Self Defense Moves To Save Your Kids’ Life
These 5 Simple Self Defense Moves Could Save Your Kids’ Life One Day!
Do you know how to teach your kid to defend themselves from a predator? Teach your child how to protect themselves with five simple steps! Even a toddler can learn basic self defense
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**If you’re just looking for the mom self defense tips scroll about half way through the post.**
None of us want to think it will ever happen to them, but all parents worry about their kids all the time. What if an attacker comes for your kid? What if they aren’t with you? Maybe you’ve turned your back for 30 seconds at the park? What if your kid walks to school or even down the street to the bus stop without an adult? Does your child know what to do in this situation? We all know about “stranger danger” but that is definitely not enough. The reality is there are twisted sickos in this world, lots of them. You NEED to teach your child these five simple steps today! It could save their life.
My husband found this awesome YouTube video posted by HLN. WATCH IT HERE. In the video they interview Bryan Morgan, a child safety expert from the Sandy Springs, GA police department. He breaks down five simple amazing tricks to teach your kids to fight off a potential abduction.
Teach your kids these moves so they don’t become a tragic news story.
1. Teach your child how to make a proper fist!
First curl four fingers tightly and second wrap your thumb around the outside. As to not hurt your thumb when you hit the bad guy hard!
2. Teach your child the GET BACK stance!
First put your foot toward the bad guy to form a solid platform of balance. Pull up your fists and yell “Get Back!” as loud as you possibly can. This is the universal stance for being ready for a fight. You want to teach your kids to be able to show that they ARE NOT an easy target! They are ready to fight.
3. Teach your kids to “beat the drum”!
To beat the drum hold your hands in a fist and beat one hand then the other repeatedly on the bad guy using the outside part of the fist where your pinkie is. Hit, hit, hit and continue to keep beating that drum. If the bad guy is grabbing for them do it on their hands. If they are being picked up aim for the nose as best you can. Beat the face, beat the chest, beat anywhere you can reach. Did you know that if anyone is hit repeatedly in the nose even by a small child they will tear up. You can’t help it! This is often enough to get the bad guy to drop them.
4. Teach your kid to “stomp the bug”!
This is a knee strike maneuver. Teach your kid to lift up their knee and stomp as hard as they can using the heel of their foot onto a bad guy’s foot. So beat the drum, beat the drum, and stomp the bug!
5. Teach your kids to use distractions!
I think this one is brilliant because I hadn’t thought of it. Teach your child to look at their environment to use to their advantage! A bad guy will be bigger than them of course, but they can actually use that in their favor! Your child can easily fit places an adult can’t. When they break away from an attacker teach your child to run between small places as they flee. Between clothes racks, behind park benches, behind a trashcan. The attacker has no choice but to slow down to either fit through or go another way!
Another form of distraction Morgan calls the “coin toss.” If something is thrown at your face what do you do without thinking about it? You block that thing right? So teach your child to rummage in their pockets for anything, even a coin to throw at the attacker’s face. It can buy them the second or two they need to make an escape.
Teach your kids these moves!
Rehearse them, over and over. It just might save their life one day. Practicing makes it second nature. When in a scary situation it’s easy to freeze up unless you know exactly what to do. Unless you’ve talked about it, practiced it, and memorized it.
These tips are so perfect for children because they even give the moves kid friendly easy to remember names. I’m sure my girls can remember to “beat the drum” and “stomp the bug.”
School is starting. Millions of kids will be walking to school, taking the bus, engaging in after school activities. There are billions of opportunities predators and seeking. And now your kid won’t be one who freezes up. Your kid will know what to do when confronted by an attacker. They will have practiced, rehearsed, and been taught five great skills to protect themselves in an unthinkable situation.
On a not so side note do YOU know what to do if an attacker comes for you?
Do you have yourself armed at all times with simple devices that can save your life? I know I do. As a teenager I thought I was such a bada**, not afraid of a person or a thing. Then motherhood rolled around, and I not longer felt secure being able to defend myself when toting along a child. My hands were forever going to be pretty occupied and I needed something else to help me ward off an attacker if that day ever came.
