Detroit Krav Maga Instructor Keeps Children Safe With Self Defense

Parents often wonder how to protect their children. How should they teach them to avoid and escape a violent situation? Many parents simply tell their children to not talk to strangers and just hope for the best. Is this the best course of action? I think not.

A local news story from Detroit on August 24th got me thinking about this issue. The real problem is that a child can rarely beat an attacker in a fight. This is what makes most parents decide that there are some things they just can’t control and that self defense training would be useless. They tell themselves they need to accept it and hope their child is never in this kind of a situation.

This couldn’t be more wrong. Yes a child cannot defeat an attacker but they don’t have to. All they need to do is escape. There are tried and true self defense escape techniques that can be used by most children, even kindergarteners. The key is that the child must understand that he or she can exploit sensitive targets which require minimal force to inflict damage. Often times the attacker will not be in a defensive position because they expect the child to be an easy target.

The basics are seen in the video produced by the Detroit local news station. I’m glad this self defense instructor is putting light on the issue of children’s self defense. He is really doing his community a great service.

Here is a simple list of things you should tell your children.

1. Never talk to strangers

2. If someone grabs you, immediately start yelling for help and strike the person in the groin full force.

3. Run away leaving any belongings.

4. Teach your children about vulnerable targets like the groin and eyes. Also teach them that using those targets is restricted to emergency situations not for horsing around with friends.

Children are often capable of much more than we expect. Teaching your child self defense and the responsibility that comes with it will help your child develop responsibility and confidence that could save them now, and will help them as an adult too.

Oh before I forget, a great way to teach your child self defense skills is to teach him or her women’s self defense. Most techniques designed for women are intended to allow a much weaker person escape from a predator. This fits children’s self defense perfectly. You just have to adjust for the height difference of children.