Handcuffs are expensive, so zip ties are often used as a cheaper and fairly effective way of binding someone's wrists. If you find yourself bound by the annoying plastic, here's an easy way to break free.

"Imminent threat solutions" blog ITS Tactical shows you how easy it can be to break zip ties with a little practice. As you can see in the video above, all it really takes is a forceful smack in the butt (from your bound fists) fueled by momentum, pushing outward as you complete the range of motion. That is, if your hands are tied behind your back. If they're in front of you, just pull in towards your stomach instead. You can find detailed instructions for all hand positions at the full post on ITS Tactical.

But why would you ever need to do this? Well, it's probably a bad idea even if you felt you were restrained unfairly in a protest (plus it sounds like law enforcement uses more extreme zip ties), but let's say you were tied up during a robbery. As the TYWKIWDBI blog puts it:

Posted not for the purposes of helping malefactors escape from appropriate arrest (because they're not going to be reading this blog and they probably know this anyway), but for anyone else who has worries about what to do if bad guys invade your home or apartment and zip-tie-restrain you and your family and they're in the next room stealing your stuff and you think they're going to murder you or worse before they leave.

Any tool used for good can also be used for evil, whether you're trying someone up or breaking free.