The history of the human race depended on basic survival instincts of protecting oneself from animal or enemy attack.

We live in a modern world where society has evolved to have well-defined laws, proprieties, standards, and other things to protect us.

But this doesn’t mean that we live in a safe and comfortable world without strangers or enemies. We never know what lurks around the corner.

This column is meant for those who would like to know the basics on self-defense and be prepared to protect yourself every day.

Today I’d like to introduce a very basic but useful self-defense technique: How to defend yourself when someone grabs you by the wrist 

1. You walk down the street and a stranger grabs your arm.

2. Grab the opponent’s wrist with your free hand.

3. Twist the opponent’s wrist from outwards to inwards.

4. Press down on the opponent’s elbow with your free hand and your body weight. Your opponent will lose balance and fall.

This simple self-defense technique was about twisting and pressing the opponent’s wrist and elbow, which involves joints.

Using your body weight on your opponent’s joints is more effective than using hand strength alone because joints are some of the weakest points of the human body.

Applying this simple principle in defending yourself will help keep you safe from harm’s way. 

By Seo Gyo-sun (selfdefense777@gmail.com)

Seo Gyo-sun is an internationally certified taekwondo grand master, judge, and coach. He holds a B.A. in taekwondo from Kyung Hee University. ― Ed.