Self Defense Techniques for Kids

At such a tender age, kids are more vulnerable to situations where they may encounter risks of getting assaulted or harmed in any way. Small kids are always at a risk of being bullied by older kids, being kidnapped or robbed or any imaginable scenarios as such. So, in such situations, can we expect our kids to carry such stuffs with them which they can use to protect themselves; weapons, hockey stick or a baseball bat? Well, that will be quite irrational, even if we thought about. So helping your kids master some simple self defense techniques, would be a rational and smart thing to do.

Self Defense

The most important self defense that you can teach your kids is to be well aware of their address and telephone number. They must also know the use of 911 or 0 when they face any kind of trouble.

Kids may not be aware of the severity of a situation unless it's starting to hurt them gradually. For example, if your kid is alone and fire breaks out in the house, he may not get alarmed at the sight of the fire which has just started to burn from little flames. When the situation worsens and fire starts spreading rapidly, there is a high probability that your kid may come in contact with it and that is when he might sense the real danger. As I was saying, it is equally important for your kids to identify a hazardous situation from a non-hazardous one. So, take some sessions with your kids to practice dangerous scenarios. Do not forget to adjust the sessions according to your kid's age and understanding.

Help improve the child's ability to observe different things going around them; people, machines, animals and the like. Also, teach them to take notice of people who might be paying attention to them.

One smart technique in self defense for children is to decide on a password which would only be known by the child, his parents and any family member. Teach him the necessity of remembering the password and that he should only leave or be with a person who knows the password. One good way to do this is to tell your young ones is, 'One who knows the password is the good guy and one who doesn't, is the bad guy and we should always be with the good guy!' This way, it would be easy on their young minds to understand the technique better. Not to mention, decide on a password which could not be easily guessed by someone else and also let your child know not to speak about the password with anyone else.

Seeking opportunities to make an escape from an undesirable situation is also an important part o self defense. For example, if countered by an approaching vehicle, he must run in an opposite direction to that of the vehicle and inform an adult about it.

Attack is another vital aspect of self defense. The attacks should be laid on the vulnerable and delicate areas of the body. Techniques such as poking the eyes, biting the nose or hands, punching or kicking the groin, and bending the fingers are some important part of self defense moves. When the child is confronted by any stranger, who is trying to grab him, he should try to use these steps, but more importantly he should scream or shout at the top of his voice. This would help in attracting attention of other people and might work in surprising the abductor who might take your child to be an easy victim. Now, this technique may turn out to malfunction in some cases, where in, the child is using it with the wrong person. However, with regular practice, the child will be able to decipher between the situations.

You must also educate your child about the benefit of staying in a group; two or more is always and anytime better than one. Advise him to take a route which is frequented by many people and avoid alleys and lone streets, especially if it's nighttime.

You must have heard the common saying, 'Kids do not talk to strangers!' Well, if we think about it logically then it is something which we should not teach out kids. Otherwise, who will they go to for help in case of any emergency. However, teaching your kids not to accept to take any stuffs from strangers is totally acceptable. The main motive here is to help kids understand the strangeness or oddness of a situation and not to avoid strangers when the need arises.

You can obtain more information on self defense by enrolling your kids for self defense training classes. There, they will be more aware about dealing with the situations and will receive the right amount and type of training. Parents can do their part by seeking some tips from the trainer and practice the same at home.