Precautions For Kids To Avoid Street Crime

By Christopher Caile

I have two young kids who attend school in New York City.  While nearby city streets are generally safe there have been several recent incidents of mugging and robbery of kids (without adults) on their way home from school —  dangerous and frightening incidents for youngsters. To help avoid crime and reduce risk and fear,  Kids should be prepared to avoid or reduce risks of crime against them and how to react . This includes ways to minimize chances of being chosen for a target as well as ways to avoid problems if they are approached. This preparedness could even include some simple self-defense and escape tactics.  Here is some advice to share with your kids.

Preparation:

* Talk with your friends. Discuss ways of avoiding danger, how you might react in threatening situations and which streets are safer than others.

* Tell your parents where you are going and when, and ask them to do the same. Call them if your plans change. Someone should know where you are at all times.

When On The Street:

* Always be alert and aware of what is around you. A robber or mugger targets those who are unaware of a threat and can be taken by surprise. Lack of awareness makes you vulnerable.

* When you’re with friends, don’t get so absorbed in conversation that you become unaware of your surroundings and other people.

* Walk with purpose. Look like you know where you’re going.  A mugger believes his victim is weaker, smaller, or vulnerable.

* Whenever possible, travel in a group rather than alone.

* Whenever possible walk on busy, well-lit streets. Don’t walk in an isolated area.

* Don’t display large bills. Put all money out of sight before leaving a store. Don’t carry more cash than you absolutely need.

* When on the street keep smart phones and other electronics out of sight. They can attract interest from those who are looking for valuable items to steal.

*  Don’t hesitate to ask or yell for help from other adults, or duck into stores or restaurants if you feel threatened or sense danger.

If Approached By Another (Others) or Attacked:

* Never act “macho” when you are attacked. Give up what the attacker demands — no possession is worth the risk of getting hurt.

* If grabbed by the arm or wrist, the hair or otherwise, kick, stamp down on feet, bite, twist, punch, elbow and scream. Knowing a few basic self-defense tactics would be especially helpful. If you as a parent or guardian are knowledgeable in self-defense, teach your kids. A karate, taekwondo, or kung fu school might also offer this type of street training.

* Be warned ahead of time to avoid strangers who ask you to help look for a pet, invite you to enter a car, vehicle or building to get candy, to see something, to talk, or meet a friend. If this happens you should run. If someone stops a car or van, opens the door and tries to talk to you, move away or run.

* If someone approaches and asks for the time, asks directions or a question, keep your distance. Don’t be distracted and be alert. This is a common tactic used by muggers to get close. By simply looking down at your watch or fumbling for a cell phone, you get distracted and can be attacked. Asking for the time is also a tactic to prompt you to take out your cell phone, so it can be grabbed or stolen. Thus, when asked a question by a stranger, keep your distance and keep looking at the person who approached you. Your best answer is “I don’t know.”  If you have a watch and the other person sees it, and thus you feel you must answer, hold the watch out in front of you for the other person to see.

* Prepare for a situation when someone, even a friend approaches you telling you that he or she has been sent for you. Create a password with your parent, guardian, or baby sitter to be used in emergency situations by another who has been asked to step in to help.

If Mugged or Robbed:

* If you are mugged, tell your parents and anyone else who seems appropriate – your teacher, school official or your friends. Always report incidents of crime to the police.

Acknowledgement:

This article is based on advice circulated by the principal of my kids’ school in NYC and was prompted by several incidents of robbery and mugging of middle school aged kids in the area.

About the Author Christopher Caile

Christopher Caile

Christopher Caile is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of FightingArts.com. He has been a student of the martial arts for over 65 years.

He first started in judo while in college. Then he added karate as a student of Phil Koeppel in 1959 studying Kempo and Wado-Ryu karate. He later added Shotokan Karate where he was promoted to brown belt and taught beginner classes. In 1960 while living in Finland, Caile introduced karate to that country and placed fourth in that nation’s first national judo tournament.

Wanting to further his karate studies, Caile then hitch hiked from Finland to Japan traveling through Scandinavia, Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and South and Southeast Asia — living on 25 cents a day and often sleeping outside.

Arriving in Japan (1962), Caile was introduced to Mas Oyama and his fledgling full contact Kyokushinkai Karate by Donn Draeger, the famous martial artist and historian. Donn also housed him with several other senior international judo practitioners. Donn became Caile’s martial arts mentor, coaching him in judo and introducing him to Shinto Muso-ryu under Takaji Shimizu.

Caile studied at Oyama’s honbu dojo and also at Kenji Kurosaki’s second Tokyo Kyokushinkai dojo. In his first day in class Oyama asked Caile to teach English to his chief instructor, Tadashi Nakamura. They have been friends ever since. Caile also participated in Oyama’s masterwork book, “This Is Karate.”

Caile left Japan with his black belt and designation as Branch Chief, the first in the US to have had extensive training in Japan directly under Oyama Sensei. As such, Oyama Sensei asked him to be his representative on visits to his US dojos to report on their status.

