Hapkido Techniques for Muggers Who Grab

What do you do when someone grabs your wrist? Are you prepared to

respond? While all martial arts teach you how to defend against a punch

or a kick, not all include defenses against a grab. And the fact is, you are

more likely to be grabbed by a mugger than you are to be kicked or

punched.

So what do you do when someone grabs you? The first thing you must do

is escape the grab.

"Hapkido wrist escapes are all based around the concept that you open

your hand, widening your wrist against the attacker's grip,"

"The actual escape techniques are designed on the principle of pressure against the assailant's thumb,

done thr ough circular hand rotation."

The wrist is generally the narrowest part of the arm, making it a desirable target for attackers. Wrists

and forearms also usually extend to the front, presenting easier access to an assailant. Furthermore,

muggers realize that by grabbing their victims' wrists, their hands are immobilized, making it difficult to

defend against the attack.

An assailant generally uses all five of his fingers when grabbing your wrist, four fingers on one side and

the thumb on the other. The weakest part of his grip is the thumb. The success of your escape depends

on how much pressure you can put on the attack er's first thumb joint.

Before doing anything else, you must add "relaxed strength" to your arm. This is done by spreading the

fingers of the grabbed hand wide, with your thumb slightly bent. Opening your hand expands your wrist,

contracting the tendons and ligaments that connec t the hand with the forearm. This, in turn, strengthens

your forearm muscles. Spreading your fingers also allows internal energy (ki) to flow evenly through your

hand.

Be sure to keep your thumb bent so it is out of the way. If your thumb is held straight, ki flows out of

the thumb and away from the other fingers. Bending the thumb also helps tighten forearm muscles. The

thumb must also be bent before you can execute a counter grab.

There are three basic hapkido wrist escape techniques. The first puts pressure on the attacker's thumb

as your hand rotates back toward your hip. It's like reaching for a gun in a holster on the opposite side of

your body.

The second technique uses your elbow as leverage. The elbow moves across your body toward the

attacker, placing downward pressure on his thumb and forearm.

Third hapkido wrist escape is an upward twisting motion of the hand past your face; the elbow joint

makes this snakelike action possible, and your forearm muscles provide the power. The important thing

to remember is that your fingers always point in the same direction that your body moves.

Before you counter a wrist grab, you have to break the grab. The easiest way to do this is probably

the aforementioned method of pointing the fingers upward and twisting your wrist slightly. Doyle cautions

you not to yank your wrist back toward you when u sing this escape technique. Yanking usually causes

the attacker to tighten his grip against the tension. The idea is to free yourself before the opponent knows

what is happening.

HapkidoTechnique #1

The simple wrist-twisting escape works best against a right-to-left or left-to-right grab. not a

cross-grab. If someone grabs your left wrist with his right hand, his thumb is on the inside, making it easy

to apply pressure on the thumb by spreading the f ingers and lifting or twisting in a circle.

Conversely, cross-grabs, in which the attacker's right hand grabs your right wrist, places the assailant's

thumb on the outside. While it is possible to escape by twisting your wrist, it's also easy for the assailant

to follow your motion with his grabbin g hand, making it difficult to pressure his thumb. Doyle therefore

prefers other wrist escapes for cross-grabs.

The cross-grab makes it easier for an attacker to hold your grabbed hand down. If you cannot raise

your hand, obviously you cannot escape by twisting your wrist. When someone holds your wrist down,

Doyle recommends first opening your hand and determining the opponent's strength and energy. You get

only one chance with wrist escapes, and you don't want to attempt an escape that will not work. If your

initial effort fails, your attacker knows what to expect and will prepare accordingly. Doyle therefore pref

ers to use his elbow in this situation, breaking the assailant's grip by asserting leverage across his body

and over the top of the attacker's wrist.

No matter which escape technique you use, you should always step forward in the direction your body

moves. This footwork is called "triangle step" in hapkido, and it puts the opponent off balance by twisting

his body. For example, if your right wrist is g rabbed, take a triangle step sideways with your left foot.

Your escape is made by rotating your fingers, and as you step forward with the right foot, you have more

leverage against the opponent's thumb.

HapkidoTechnique #2

You can also use your free hand to help break the grab. If someone holds your hand down in a

cross-grab, keep your grabbed hand in a fist and pull your opposite elbow up against the thumb of the

opponent's grabbing hand.

An opponent's pressure points can also be targeted to effect a wrist escape. If you apply pressure to

the middle of your attacker's wrist, you will likely cause him to loosen his grip. Another good pressure

point is located at the center of the forearm. Y ou can also apply your knuckles against a pressure point

on the back of the assailant's hand.

If someone grabs his wrist, Doyle may initially employ an "equalizer" technique. Equalizers are

distracting movements, such as finger jabs to the attacker's eyes. They divert the assailant's attention

away from your next movement, which is usually your es cape technique. Equalizers are especially useful

against cross-grabs, where the attacker has a better grip on your wrist.

Simply escaping the opponent's wrist grab is not going to end the confrontation in most cases. You

must be prepared to counterattack. Wrist escapes are actually "entry" techniques that allow you to take

control of the situation and get closer to the attac ker for a follow-up maneuver.

HapkidoTechnique #3

Many hapkido counterattacks to a wrist grab are targeted to pressure points on the opponent's wrist

or elbow. Since the attacker's arm is outstretched in front of you after the grab, it makes sense to disable

that arm following your wrist escape. Attackin g pressure points on the assailant's grabbing arm also puts

you in a controlling position, where it's a simple matter to take the opponent down or apply a restraint

technique, such as an elbow or shoulder lock.

