Do It Myself Blog – Glenda Watson Hyatt

Today’s guest post is courtesy of Judy Brown who is a black belt in the Shotokan style of karate. In her day job, she provides writing and home business consulting services through her business Creative Purrsuits.

Wheelchair Self-Defense Tips

Keep in mind that the main goal in any self-defense situation is to get away from your attacker as quickly as possible. Here are a few ideas for distracting or disabling your assailant:

1. Be aware of your surroundings. When sitting in your chair in public places like airports, or other large open areas, try to sit with your back to a wall. This will give you a clear view of anyone coming toward you and you won’t get attacked from behind.
2. Develop an aggressive attitude. Just because you are in a wheelchair criminals think you are an easy target. If you look alert and aware you may discourage an attacker. If not, be prepared to use reasonable force to defend yourself. Think about it beforehand, are you willing to physically injure someone to create an opening so you can get away?
3. Use the attackers own force against him/her. When you are seated in a wheelchair, any opponent will tower over you in their standing position. In order for them to attack you, they have to lean over. When the attacker is in a bent-over position, grabbing you or your clothing, he is off his center of gravity. It won’t take much for you to grab hold of your attacker’s hair or clothing and take a quick push backward. This will cause him to fall forward and while doing so, it is likely that he will let go of you to avoid falling. Get yourself out of there FAST!

Use Your Chair as a Weapon

1. The biggest weapon on the chair is the footrest. Raking this down the shins is very painful and should discourage most attackers.
2. Slam the footrest down on the instep; you can break bones if you do it hard and fast.
3. Pushing the chair back (hard and fast) is effective on attackers who come from behind you. The handles often are just about groin high, so make it count.

I don’t advise that you roll out there looking for trouble just to see if these techniques work, but do practise the techniques at home and give some thought as to how you can adjust your mindset. This sounds easy, but most people have an aversion to actually hurting someone. If you get yourself into thinking about all this BEFORE you have to deal with an attacker, you won’t have to think at all if it happens, you’ll just react instinctively.

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