How to Hold Your Keys for Self Defense

Using a Key Like a Knife

Hold a key as you normally would to unlock a door. Grip the key with your index finger curled underneath it and your thumb pressing down firmly on top of it. Curl your bottom 3 fingers around any other keys or objects on your keychain.Warning: Never hold your keys between your knuckles and try to punch with them. This is an ineffective way to hold your keys for self-defense that can even end up injuring your hand. Since this grip is the same way you would normally hold a key to open your car door or the door to your home, you can just walk while holding onto your key like this. You’ll be ready for self-defense if necessary and can unlock your door quickly when you arrive.

Stab your key at an assailant’s eyes, throat, and groin if you are attacked. Hold onto your key firmly and stab it forcefully at any of these vulnerable areas that you can reach on someone who is attacking you as a first defensive move. Don’t let go of your keys and don’t stop defending yourself until you get away. You can combine this with other self-defense moves, such as a front kick. For example, you can stab your assailant in the eye with your key, then kick them in the groin and run away. If someone grabs you from behind, you can use your key to stab at their arms and hands to get them to let go.

Slice the key back and forth across an attacker’s face as a secondary move. Move your key back and forth all across your attacker’s face in long slicing motions. Try to slice their eyes to stun them. If you can’t reach an assailant’s face, you could also slice your key across other vulnerable areas like the backs of their hands.

Defending Yourself with a Hammer Grip

Hold a key in your fist so that it’s sticking out the bottom. Place your keys in your palm so that 1 key is sticking out at a 90-degree angle to your pinky finger. Close your fingers in a tight fist around your keys and press your thumb down firmly on top of your index finger.Tip: You can combine this technique with the knife grip method. Position 1 key inside your palm so that it sticks out from the bottom of your closed fist and pinch another key between your index finger and thumb. That way, you have keys that you can strike an attacker with at 2 different angles. This is known as a hammer grip. You can also use this grip to turn other items like pens or pencils into effective self-defense weapons. You can stack 2-3 keys on top of each other in a hammer grip if you want, so there are more points sticking out from the bottom of your fist.

Smash an assailant in the head using the key if they attack you. Hammer your attacker in vulnerable spots like the face and eyes with the bottom of your fist. The key sticking out from the bottom of your fist will stab them wherever you smash your fist into their head. Places like the eye and the face are the most vulnerable, but you can go for other spots on their head if you can’t reach their face. For example, hitting them in the ears or the back of the neck can also be effective.

Slash across an attacker’s face in an “X” pattern for another defensive move. Scrape the bottom of your fist with the key sticking out of it across your assailant’s face like you’re drawing an “X.” The key will slice and hurt them to stun them and help you get away. You can also use your fist to punch your assailant after slashing them with your key. For example, drag the bottom of your fist with the key from top left to bottom right across their face, then smash them in the nose with your fist.