Hair Pull defence

samurai69

samurai69

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During my last Womens Self Defence Course, i was asked about defences against the "rear Hair Pull" as the mojority of women here have shoulder length or longer hairstyles

I have covered a few in aikido , but they are over complicated for a 4 day course

Now if someone is attacked from behind with a hair pull there is normally a jerking movement which would initiate some sort of shock/startle response (probably away from the direction of the pull), then if the attack is ferocious enough the continuing pull, may take the victim off balance.

so my question is do you know of any defences from the rear hair pull, and are the assumptions above correct

.

I do have a few ideas, but would like to hear from forum members on the subject
 
Well, I don't know if this is really a "defense" but by placing your hand on top of the attackers hand and pushing down against your head you take away the strain on the hair. This has to be followed very quickly by some other defense move (mule kick to the knee, elbow to the center, hammerfist/backfist to the groin to name a couple). But that movement at least takes away the pain from the hair grab. Of course, you are losing one of your own weapons (the grabbing hand) by doing this as well. These types of things are never good situations to be in, but you have to do the best with what you have at the time. Telling them that having a bald spot isn't much to lose would also be a good idea! I tell all my self-defense participants that they have to realize they WILL get hurt if they are forced to defend themselves. They have to decide that they are willing to get hurt while hurting the attacker more.
 
Oh -- to pull the hair from behind -- that is not the proper way to freespar. The opponent wishes to do you harm, and so this is a self defense situation. You must use the American Kenpo ways now to defeat the opponent.

You can do the OBSCURE CLAWS. Though it is not especially for the pulling the hair from behind, but rather for the shoulder grab, do the Obscure Claws anyway.

Here:

http://www.ltatum.com/movies/Week38/TipOfTheWeekMedW38.html
 
Do something similar to Locked Wing. Step back and into the attack as you rotate to take the strain off your hair and position yourself to strike. Grab the grabbing hand if possible in order to strike on that now open side, or just go basic and strike to the throat or groin. Move fast though, or you will be pulled right onto your ***.
 
In my breakaway training for my job we were told that if you had a ponytail that is being pulled from behind by an attacker you should reach around to the back of your head and try and gather up the remaining ponytail yourself reducing the tension or if there was not space to do that put your hands around the attackers hands. From there we were informed that we could apply pressure to the thumb joint or finger joints by pressing the nail to the inside 2nd joint thus forcing the attacker to release their grip.

If it was a standard hair pull where the attacker has just got a fist full of hair we were told to place our open hand palm over the attckers knuckles and push hard on to our skull thus supposedly forcing the attckers grip to release. Personally in practice we all found this one a bit hit and miss and after a while it hurt our heads!

Like I said the above are from my nursing breakaway training so I'm sure that there must be some better martial arts moves that would cause damage to the attacker that they obviously would not want to teach a bunch of nurses to do! (imagine the litigation!!) I can imagine a well timed back kick to the groin or some general grabbing and twisting will be the name of the game! LOL!
 
newGuy12 said:
Oh -- to pull the hair from behind -- that is not the proper way to freespar. The opponent wishes to do you harm, and so this is a self defense situation. You must use the American Kenpo ways now to defeat the opponent.

You can do the OBSCURE CLAWS. Though it is not especially for the pulling the hair from behind, but rather for the shoulder grab, do the Obscure Claws anyway.

Here:

http://www.ltatum.com/movies/Week38/TipOfTheWeekMedW38.html
Click to expand...

:lfao: I'm sorry, but that video made me giggle uncontrollably. Tatum was literally smacking the crap out of that blue belt uke.

*ahem* Ok, yes, that was my first thought of a rear-hair pull was to step back and (originally) hit with an sharp elbow jab to the solar-plexus followed through with the trapping of the arm after clawing the face in that circular move Tatum showed. But Obscure Claws seems the better way to go as it's more damaging, because hair pulls hurt dammit, I used to have long hair so I know. :rolleyes:
This is of course is effective if one's awareness is at where it should be appropriate to the situation/circumstances, you'd be ready for that, otherwise as was earlier pointed out the initial reaction is to pull forward, away.
If that does happen there is a way to compensate for that by going down to the knee turning and coming back up with arms forward and up parallel along your torso to strike/block as you move up towards the hair-puller.
But learning defense against that is something I think women (and long-haired hippie type guys ... wait, I used to be one) should include in their arsenal.
 
myusername said:
From there we were informed that we could apply pressure to the thumb joint or finger joints by pressing the nail to the inside 2nd joint thus forcing the attacker to release their grip.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I don't think so. I just tried that on myself, and it doesn't even hurt. Meanwhile, your hair is being used as a handle to jerk your head around. Re-grabbing is useful, but your arm isn't anchored thus making it difficult to do anything with that hand/arm you've grabbed. I'd go for strikes.

myusername said:
If it was a standard hair pull where the attacker has just got a fist full of hair we were told to place our open hand palm over the attckers knuckles and push hard on to our skull thus supposedly forcing the attckers grip to release.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that really isn't going to work either. Especially with man grabbing woman and her trying to break the grip.
 
MA-Caver said:
going down to the knee turning and coming back up with arms forward and up parallel along your torso to strike/block as you move up towards the hair-puller.
Click to expand...

I swear to you, THIS is the first thought that I had! But I could not find the words to express it. Instead of coming up the way that you say, though, I would prefer to after the turn, hold the hand to the head, then to kick, but the flow is not as nice, as far as I can invision this in my mind -- and I am at work, and none of my coworkers practice these martial arts, so stepping through this is out of the question at the moment, ahahahahaha

I want to hear from some American Kenpo Person please to discuss the modification of this Obscure Claws technique to the rear hair pulling, if any read this thread.
 
