Escaping a Wrist Grab: Self-Defense for Kids

Series Summary

Kids are very capable of self-defense, but they must be taught how to defend themselves. However, not all kids can adequately defend themselves against a larger opponent and should seek to escape the attacker's grasp. In fact, escaping the attacker is at times the only available choice of self-defense. Escaping a choke hold, a shirt grab, or a hair pull is not an intuitive venture and children should be taught how to safely get away from an attacker that assaults them. Learn how to escape from someone who grabs you in this free video series on self-defense for kids, featuring 4th degree black belt and US Martial Arts Hall of Fame inductee Teresa Mastison. Mastison will demonstrate how a child can safely escape a wrist grab, a double wrist grab, a shirt grab, a front choke, and a bear hug.

Video Transcript

"Today in kids' safety I would like to discuss the topic of escaping from a wrist grab. If the attacker were to grab me by the wrists you've got a couple of options the first one being I'll call it duck and twist because what you are going to want to do is I'll call it open the door and you're going to duck underneath and then you are going to twist out of that and as you do that you are going to swing your arm down and your whole body's energy is going to take your arm with you and it is going to be difficult for them to hang on because you are going to be behind the person. So they grab, you open the door, you duck underneath, you twist around and you swing down and around. I'm going to grab Elora and she is going to demonstrate and she is going to open the door, duck underneath and swing down and around and now she is behind me and it is very difficult for me to see what is going on. I would have to turn around and take chase in order to get her so once you grab you want to react right away, you are going to open the door, duck and twist and at this time you would be out of here and at that point I would no longer have visual of her unless I turn around and follow chase so keeping yourself safe might include needing to do a wrist escape, open the door, duck under the gate, twist and go back."