A little over a year later, Nakamura, Kusosaki and Akio Fujihira won an epic David vs. Goliath challenge match against Thailand’s professional Muay Thai Boxers in Bangkok, Thailand, thrusting Kyolushinkai and Nakamura into national prominence.

Back in the US Caile taught Kyokushinkai karate in Peoria, Il while in college and later in Washington, DC. while in graduate school. Durimg this time Shihan Nakamura had moved to New York City to head Kyokushinkai’s North American Operation.

In 1976 when Kaicho Tadashi Nakamura formed the World Seido Karate organization, Caile followed. Living then in Buffalo, NY, Caile taught Seido karate and self-defense at the State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNY Buffalo) for over 15 years where he also frequently lectured on martial arts and Zen in courses on Japanese culture.

Caile moved to New York City in 1999 to marry Jackie Veit. He is now an 8th degree black belt, Hanshi, training in Seido Karate’s Westchester, NY Johshin Honzan (Spiritual Center) dojo. In Seido Caile is known for his teaching of and seminars on kata applications. He also produced a 14 segment video series on Pinan kata Bunkai currently available to Seido members.

Caile is also a long-time student and Shihan in Aikido. He studied in Buffalo, under Mike Hawley Shihan, and then under Wadokai Aikido’s founder, the late Roy Suenaka (uchi deshi under Morihei Ueshiba, founder of Aikido and was Shihan under Tohei Sensei). In karate, Suenaka (8thdan) was also an in-house student of the Okinawan karate master Hohan Soken.

Having moved to New York City, Caile in 2000 founded this martial arts educational website, FightingArts.com. Twenty-five years later, in 2025, it underwent a major update and revision.

For FightingArts.com and other publications Caile wrote hundreds of articles on karate, martial arts, Japanese art, Chinese Medicine and edited a book on Zen. He also developed relationships with a cross section of leading martial arts teachers. Over the last four decades he has conducted extensive private research into karate and martial arts including private translations of the once secret Okinawan hand copied and passed on Kung Fu book, the Bubishi, as well as an early karate book by the karate master Kenwa Mabuni. He periodically returns to Japan and Okinawa to continue his studies and participate Seido karate events. In Tokyo he practiced (with Roy Suenaka Sensei) in a variety of aikido organizations with their founders – including private interviews and practices at the Aiki-kai Aikido Honbu dojo with the son and grandson of aikido’s founder, Doshu (headmaster) Kisshomaru (an old uchi-deshi friend) and his son, Moriteru Ueshiba and in Iwama with Morihiro Saito. On Okinawa he studied Goju Ryu karate under Eiichi Miyazato, 10th dan founder of Naha’s Jundokan, and also with Yoshitaka Taira (who later formed his own organization, who specialized in kata Bunkai. While there Caile also trained with Hohan Soken’s senior student, Master Fusei Kise, 10 dan as well as with the grandson of the legendary karate master Anko Itosu.

Caile’s other martial arts experience includes: Diato-ryu Aikijujitsu and Kenjitsu, kobudo, boxing, Muay Thai, MMA, Kali (empty hand, knife and bolo), study of old Okinawan Shoran-ryu & Tomari body mechanics, study of old Okinawan kata under Richard Kim, study of close quarter defense and combat, including knife and gun defenses, Kyusho Jitsu and several Chinese fighting arts including 8 Star Praying Mantis, Pak Mei (White Eyebrow), and a private family system of Kung Fu.

Caile is also a student of Zen as well as a long-term student of one branch of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chi Kung (Qigong). As one of two senior disciples of Chi Kung master Dr. Shen (M.D., Ph.D.) Caile was certified to teach and practice. This led to Caile’s founding of the The Chi Kung Healing Institute on Grand Island, NY. In Western NY, he also frequently held Chi Kung seminars, including at SUNY Buffalo and at the famous Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, NY. His articles on Chi Kung also appeared in the Holistic Health Journal and in several books on alternative medicine.

Caile holds a BA in International Studies from Bradley University and MA in International Relations with a specialty in South and Southeast Asia from American University in Washington, D.C. While in Buffalo, NY he also studied digital and analog electronics.

In his professional life Caile also worked in public relations and as a newspaper reporter and photographer. Earlier he worked in the field of telecommunications including Managing a Buffalo, NY sales and service branch for ITT. He then founded his own private telephone company. This was followed by creation of an electrical engineering company that designed and patented his concept for a new type of low-cost small business telephone system (which was eventually sold to Bell South). The company also did contract work for Kodak and the US space program. Simultaneously Caile designed and manufactured a unique break-apart portable pontoon boat.

Most recently Caile co-founded an internet software company. Its products include software suites with AI capability for control and management of streaming media, such as video and music, an all-in-one book publishing software product for hardcover, eBook and audio book creation and security software for buildings and government use.

For more details about Christopher Caile’s martial arts, work experience and life profile, see the About section in the footer of this site.