As a parent interested in Self Protection you may have taken it upon yourself to be armed with a punch like Mike Tyson and a kick to rival David Beckham. This is all well and good when it's you and the bad guys, but what about when it's you and your 18 month old baby versus the baddies…where do you go from there?

There are a number of things to think about here that differ from other
scenarios where your hands may be out of action. If you're holding the company
laptop and you are accosted by someone then you have options that allow you to
use it as a weapon – either use it as a blunt instrument, a shield or as an
offensive projectile. It matters not that it may be broken or stolen, your
company will have insurance, it's only a material possession, and it may have
expedited your escape. Same can be said of your grocery shopping or that new
tailor made shirt you've just collected. All jokes aside, the same cannot be
said about your children. They cannot be used as a shield, dropped, or thrown to
aide your escape. You will have to act with them in tow, there is no other
option!

So what are the different scenarios? In my opinion there are basically four:

• Carrying your baby/child with one arm
• Carrying your baby/child with two hands
• Walking with your child
• Walking with your baby/child in a buggy of some sort

The factors that you need to think about here are that:

• You do not want to fight – you want to escape!
• If you are carrying your child you will no doubt be doing so with your
  strongest arm, the one that you've concentrated on when building up those
  Tyson style strikes.
• If you are carrying your child you will have one or both arms out of
  action.
• You cannot drop, throw, or use your child as a shield.
• You will probably out run your child if they're on foot beside you.
• You will have to move your child away from the danger zone – this will
  entail you moving to a side on posture, one that limits the ways in which
  you are able to strike.

As with any topic within this area the best means of defence is to not be
there in the first place. You should not allow your guard to be lowered because
you are with your child and in some respects (i.e. parking at the supermarket
– there are nowadays special "parent & child" spaces nearer to the
entrance) having a child might be advantageous to your self protection game
plan. Don't be afraid to walk past your car if there are people loitering that
you do not like the look of. Even though I am not a parent I'm sure your child
will not be adverse to an ice-cream as a 'special surprise treat' for being
so good!

This brings us neatly to the second vital part of this triad, escape. You do
not want to go all Rambo when you're with your child, in my opinion you don't
want to do that in any situation, and for that reason escape is the best option
if you are confronted. If your child is in your arms hold them tight to your
body and get on your toes, if they are in a buggy then pull them out and do the
same, walking by your side then life them up and be gone. As with the example of
the laptop previously, a buggy and its contents are material and very
replaceable…your child is not!

If avoidance and escape are not an option then you are left with fighting,
and now you are fighting for more than your own life. This should spur you on
and if ever there was an 'off the shelf' tool for getting the correct
mindset for self protection then surely it would be the threat of your child's
life being extinguished before your very eyes.

If your child is of an age where they are walking comfortably with you then a
prearranged plan of action has to be advised, talk about it and decide what you
would do – you go "all out combative" on them and your child runs like
the wind to safety and to summon help etc. You decide and you make sure that
everyone one knows the drill. If your child is in your arms then maybe whisper
in their ear something like "hold daddy tight and shut your eyes, we're
going to have a race with these men." Then it's time to hold your child
tight to your body and start to use that mouth of yours. Shout something along
the lines of "back off, leave us alone, call the police anybody these men are
trying to steal my baby." Anything that will gain attention (unwanted for them
and therefore may hasten their exit from the situation) and make an onlooker
call for the police.

So to the fighting…what are you left with? If your child has escaped and is
on their way to safety and to summon help then you are back to your 'good guy
v. bad guy' scenario where you're on your own. This has been covered
excellently elsewhere with books, videos etc. If you are left holding the baby
so to speak and need to fight then it's a different matter (as above if they
are in a buggy get them out immediately). You need to think about your usual
combative tools and what you can do with one, maybe both, arms incapacitated and
holding on to something that you cannot let go.

From a side on position, which is where I believe you should be, you will
have the child held with your strong arm to the back (I would advise holding
with one arm so you can use the other, in your adrenalised state you should have
the strength even if you normally do not). This will give you a bladed stance to
the attacker. From here you can use a Geoff Thompson style fence, along with the
usual verbal, which will enable you a strike with the leading hand.

	Lead Hand Fence
	Lead Hand Face Smash

You also have the use of your legs and in this situation they can serve you
well. You can stomp the attackers legs or feet, spike kick their groin, or even
throw a low line Thai kick to their knee. Remember, the idea is not to piss them
off it is to incapacitate them enough to enable your turning and running! So don't
flick that kick out or tickle them with a face smash – annihilate them with
one strike!

	Lead Leg Stomp
	Lead Leg Spike Kick
	Lead Leg Thai / Roundhouse Kick

As well as the weapons you were born with there are those you may have in
your possession or are in the vicinity. Throw the loose change you had ready for
the ticket machine, throw your cigarette, throw your can of coke, pull over the
rubbish bin, anything to give you an opener to escape. Use the buggy you have
just pulled them out of, push it towards the attacker. You also want to look at
using the environment. Get a car or your empty buggy in between you and them,
you can still see over the top but they have to come around or over to get to
you. Manoeuvre yourself nearer to a viable exit or where there will be more
likelihood of passers by.

	Throw Something
	Put Something In The Way

This is just an opening to the subject and a lot more needs to be thought
about by you. If you have children then take some time out of your regular
practice to drill these ideas and concepts, change them to make them work for
you. Talk to your children and let them know the game plan if the worst was ever
to happen. I pray that this becomes one of those pieces of writing that remains
theoretical for ever and a day but for the sake of an hour or two each couple of
months just give it a go, please!!

As an aside we decided that it was not a good idea to use a real child in the
photos so we used a child's doll. We have in training also used the torso of a
Spar Pro due to it's weight and awkwardness…just like a child. The tools are
out there and readily available so use them, drill them and hopefully you'll
never put the skills into practice.