Don’t be a target.

By Joel Persinger

Self defense shouldn’t be complicated. For most of us, it’s less about learning to fight and more about not getting into a fight in the first place. With all my training and experience, there’s one fact that has become crystal clear to me. The only fight I am sure to win is the fight I never get in.

Now, before you say anything I know that avoiding a fight isn’t possible for everyone. If you’re in the military or law enforcement for example, your job is to fight so the rest of us don’t have to. This is why I have such great respect for those who serve and protect me and my family. But for most of us, having to fight is a rare experience if we experience the necessity at all. The other great difference is that unlike you and I, law enforcement and military personnel seldom go unprepared into a fight and hardly ever fight alone. The rest of us have to fend for ourselves most of the time, so avoiding trouble seems a lot more sensible than looking for it.

If avoiding trouble is the object, how do we do it? Here are some things to think about in your daily walk through life that might help you stay out of harm’s way.

Be aware of your surroundings. Awareness is the key to most everything when it comes to avoiding trouble. When you’re evaluating risks in a specific location ask yourself the following: Is there danger present? Is there more than one way out if danger shows up? Can you position yourself to minimize your risk (Example: sit close to an exit. Take a seat from which you can see the entire area, etc)?

Be aware of the people around you. Look for obvious clues that point to trouble. For example: A man wearing a long jacket in the summer time, five guys hanging out in a dark parking lot, a mouthy woman with a big boyfriend starting to cause trouble, a shifty eyed customer in line at the bank looking nervous, etc.

Listen to yourself. More people get into trouble by ignoring the little voice in their heads when it’s screaming “Look out, something’s not right” at the top of its proverbial lungs. If your instinct is telling you to look out, then for goodness sake LISTEN!

Be prepared. Dress for the occasion by wearing cloths you can move in and shoes you can run in. You may be a knockout 12 on a scale of 10 who wants to strut her stuff, but you can’t avoid trouble wearing a tight leather skirt and six inch spiked heals. If anything, you’re asking for trouble from the first loud mouth that heads your way and when it comes you’re going to be hard pressed to run from it. Now that you’re dressed appropriately don’t forget to bring simple items like a cell phone and a little flashlight at night.

Take someone with you when you can. The police and military do, why should we be different. As the old saying goes, there is strength in numbers.

Have a confident attitude. Here are the dos and don’ts of attitude: Don’t be a jerk or mouthy. Don’t look like you’re spoiling for a fight. Do look confident and strong. Do walk with purpose. Do keep your head up and look around.

It’s important to remember that predators take the path of least resistance. If there is a choice between you and another potential victim, a predator will select the one that looks weaker, easier and less likely to hurt him or cause him trouble. Your goal is to be de-selected because your behavior raises the level of risk to the predator.

Remember the rule of non-attendance. If trouble starts, leave. If you think trouble is likely to show up, don’t go there.

The last thing on the list is being able to fight. Don’t get me wrong, you should prepare for the necessity to fight, but it must be an option of last resort.