PEPPER SPRAY for Self Defense
So I picked up one of these.
I’ve carried pepper spray
now for six years and you should too. I keep it on my keys, it’s always on my hip or in my hand. I’ve never had to use it thank God but if that day comes, I have something to help me get those few seconds you need to escape.
Every mother should carry pepper spray!
It’s really cheap and you can get a great one right here. It’s a no brainer. If you don’t have any pepper spray spend the ten bucks NOW, you won’t regret it. Make sure you test the spray every four to six months to make sure its still working. If you even get a twinge of thought that a situation COULD even come close to needing it for any reason, it should be in your hand. Go with your instincts and be aware of your surrounding and situations.
STUN GUN for Self Defense
After having a second kid I decided to up my game. The news stories of horrible things aren’t becoming any less and my hands aren’t getting any less full! Last Christmas I got this stun gun
.
It is so cheap and an awesome safety device! Only drawback is the little belt loop holster that comes with it is super cheap so best using a more heavy duty one. I opted for one from our tool bag.
It has a safety pin, a really bright LED flashlight, and comes with a usb charger. It’s really loud and bright and even that is often enough to ward off an attacker. A predator is not looking for a fight, they looking for easy prey.
Don’t be easy prey.
Let me explain why the safety pin is important. There’s a small pin attached to a loop handle hanging off the end of the stun gun. You keep this loop around your wrist and God forbid an attacker rips the stun gun from your hand, the loop should stay around your wrist. The pin is pulled from the device, and it’s automatically disabled.
I’ve never had to use it so I can’t testify to how powerful it can be. But it is a 990,000,000 heavy duty stun gun and is really bright, loud, and scary. I wouldn’t mess with it. If someone is coming for you usually you can just fire it into the air as a great deterrent.
SAFETY WHISTLE for Self Defense
Another handy, cheap, small item I have on me at all times is this safety whistle
.
Once again on my key chain on my hip at all times. It is loud, shrill, and can be heard REALLY far! If you don’t have one, this is the smallest and simplest and cheapest safety device you can and should have always. Pick it up here.
We are woman. We are smaller than men. Can’t change that.
We’re also moms, juggling a million things at once. Arm yourself now with these simple devices, as well as the knowledge of what to do in an attack and you’ll be so much more well prepared. I don’t want any of you lovely ladies to end up in a terrible situation or in a horrendous news story. That attack will probably never happen, but what if it does? Are you prepared? Are you confident?
Please check out THIS POST from lifehacker.com. It’s long but really informative, there are tons of videos with lots of great actionable self defense moves for everyone. Even if you just watch a few videos and practice SOME moves your confidence will go up. You’ll be better prepared.
My favorite is a move taught in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu for getting out of or defending against common hold attacks. Gracie Jiu-Jitsu is school of self-defense that modifies Jujitsu techniques that normal (or even weak) woman can carry out. I’d never even heard of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu before reading this page. Now I think it’s wonderful and totally want to learn it!
I want to help you and your kids live the safest and best lives you can and I really hope you picked up some great advice from this post.
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Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
Wow I need some more tools on my belt! Going to check out the grace jui jitso! Great info!
It seems really helpful! I can’t wait until the girls are big enough we can all learn those things together!
Something i heard might be difficult to make yourself or your child do, but if you have been put into a vehicle and you can’t open the door, you should throw yourself AT the driver. Get in his lap while he’s trying to drive. Honk the horn. Make it hard for him to control the car. I’m sure this will go against every instinct, but i can see how it might work. And the first thing i taught my daughter, before she could even understand the words, was NEVER LET THEM TAKE YOU TO A SECOND LOCATION. Tell them they will have to kill you right there. Usually there are too many ways to be caught (in a parking lot, for example).
That sounds crazy, but actually makes perfect sense! You’re right, it is not something that you would naturally think to do, but it could make a world of difference in saving your kid’s life! You are spot on mama!