Defenses, Releases And Escapes

Making safe and effective rescues is the goal of the trained lifesaver, but occasionally rescue attempts turn into double drownings and compound tragedies. The alert lifesaver should seldom find himself in a situation where he is endangered by a panicky victim. But sometimes unfavorable water conditions, poor visibility, or a misjudged approach can allow the victim to grab the rescuer and jeopardize both their lives. Rescuers must be trained and prepared to meet these immorts, releases, and escapes. The rescue we've just watched used both the block and carry and the block and turn. Let's watch it again and analyze the action. By the time the rescuer sees the victim, he's too close to make a proper approach. So, he blocks the victim by extending his arm and placing his hand on the upper part of the victim's chest. In this case, the victim grabs the extended arm, and the lifesaver quickly turns on his side and begins to swim to safety using the life-saving stroke. But then the victim begins to climb up on the rescuer's shoulder, making it impractical to continue this carry. The rescuer decides to turn the victim by grabbing his arm just above the elbow and pushing and turning him. Then he quickly levels the victim off with his blocking arm and goes into a cross chest carry as he gets underway. Often a rescuer can use just the block to get away from a victim who is too close. The lifesaver will then be in a position to analyze the situation and make a proper approach. On replay, notice that after the rescuer makes contact, he quickly reverses and pushes away to avoid the victim's grasp. This swimmer doesn't see the victim and he grabs her outstretched arm. She uses the release for the double grip on one wrist to free herself and get the victim in position for an effective carry. As we watch this release again, notice that the rescuer uses her left arm to grab the victim's left wrist, then presses down with her forearms to submerge the victim while she stays close to the surface. Then she brings her left foot up and places it on the victim's shoulder near his neck. While maintaining her grip on his wrist, she extends her leg down and away to break his grasp. As she pulls the victim's wrist toward her shoulder, the rescuer twists his arm to turn him on his back. Finally, she levels him off at the armpit in preparation for the carry. The rescuer may decide to break contact completely and escape from a double grip on the wrist. To do this, the lifesaver grabs her own fist and pulls quickly and firmly upward. A slow motion replay of this escape shows that the victim is submerged while the rescuer grabs her own fist. Then she snaps her arms up firmly and escapes. When the rescuer is grabbed around the head and shoulders from the front, he can release the hold by submerging, pushing the victim away, and ducking out under his arms. Then he can turn the victim, level him off, and carry him to [Music] safety. As we watch the front headold release again, notice that as soon as the rescuer is grabbed, he takes a quick breath of air and tucks his chin. As they submerge, the lifesaver places his hands on the victim's hips and pushes him up and away. This loosens the victim's grasp and allows the rescuer to hunch his shoulders and release himself. A quick turn and the victim is in position for the lifesaver to grab his armpit and bring him to the surface. [Music] To simply escape from a front hold, the rescuer can submerge and push the victim's arms away from underneath. Swimming backwards will quickly put him out of the victim's grasp so he can decide on an effective approach. In slow motion, we see the rescuer take a breath and tuck his chin before submerging. He brings his hands to the underside of the victim's arms and pushes hard straight up. Then he moves away fast. Occasionally, a panicky victim may grab an unsuspecting swimmer from behind, but he can usually release the grip by submerging and grabbing the victim's lower hand and arm, pushing down on the hand and up on the arm. This process will release the hold. Getting grabbed from behind is especially dangerous because the potential rescuer is taken by surprise. But the replay shows that he keeps his head immediately gets a bite of air and tucks his chin to protect his throat. Then he submerges, taking the victim with him. He grabs the hand of the victim's lower arm and pushes down and to the side. Then he brings one hand up to grasp the elbow. By twisting inward and down on the victim's hand and pushing the elbow upward, the rescuer releases the grip, slides under the arm and behind the victim. From this position, the lifesaver can surface and level the victim. If the rescuer decides to break contact and escape from a rear head hold, he submerges and pushes the victim's elbows up and back, then quickly swims up and out of reach. The replay shows the rescuer getting a good bite of air and tucking his chin as he submerges. His hands come to the underside of the victim's elbows. A firm push up and he's free. Then he gets away immediately to avoid being grabbed again. Finally, remember that just the act of submerging will often cause the victim to release his hold. Remember, too, that the best defense against these dangerous situations is to avoid them by assessing the problem and making a proper approach to begin with. But proficiency in the techniques of defenses, releases, and escapes is a must for the trained lifesaver, for his own sake, as well as for others. [Music]