Teaching kids to protect themselves from 'stranger danger'

MANLIUS N.Y. — The thought of a child abduction sends terror through any parent. The crimes are very rare, but they are enough to strike fear in anyone. Experts say there are ways to ease the anxiety and prepare your child for potential danger without scaring them.

Young martial arts students are learning from the best at Impact Martial Arts in Manlius. Chief instructor Jeff Groesbeck works with children ages 4 to 12, teaching them discipline, self-respect and confidence. He is giving them the tools they need to protect themselves. "I always let them know that chances are this is never going to happen to them, but if it does, they need to be prepared," Groesbeck said.

Groesbeck arms the kids with information and power to handle anything from school bullies to stranger danger. At just 6-years-old, my son Henry is learning how to defend himself. "I kick them and I punch them and I scream out help stranger," he said.

Henry is a yellow belt with nearly two years of training behind him. He is perfecting his protection skills to get away if an adult every grabs him by the arm.

Groesbeck has four important takeaways for kids in case they are ever attacked by a stranger:

• Make as much noise as you can
• Yell "stranger!" as loud as possible
• Wiggle and rely on your elbows and knees -- body parts that can generate power
• Help them fight back

My 9-year-old daughter Olivia started karate in kindergarten. Now she is a red belt and well on her way to becoming a black belt. If a stranger were to come up from behind her, she will be armed with the skills to keep herself safe. "I would punch them and kick them and I'd do all that I can to keep myself safe," she said. "I would yell 'Stranger, stranger, stranger!' at the top of my lungs. I would wiggle out and then I'd punch them and defend myself."

Groesbeck teaches kids to focus on two key body parts. "The face and the groin are going to be the two key things that you're aiming at. I'm going to tell them really don't even pay attention to anything else because if I'm hitting them anywhere else it's probably not going to have enough of an effect. to have an effect," he said.

And while he acknowledges a stranger attack is rare, he wants parents to have peace of mind, giving kids the strength and confidence to fight back. "As parents, we have to do the best we can to arm our children to handle the world that we live in today," Groesbeck said. "We can't always be there. We can't always walk them to school. We can't always drive them to school. They have to have the skills to be able to handle these situations on their own."