Counter-Custody Basics: Escaping Restraints

Most people assume abductions or unlawful restraints are problems for other countries. The reality: cartels, traffickers, and organized crime groups are already using these tactics here and now.

Whether overseas or at home, the ability to escape restraints is one of the most empowering skills you can learn. At Sentinel Combatives, we call it the first fight—because your survival often depends on what you do in the first ten minutes of captivity.

Why Counter-Custody Training Matters

• Time Advantage: Captors are sloppiest right after the grab. That’s your window to escape.
• Control Shift: Escaping flips the script—they lose initiative, you gain it.
• Psychology: Knowing you have options reduces panic and increases action under pressure.

Common Restraints and Escape Methods

Zip Ties

• Position: Hands forward, elbows tight.
• Method: Raise arms overhead, drive down hard against your hip or knee. Focus force on the locking tab.
• Alternative: Use friction against a sharp edge (belt buckle, door frame) to saw through.

Duct Tape

• Position: Hands together, tape tight.
• Method: Explosively spread arms outward—tape tears along the seam.
• Alternative: Twist wrists to create slack, then peel away with teeth or nearby objects.

Handcuffs

• Method: A shim (paperclip, bobby pin, hair clip) can bypass the ratchet.
• Advanced: With training, improvised keys or picks work against most common cuffs. This takes an incredible amount of practice and you are better off keeping purpose made keys hidden within your clothes. Do not try and use plastic "covert" hand cuff keys.
• Pro Tip: Hide a micro shim in your belt line.

Rope

• Method: Use friction against sharp edges, or loop rope against your own weight to saw through.
• Alternative: Loosen by twisting wrists and creating slack.

Everyday Items That Become Escape Tools

• Bobby Pins: Lock pick or shim. Only keeps these items on you if you can explain why you have them. A bald guy will have a hard time explaining why he has bobby pins on him.
• Shoelaces: Friction saw against plastic restraints. A definite possibility, but often your shoes are the first thing an assailant takes from you in an illegal custody scenario. Hiding kevlar chord on you is a better option.
• Pens: Can puncture or cut tape.
• Belt Buckles: Edge for sawing.

The best escape tools are the ones that don’t look like tools at all.

Counter-Custody for Families

This training isn’t just for professionals. Teaching simple tactics to spouses and even kids can save lives. Knowing how to break duct tape or use code words under duress builds confidence and reduces fear.

The Counter-Custody Mindset

• Stay Calm: Panic burns oxygen and strength.
• Think Like Water: Find the path of least resistance—weak points, seams, sharp edges.
• Exploit the Window: Once free, escape immediately. Don’t freeze, and don’t seek revenge. Distance equals survival.

Final Word: Escape is Survival

Counter-custody skills aren’t about paranoia. They’re about refusing to be helpless. The moment you learn to break free from restraints, you take away your captor’s biggest weapon: control.

At Sentinel Combatives, we prepare civilians to resist, escape, and survive—even in the worst-case scenarios. Because freedom isn’t given—it’s taken.

📧 Contact: jerry@sentinelcombatives.com
📞 Phone: 828-415-0826