How do the general enemies hurt you in the NES game Kung Fu?

I am talking about Kung-Fu Master, also known as Spartan X

The generic pink vest enemies just seem to run towards you and grab you which depletes the health meter

How are they supposed to be draining your health in game? Are they chocking you or biting you?

Also, there are miniature versions of this enemy in the game who hurt you in the same way, only touching you on the knees. Are they supposed to be children or very short adults?

Solution 1:

The first type of enemy is called a "Gripper" by several sources. They appear to attack by grabbing you, and when you're standing it looks like you're being grabbed by the shoulders. If you are crouching, the Gripper uses the same animation, which only touches the top of your head, but I assume this is more a limitation of the game rather than some sort of weak point.

The other enemy you mention is called a "Tom Tom." They are smaller versions of the Gripper, and are intended to be too low to be attacked while standing. Since Kung Fu Master is based on a Jackie Chan movie originally, I'm assuming they're just shorter people and Mr. Chan isn't beating the daylights out of small children...