A simple fact of life is that you never know what the future holds. You never know what insane circumstances you will one day find yourself in. Furthermore, what crazy and confounding skills could aid you in such a situation. Just about anyone can legally purchase and carry a set of Handcuffs, therefore learning how to pick handcuffs is one of those crazy skills that one day may help you escape from a problematic situation, such as being unlawfully restrained. Fantastic thing is, with a little practice, breaking out of a standard pair of ratcheted handcuffs is a fairly simple skill to acquire. This comprehensive guide will instruct you on how to pick handcuffs and how these devices themselves operate. Quick Navigation Basic Anatomy Of The Handcuff Handcuff Locking Mechanisms How To Pick Handcuffs Why You Need Trainer Handcuffs Basic Anatomy of the Handcuff A standard pair of ratcheted handcuffs has seven main components. This includes the locking mechanism, the swivel, the chain, the double strand, the single strand, the rivet, and the ratchet teeth on the single strand arm. Some handcuffs may include additional components but for the most part, this is what a common handcuff will consist of. Handcuff Locking Mechanisms As with any skill, becoming proficient at escaping handcuffs requires not only practice but also a basic understanding of how these devices operate. Since the invention of the ratcheted handcuff by W.V Adams in 1862, nearly every style of handcuff used today falls under two categories of locking mechanism: the “single-lock” or the “double-lock.” Single-Lock Handcuffs The single-lock simply uses a spring loaded bar to keep the adjustable ratchet arm from releasing once tightened. But with this revolution in design came two great flaws. The first flaw is that there is no way of preventing the handcuffs from continuing to tighten once applied. This can lead to loss of circulation and the restrainer having to disengage the handcuffs in order to reapply them properly which, needless to say, can be dangerous. The second flaw, which we are most concerned with, is the ease in which these handcuffs can be tampered with and unlocked. These two problems were later solved with the introduction of the double-lock by John Tower in 1879. Double-Lock Handcuffs The term “double-lock” pretty much says it all. This style of locking mechanism utilizes two levels of security. The first level acts just like a single-lock whereas it uses a spring loaded Lock Bar to stop the ratchet arm from releasing. But this time a second lock bar is included that acts as a barricade ensuring that the first lock bar cannot move while this second lock bar is engaged. This prevents the ratchet handcuffs from tightening once the second lock is in effect. Additionally, this adds an extra procedure to those who desire to tamper and pick these handcuffs. For the sake of simplicity, the remainder of this guide will only be covering the double-lock as it is much more common and knowledge of these locks can easily be applied to single-lock handcuffs. Let’s take a quick look at the anatomy of a double-lock and briefly go over each component’s purpose. Note there are five main components to these locks and are color coded to the illustration above. These components are the lock bar, the double lock bar, the lock spring, the keyhole, and the double lock slot. The lock bar is the first line of defense in a double lock. Its purpose to stop the cuff from opening by gripping the ratchet’s teeth. The lock bar is held against the ratchet arm by the lock spring. The purpose of the double lock bar is to ensure that the first lock bar can’t move. This is accomplished by sliding an extruded part of the double lock bar under the first lock bar, blocking any potential movement. The double lock bar is engaged by inserting the back of the key into double lock slot and pushing the bar into place. Disengaging a Double-Lock To learn how to pick handcuffs we need to ensure that we completely understand how these double-locks operate under the normal conditions of a key. So let’s take a second and run through the process of how to unlock handcuffs when both locks are engaged. To disengage the double lock bar the key needs to first be turned counter-clockwise (left). This pushes the double lock bar out of the way giving the first lock bar room to move. We then simply turn the key clockwise (right), placing enough pressure against the first lock bar to push it down and out of the way of the ratchet teeth. This will allow the ratchet arm to rotate and the cuff to open. The animation below demonstrates this process. Now that we understand how these devices work we can begin to learn how to tamper with and unlock them. How to Pick Handcuffs Picking handcuffs, while does take practice, is relevantly simple in theory. All we need to do is mimic the form and motion of the key in the locking mechanism. This can be accomplished with any small strand of hard but formable wire such as a paperclip or a bobby pin. For the purpose of this guide we will be demonstrating how to pick handcuffs using a bobby pin, but of course, you may mimic these directions using any piece of material you wish to try. Take note that tampering with and picking handcuffs is much easier when your hands are in front of you and you can visually see what you are doing rather than feeling about. If you are restrained with your hands behind your back simply maneuver them under your legs so that the cuffs are in front of you. How to Pick Handcuffs With a Bobby Pin The process of picking handcuffs can be broken into three steps:  First forming the bobby pin, then disengaging the double-lock, and lastly placing enough pressure on the single lock to push it off the arm’s ratchet teeth and allowing the cuff to open.  With that let’s start by forming [...]

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