Reach back, trap the grabbing hand with one of yours, turn toward the attacker while dropping your center, ridgehand upward into the groin. Of course if you get the "one shot one kill" mentality with that groin strike your dead, but the groin strike is a good first one.
 
Oh -- to pull the hair from behind -- that is not the proper way to freespar. The opponent wishes to do you harm, and so this is a self defense situation. You must use the American Kenpo ways now to defeat the opponent.
Click to expand...

You don't know my sparring partners. :D I used to have long hair, and it was a favorite target for my training partners in scenario training, and once I was even choked out with my ponytail in sparring. :D

I found that using one hand to pin the opponent's hand in place wasn't all that useful. It only prevents them from letting go, and doesn't do anything to stop them from yanking you around. It also ties up one of your hands, just like one of theirs is.

Also if you have long hair you usually have room to turn if you can get your balance so that you can face your work. Unless your opponent grabs your hair and starts running backwards, you will have a have a chance to get your balance. What usually happens is that the hair grab is a prelude to whatever else is going to happen, say a backward hair yank into a choke or headlock. If you are truly surprised, by the time you have gotten your mental and physical balance, you may well have progressed into something else entirely.

If you are not surprised, there are a number of options, like stepping back with the pull, with a backward high elbow to face, then over-wrapping their pulling arm with your closest arm, you still won't be in a good position, but it will let you establish your base.

Lamont
 
Empty Hands said:
Originally Posted by myusername
From there we were informed that we could apply pressure to the thumb joint or finger joints by pressing the nail to the inside 2nd joint thus forcing the attacker to release their grip
Click to expand...
Yeah, I don't think so. I just tried that on myself, and it doesn't even hurt. Meanwhile, your hair is being used as a handle to jerk your head around. Re-grabbing is useful, but your arm isn't anchored thus making it difficult to do anything with that hand/arm you've grabbed. I'd go for strikes.

Originally Posted by myusername
If it was a standard hair pull where the attacker has just got a fist full of hair we were told to place our open hand palm over the attackers knuckles and push hard on to our skull thus supposedly forcing the attackers grip to release.
Click to expand...
Yeah, that really isn't going to work either. Especially with man grabbing woman and her trying to break the grip.
Click to expand...

Agreed, as the longer the hair the more of a grip the person can take, and their hand (s) are busy holding on to the hair so they're one handed at this point and strikes would be more effective. It wouldn't matter if it were a man or a woman grabbing the hair either. That move (as stated earlier) is intended to cause harm as well as effect control to either hold you in that position or draw you towards them for whatever they have in mind be it a knife stab or a punch.
With this be also ever mindful of the knife that isn't seen.
This type of attack happens so quickly and thus the reaction must be quicker than the next step in the attack. Again, awareness plays a huge part.
 
If you're caught by surprise, you're caught by surprise, and maybe you're going down. You also never know if you're being pulled into a knife or kidney punch but all things considered I'd probably try to go with it, drop my elevation, and turn into the other person. I'm a big guy so I'd likely go straight to grappling, or start with an initial elbow to the chest if things worked out well for me; for a smaller person a strike rather than grappling might be best.

Laurentkd said:
Well, I don't know if this is really a "defense" but by placing your hand on top of the attackers hand and pushing down against your head you take away the strain on the hair. This has to be followed very quickly by some other defense move
Click to expand...

This might work, especially if the opponent is much taller. But if he wants to take you down and has the drop on you, it's probably too little, too late. I don't especially like this approach.
 
Pinning their hand to the top of your head is fine. However, your first concern needs to be establishing your base so that you're not taken to the floor. Once you've got some stability, attack any targets that are available (eyes, throat, groin, etc.)

for an idea of just how serious this type of attack can be and how little time you have to react, watch this video.
http://www.englishrussia.com/?p=557
 
Empty Hands said:
Ooohhhhh, BURN! Bet you didn't hear the end of that for a long time. :)
Click to expand...

Actually my instructor prefers to talk about the time when we were doing two on one sparring, and he was picking me off the ground (by my hair) and the other guy decided that it would be better if I stayed on the ground. My instructor just looked at the handfull of hair in his hand before going back to kicking me, that was fine, I needed the break.

There is a reason I have short hair now.....

Lamont
 
kenpotex said:
Pinning their hand to the top of your head is fine. However, your first concern needs to be establishing your base so that you're not taken to the floor. Once you've got some stability, attack any targets that are available (eyes, throat, groin, etc.)

for an idea of just how serious this type of attack can be and how little time you have to react, watch this video.
http://www.englishrussia.com/?p=557
Click to expand...
That's terrible and I'm glad the bastard was caught. It wasn't enough that he managed to get her down but kept on kicking and beating her... maybe she was moaning/groaning in pain but sheesh fella enough is enough...
But it does show the reaction time and just what can happen if you don't respond quick enough.
 
Hello, Loren Christsenten (one of his books), cover this area of hairs attacks and defense! Worth reading and getting!

Pulling and twisting someone hair on the head is very painful. Because you grab the hair (connect to the head)....you will have more control of the other person.

Best defence is? NO hairs ...or grease them!

Just like poking the eyes....hair pulls is a great choice to use against the other person. (read "Lorens" books on hair attacks).

The more you learn how to use "Hair grabs" ....it will only add to your skills as a martial artists.

First sign of mental illness is "hair on the knuckles" ...second sign is "looking for the hairs on the knuckles" ?

Aloha ( Closer you can grab the hair to roots...the better control you will have!) ...theirs...not yours...
 
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