In a self-defense situation, you can disable or control the attacker by manipulating their joints. The small joints of the fingers and hands are susceptible as they are not very strong individually. A much smaller defender can inflict immense leverage and pain. In this article I will explain how to manipulate these joints.

If you’ve ever bent or jammed a finger or thumb backwards or to the side, you understand how weak an individual finger can be. And how much pain can be involved. Professional athletes must be constantly vigilant about keeping their fingers together to avoid injury. The hand as a whole is quite strong, but individual digits can be manipulated without much force.

In a self defense situation, you can use this to your advantage. Many times the attackers fingers will be in a vulnerable position. Grabbing one of their fingers or thumbs and applying pressure will allow you to disable or control them. Disabling them will involve destroying the joint or breaking a bone. Controlling them will involve maintaining constant pressure on the joint.

You have no doubt seen one person control another with their thumb. Whether it’s a Three Stooges episode or a martial arts demo. As fun as it sounds, it’s an essential defense technique and a way to learn how to fight. Aikido is a well-known martial art that uses joint manipulation extensively for personal protection.

Joint Manipulation can be used in a number of ways if you get caught. If you are grabbed by the collar or lapel, a simple self-defense technique is to use your thumb to push the thumb down into the palm of your hand. This is a control technique. With enough pressure you can take them to the ground. Another option is to grab your thumb with your whole hand and force it toward the back of your hand. This is a disabling technique. Your thumb can become dislocated creating immense pain.

The same techniques of the thumb can be applied if you grab it by the wrist. Alternatively, her fingers can be manipulated, as you can see them more easily than if they were on her necklace. The fingers can be bent to the side or back, towards the top of the hands. Dislocating a joint, tearing a muscle or tendon, or breaking a bone in your finger or hand will inflict enough pain to get you released.

These same defense techniques can be used as long as a digit can be accessed. If you find yourself in a position to manipulate your toes, take off your shoe, turn it over and fold it. An elbow or knee strike can be very effective on the side or inside of the elbow or knee dislocating it. Remember the kid in school who would come up behind you and put his knee on the back of your knee. The back of the knee is not very strong and his knee would bend forward all the time.

These simple martial arts self-defense techniques don’t take years to master. They can be an essential weapon for women’s self-defense. Practice them alone or with a friend or training partner. You can use them to defend yourself in many situations. They are fast, effective, and can disable a much larger attacker quite easily.