They’ll soon be meeting more people and taking more walks on their own, and teaching self defense techniques kids should know is one of the biggest protection that will stick with them forever… BUT
“Knowing is half the battle won, applying with wisdom completes them all”
Best Self-Defense Techniques for Kids
It is very natural for an untrained individual to either stone or disregards their instinct when they “feel” an impending attack. Rather than making an early exit from the situation, most people wasted the precious few seconds to clear from danger zone.
Retreat!
Ask your kids to discontinue the journey if they feel something not right even if it’s their usual route on a bright sunny day. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.
Stay In Numbers
Who cares if you hop into a crowd that gives you the dumbfounded stares? That’s exactly what your kids need to deter advances from any potential attackers.
Be A Whistle Blower
Assure your child that they have every reason to alert the crowd or someone who are able to assist them if they’re pretty sure of just having escaped an attack. Shouting on top of their voice such as “HELP!” or “THIEF!” are good attention-grabbers.
Clear The Distance
Of the many abduction cases all year round, approximately 75% are strategized by someone your kids know. They buy time to gain their trust to avoid the confrontation hassle. Hence, it’s crucial to remind your child that if someone they know (other than immediate family members) are being extra nice or way too persuasive to get them to taste something or get them somewhere, quickly elude the scene by pointing to a direction and say someone’s calling them or their friends have arrived while taking off in opposite direction.
Weaken The Attacker
Practice-run a few self defense techniques kids should know with your child regularly to give them a feel of how a real attack will possibly unfold. Wrap them from behind and ask your child to do the following:
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Yell – Shout for “HELP!” on an ear-piercing pitch continuously.
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Kick – No specific style, just some frantic kicking back and forth as hard as possible. There might be a good chance to lash out on the assailant’s groin.
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Aim for the eye – if the attacker grab by the front, poke hard on the eyes if your child happens to be at/within reach of the eye level.
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Bite and tear – Chomp down on any flesh that your child can land on.
Loosen The Grip
Once the assailant has been weakened, victims should never waste time but keep up the resistance with some practical self defense moves for children that they can cope with.
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Expand – Wriggle every body parts outward to kick and block any entrance being forced towards.
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Bend the attacker’s little finger backwards – Self-explanatory, give a single tuck with all your child’s might and stun the attacker. Gradual bending won’t work as effective as it’ll exhaust your child’s energy.
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Pinch and Scratch – In the effort to break loose from those giant fingers, teach your child to bury his/her fingers deep into the skin too.
Break Free
At times, assailants would launch their attack by cuffing the wrists and your kids should act quickly in breaking the clutch.
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Turn the restricted arm over so that the palm faces upward.
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Unfold the palm to provide less clutch.
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Twist back and forth towards the attacker’s thumb, which is the weakest link of grip.
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Remember to run on the speed of lightning once the grip breaks loose.
Back Off
If your child managed to dislodge from the grip but yet to get a good stand from the ground, have him maintain face up position to keep kicking and yelling while pushing him/herself away from the assailant.
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Grab anything within reach and hurl it towards the attacker in attempt to make a run-off.
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Don’t hold on to any object as kids may not be strong enough to control and end up being pulled towards the abductor.
Headlock Escape
Headlock is one of the most disadvantaged positions a victim can end up in. The assailant may grab by the neck either from the front or sneak from the back to constrict the throat. Either way, fast response is the essence of successful escape. We assume the worst condition: one assailant’s hand around the neck while the other grabs one of your child’s hands.
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Grab the forearm – Teach your child to claw deep into the assailant’s forearm with the free hand.
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Relax airway – Snuggle hard to the crook of the arm to loosen air passage.
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Bite – Just sink the teeth into assailant’s arm hard to subdue the attacker.
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Flee – Keep biting while wiggling and fidgeting and seize the opportunity to escape when the abductor slacken off.
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Yell – Shout for “HELP!” on an ear-piercing pitch continuously.
Ponytail-Grabbing Escape
Pedophiles just love to target girls with long ponytail, buns and braids which all give a perfect handle to tug and hold their victims. If your child is not ready to give up her long hair, make sure that she’s been educated on proper self-defense if they are captured in such manner.
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Yell – Shout for “HELP!” on an ear-piercing pitch continuously.
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Regain balance – The attacker tends to throw victim off balance by pulling the hair backwards. So step back closer to the attacker to recover stability.
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Twist – Lock two hands around the assailant’s hand on the hair, head tilted downwards and twist the whole body around to let loose.
Punch Escape
What if the victim is assaulted with nonstop punches to weaken their stability? Although unlikely, any assailant can easily take down a kid and the most efficient ways to defuse the blow is to get thoroughly prepared with the defense technique:
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Scoop the punch – Cover the face with forearm by having the elbow pointing outwards and sweep away any approaching punches.
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Punch – Simultaneously launch a straight punch from the free arm towards the attacker’s groin or face if reachable.
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Kick – If it’s hard for the shorter kids to punch on the attacker, kick hard frantically by all means.
Reinforcing How To Self Defense Techniques Kids Should Know
Life is precious and not everyone can have a second take from a life-threatening situation. No matter how simple self defense techniques kids may find, safety and self defense tips do not work like magic and it take tons of practice to be physically as well as mentally prepared to fend off attacks and most of all to remove themselves to safety.
There’s really no need to overload on how to self defense techniques kids should know but rather a thorough grasp on the few basic self defense techniques that are most likely useful works the best.
But then again, parents’ ultimate effort in regularly visualizing and anticipating possible dangerous situations to strategize prevention and precautions can simply make a big difference.