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Former royal marine demonstrates how to throw a punch with acrylic nails on

‘Not all heroes wear capes. Some wear acrylics,’ one viewer writes

Chelsea Ritschel
New York
Monday 04 October 2021 21:40 BST
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<p>Former royal marine shows how to throw a punch with acrylics on </p>

Former royal marine shows how to throw a punch with acrylics on

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A former royal marine has gone viral after demonstrating various ways to throw a punch while wearing a set of acrylic nails.

Robin, who goes by the username @dutchintheusa on TikTok, where he frequently shares safety hack videos and other helpful tips, shared the alternative moves available to those with long nails in a video uploaded last week.

In the clip, the royal marine, who can be seen wearing a set of long, bright blue acrylic nails, began by acknowledging that those with long nails cannot make a fist, as it “hurts very, very much”, before sharing alternative self-defense techniques for those with nails.

“In my last video, you saw me rolling up my fingers like this to create a fist – obviously, you can’t do that and it hurts very, very much,” Robin began. “So here’s how to throw a punch.”

According to Robin, the first alternative is to hit with one’s palm, with the video showing him demonstrating how to use the hard part of the open hand to strike a piece of wood. “Like that. That still works,” he said.

The TikTok user, who has more than 3.8m followers, then explained how those with long nails can also use the side of their fist for self-defense.

For the second move, Robin showed his fingers only slightly folded into his palm, rather than curled in as typical for a regular fist, before demonstrating how to strike with the side of one’s hand.

“Still works, doesn’t hurt you,” he concluded after forcefully hitting the piece of wood twice.

As of Monday, the video has been viewed more than 14.2m times, with many viewers sharing their appreciation for the tips and Robin’s dedication to helping his followers.

“This man really went out and got a full set for educational purposes and our well-being. King behaviour,” one person commented.

Another said: “Not all heroes wear capes. Some wear acrylics.”

“This is so, so important! Thank you,” someone else wrote.

As for why Robin chose to don fake nails for the video, he told BuzzFeed: “I try to put myself in people’s shoes and find ways [for them] to defend themselves,” adding that most of his tips are “easy to remember” but were “never taught”.

This is not the first time that Robin has shared a potentially life-saving tip on TikTok, as he previously went viral with a video demonstrating an innovative hack to save yourself from drowning in deep water, which saw him showing how to transform a pair of pants turned into a “floatation device”.

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