Teachers Of Defense - Technique February 2001

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Wrist Releases

In honor of Carlie Brucia, the Florida girl who was kidnapped and murdered, here is a simple, easy to do technique to break away from the initial grab of an offender.
Any technique that someone hopes to use in their defense needs to be practiced. Under stress, the body needs to know how to the technique. Knowing how to will not be enough because stress will make it almost impossible to think of what you should do and sometimes when you have to think about it, it already too late.

Disclaimer: Training in any martial art or self defense carries an inherent risk of injury. Because of the physical nature of the techniques, we do not recommend attempting these techniques unless you are supervised by someone qualified to teach these techniques.

This grab is the one the offender used to grab hold of Carlie Brucia's arm and pull her away. This is a technique that she could have used to break away from the grab. We may never know what the offender said to her to get her to go along with him so easily, but if it was fear, knowing this technique may give you more options so you don't have to be afraid.

1.

An offender grabs the victim's arm and attempts to pull the victim.

2.

The victim responds by stepping slightly closer to the offender and lifting her elbow up.

3.

The victim then brings her elbow over offender's arm and pushes down while she lifts her hand up. This forces the offender to let go. The physics of the skeletal system make it almost impossible for someone to hold onto to something when the wrist and hand are bent like that.

4.

The victim immediately strikes the offender to disorient the offender. This can give the victim time (a second or two at most) to continue striking or to run for help. The strike can be a hammer fist, as demonstrated here, or any other strike the victim is familiar with and can execute properly. Finger strikes to the eyes are another type of strike that is effective at buying a second or two.

A different grab

1.

If you'll notice the grab is different because the offender's palm is on the outside of the victim's arm. In the first grab, the offender's palm is on the inside of the victim's arm.
2.

The victim turns her wrist so the bones in her arm (Radius and Ulna) line up with the part of the grab where the offender's thumb and other fingers meet. This is the weakest part of the grab.

3.

This victim then pulls her arm towards her torso to release from the grab.
4.

If the victim does not have the strength in her arm to pull away, she can use two hands. She does this by using her free hand and grabbing hold of her other hand.

5.

Then, using the strength of both her arms, she pulls her wrist free.
6.

Once the victim's wrist is out of the offenders grasp, the confrontation is not over. The victim must decide to fight or to flee. If there is somewhere she can go quickly, I suggest getting there and yelling while running. If that is not an option, begin striking the offender with everything you have and don't stop until the offender is running away or unconscious! What happened to Carlie Brucia is unfortunate evidence of what happens when an offender takes a victim from one spot to another.

This grab is the one the offender used to grab hold of Carlie Brucia's arm and pull her away. This is a technique that she could have used to break away from the grab. We may never know what the offender said to her to get her to go along with him so easily, but if it was fear, knowing this technique may give you more options so you don't have to be afraid.
1. An offender grabs the victim's arm and attempts to pull the victim.	2. The victim responds by stepping slightly closer to the offender and lifting her elbow up.
3. The victim then brings her elbow over offender's arm and pushes down while she lifts her hand up. This forces the offender to let go. The physics of the skeletal system make it almost impossible for someone to hold onto to something when the wrist and hand are bent like that.	4. The victim immediately strikes the offender to disorient the offender. This can give the victim time (a second or two at most) to continue striking or to run for help. The strike can be a hammer fist, as demonstrated here, or any other strike the victim is familiar with and can execute properly. Finger strikes to the eyes are another type of strike that is effective at buying a second or two.
A different grab
1. If you'll notice the grab is different because the offender's palm is on the outside of the victim's arm. In the first grab, the offender's palm is on the inside of the victim's arm.	2. The victim turns her wrist so the bones in her arm (Radius and Ulna) line up with the part of the grab where the offender's thumb and other fingers meet. This is the weakest part of the grab.
3. This victim then pulls her arm towards her torso to release from the grab.	4. If the victim does not have the strength in her arm to pull away, she can use two hands. She does this by using her free hand and grabbing hold of her other hand.
5. Then, using the strength of both her arms, she pulls her wrist free.	6. Once the victim's wrist is out of the offenders grasp, the confrontation is not over. The victim must decide to fight or to flee. If there is somewhere she can go quickly, I suggest getting there and yelling while running. If that is not an option, begin striking the offender with everything you have and don't stop until the offender is running away or unconscious! What happened to Carlie Brucia is unfortunate evidence of what happens when an offender takes a victim from one spot to another.