Another issue, in at least one high-profile death of a black male in the U.S., while the police were restraining him, was the use of neck restraints. More specifically kneeling on the persons neck… Personally, I think whatever idiot came up with this restraint technique and all the idiots teaching it, need to be held accountable for any injuries that those they have taught this blatantly stupid technique to have caused.

I teach one pain compliance technique for high-risk situations where you place a knee on the skull of the person you’re trying to control, but not the neck. If this technique is used the body of the person you are trying to restrain needs to be controlled to prevent damage to the neck. This is an old school technique, and preventing injury to the neck is always a major consideration.

I have never taught wrist or joint locks for close protection or security personnel because if you’re dealing with someone who is struggling it’s easy to break their wrist or joint. On a basic level when people are under the influence of drugs or alcohol, they have a higher tolerance for pain and a lot of the pressure point and pain compliance techniques will not work and can lead to them being injured and you ending up in court.

On my courses I tell my clients that strikes to the neck, or any neck restraints are a last resort and only to be used in a high-risk situation as it’s very easy for the strike or technique to become lethal. I have heard many “experts” defending the restraint technique of kneeling on someone’s neck. Well, in my personal and professional opinion these “experts” are obviously retarded or just need to lay off whatever steroids or medications they are taking.

I understand that those in law enforcement like to protect each other. In the U.S. I have heard it being called the “Blue Line of Silence” etc. Street gangs and adolescent fraternities have similar codes and values… To me, blind unquestioning loyalty to anyone, or to a cause or country is a pathetic slave mentality. Such mentalities do nothing for progress and just continually sweep under the carpet and gloss over issues that need to be addressed while protecting incompetent fools. If you don’t have the courage to acknowledge you have a problem, then you will never rectify it…

The facts are, there are significant dangers in the use of any neck restraint or strike. There is a risk of injury, or fatality, when a neck restraint or strike is applied in a confrontation. Any form of pressure to the neck is highly dangerous and can easily be lethal, especially if the person whom you are trying to control continues to struggle.

The Following Facts Are Based on Medical and British Police Advice. Although the neck column provides mobility for the head, it is not mobile, and within it are structures which are highly vulnerable to attack. When a person breathes, the air passes in through the nose and continues back into the throat, where it enters the windpipe (trachea).

The windpipe is a tube that is approximately four and a half inches in length. It is located in the front of the neck, and it leads directly into the chest. In the chest, it divides into two branches, one leading into each lung. The voice box (larynx) is located high up in the front of the neck and leads to the windpipe from the back of the throat. It contains the vocal cords and allows the individual to speak. The ‘Adam’s Apple’ (thyroid cartilage) forms the front wall of the voice box.

The windpipe and voice box are critically vulnerable to any forceful inward pressure. If steady and heavy pressure is applied, then breathing is cut off. If heavy, sudden force is applied, the windpipe can be crushed, and the voice box ruptured. This disruption can quickly lead to a blockage of the windpipe and death can occur very shortly afterwards.

The carotid arteries run down each side of the neck slightly behind the ears. When pressure is brought to bear on this area of the neck, it has the effect of slowing down blood flow to the brain, reducing the amount of oxygen reaching it. It also restricts blood flowing away from the brain and stimulates the vagus nerve that runs down alongside the carotid arteries. This nerve affects the heart rate, and its stimulation slows the heart rate down.

By understanding the anatomy of the neck, you will appreciate why any neck restraint or strike can result in serious injury or death to the person being restrained. When a person is in a neck restraint, pressure is applied to the front or the sides of the neck.

Pressure to the front of the neck restricts the ability to breathe and can lead to damage of the trachea, hyoid bone or thyroid cartilage, which can result in an obstruction of the airway and death can follow very quickly. Pressure to the front of the neck can be extremely painful and restrict breathing; this can cause the person being restrained to struggle harder. The more the person struggles, the greater the risk of damage to the throat. Pressure to the sides of the neck restricts the blood flow to the brain and can result in unconsciousness.

Blood flow is affected by pressure on the carotid arteries and by stimulation of the carotid sinus and the vagus nerve, the result of which is to slow down the heart rate. This slowing of the heart can lead to heart failure.

When in a violent struggle, it may be impossible to avoid applying pressure on someone’s neck. You must be aware of the dangers involved with neck restraints. Any neck holds or strikes of any sort should be avoided whenever possible unless your life or others’ lives are at risk.

Orlando “Andy” Wilson

Books on Amazon
Close Protection: Luxury & Hostile Environments
This book is relevant to those in the close protection business as well as private investigators, journalists and those working in hostile environments.
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