<P> A death grip is an extremely tight grip, such as that exerted by a person in a panic for fear for their life . This was commonly thought to be a risk when rescuing a drowning person--that they would cling to their rescuer with a death grip which would cause them both to perish . Investigation showed that this did not actually happen in practice and so breaking a death grip is no longer emphasised in lifesaving . The actual behaviour of a drowning person is more passive as they lack the oxygen to take violent action and an instinctive paddling reflex occurs . </P>

Where did the term death grip come from
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