the throat and even the groin, and if an officers feels threatened they are going to shoot, but that would not provide you with dramatic moments and intense fights. Any real NCIS agent will attempt to end a fight as quickly as possible and can use what ever means they will to win. So sit back and revel in the show, but remember you would like a greater source to your self defense and martial arts training.