So what will you do the next time someone grabs you by the wrist? Simple. You will utilize one of

hapkido's wrist escapes, and follow up with an equalizer technique that sets up your hapkido

counterattack. Then you can either walk away from your attacker, or chide him for being so foolish as to

assault a hapkido stylist.

(Wheelchair Defense)

Looking at someone in a wheelchair is a world of difference from actually being confined to one. This seems like an obvious statement, but few realize how true it is. It was my good fortune a while back to test the truthfulness of this statement by actually becoming a "wheeler" myself, even though it was for a relatively short period. Yes, I said "good fortune"; for what I learned from the experience changed my martial arts life forever by opening up a deeper understanding of the ancient martial arts, as well as an appreciation for those who are handicapped.

I realized early on that some "attacks" are unique to those in wheelchairs, such as someone sneaking up from behind, then suddenly pushing you and your chair very fast.

Some "attacks" though, are common to both the wheelchair bound as well as people who are sitting in a chair, on a bench or on a train or subway or on the floor. I also learned some of the principles of movement I used also reflected those of aikido, and that many of the movements came right out of many of the karate kata I had practiced for so long.

Before describing various defenses we have to examine the wheelchair and its parts, which serve as our rolling weapon.

Certain parts of a wheelchair can be very effective martial devices, especially when combined with normal grappling and throwing techniques.

The back wheels are large, rubberized, and have a slightly smaller wheel at the center, usually made of steel. These big rear wheels also have lever type brakes designed to stop the wheels in order to keep the chair from rolling. The wheelers hands control the smaller inner wheel to maneuver the chair. The smaller wheels protect the hands from the rubberized portion, which is in constant contact with the ground.

The wheelchair rolls easily and smoothly, can turn in a tight circle, and move forward and backward. If you push one wheel and pull on the other hard, you can develop a very quick 360-degree spin in place. The turning radius of a typical chair is about a five-foot diameter circle, and the space should be considered the same as a normal martial artist's Kazushi circle (personal space).

A typical chair will have armrests on either side, steel footrests that are at ankle height, and a pair of handles in the back, normally used for mobility (pushing) assistance. The front wheels or casters are usually very small compared to the back wheels. One of the disadvantages of a wheelchair that became evident very quickly is that when you punch, the chair seemed to roll in the opposite direction if the wheels were not locked, unless you retrieved your punch very quickly. Another disadvantage is that if the wheelchair is tipped over, most of the chair's advantages disappear.

This article addresses wheelchair techniques, but assumes for brevity that the wheelchair person has fairly normal use of their body from the waist up, and that the wheelchair is of standard hospital issue type with foot rests.

Modifications to these two assumptions may require the technique to be modified accordingly.

Sometimes this attack comes from friends trying to be funny, and sometimes it comes instead from someone who is just plain mean, trying to intimidate the person in the wheelchair. Either way, to come from behind someone in a wheelchair and push him or her at a run unexpectedly is not usually funny to those in confined to a wheelchair. In fact, it usually gives them the feeling of helplessness, unless they know what to do. This however, is one of the most common "attacks" to the wheelchair bound. Here are a couple of techniques that can be used to stop it.

Remember the wheel locks mentioned above? Use them! Simply lock them down as quickly as you can. These locks are usually designed so that if you are rolling, they will slow you down. The chair will not just suddenly stop, but will stop.

If your chair locks the wheels quickly but without tipping the chair, many times the opponent will get jabbed by the wheelchair's push handles and the opponents' own forward momentum.

The brakes will make it very difficult for someone to continue pushing for very long, and will usually embarrass the friend who is trying to be funny.

Before doing this technique though, with a friend or family member you trust, try the technique carefully to see how your particular chair reacts, and adjust the technique accordingly. Although unlikely, you do not want to suddenly apply the brakes and find out the chair locks the wheels so quickly that you fall out of the chair from the forward momentum. Anti-tip devises are also available for most wheelchairs.

A second, more aggressive technique may also need a little practice first, and possibly the brakes adjusted for greater pressure to make it work.

As the perpetrator begins to push you fast, grab and hold the inner wheel on one side very tight, or apply the lock on only one of the wheels while simultaneously pushing forward on the other wheel for extra momentum. Hold on; because if done correctly, and with the right chair, it is possible to very quickly spin 360 degrees on the axis of the locked wheel.

This is a very aikido-like technique. You are pivoting to the outside of the force directed at you from behind. In the process you get to the outside of the attacker.

This will usually take the opponent off guard, often causing them to lose balance, even if it does not spin the full 360 degrees. If spun quick and far enough, the footrests of the chair may also come around and catch the opponent on the ankles. Either way, the opponent will usually think twice before trying that attack again, and it may also be very embarrassing for them.

I was amazed at the stability of my chair when I first performed this technique. But all chairs are not the same, so again, experiment first with someone you trust.

After you execute a backfist immediately slip your right arm underneath the attackers right armpit and lever him forward and to the right, which should throw him to the floor.

For those in a wheelchair this can work with or without locking both of the wheels, depending on the stability of your chair. Locking the wheels provides more stability, but not locking them makes a quicker technique.

If he doesn't want to go (be thrown), getting the push-handle in the crotch generally provides the needed extra encouragement. If you are not in a wheelchair a quick backwards elbow to the groin will have the same effect. Follow up with a face punch or just roll the chair over a convenient limb. It must be practiced to work, and it must be done quickly. Experiment with several variations. This technique is derived from kata Kusanku.