A repost of from December, 2008, titled Threat Indicators and Personal Safety. It was a guest-post by
tgace, of The Things Worth Believing In.
tgace is a friend, whom 'I’ve had the pleasure to meeting in person, and he’s the real deal. By his own definition, he is a "husband, father, police lieutenant, FBINA graduate, fitness buff, martial artist, hunter, reader, gun nut, conservative, internet surfer." Check out his blog after this taste. I believe this is one of the best, and most important posts on this site, and I am honored to host and share it. Enjoy.
Have you ever been in a situation where a person gave you the impression that they could be a threat? Did they gave off some sort of "vibe" that they were ready to start some trouble; something you just couldn't place your finger on? Chances are that there were obvious physical clues that person was giving you that you were only aware of sub-consciously.
A common topic in law enforcement training circles is the detection of something called "pre-assaultive threat indicators". In any police contact, officers are trained to look for physical cues that serve as "early warning signals" that a person may flee or become combative. These same cues can be useful in the civilian world as well. Being able to identify body language that indicates an imminent attack can give you the opportunity to, at best, "beat feet". Or at worst, allow you to preempt the attack with a defensive measure.
Avoiding Eye Contact: When a person acts like you are not there and wont look at you it can mean a few different things, or a cluster of them. The person is avoiding engaging because he is mentally processing the situation in an agitated state and cannot multitask. He is trying to decide what to do and when, he could be looking for an escape route or psyching himself up to act. He could also be attempting to distract you for a sucker punch.
The Chest Puff: "Making the body bigger says 'I am powerful' and is a typical male action. This warns other men not to attack and may indicate that the person is thinking of attacking. It can thus be a response to a threat. If one man expands, then others have the choice of retreating or expanding also ('If you attack, I'll fight back!'). Expansion can thus indicate anger."
Rocking Motion: When people are going into "fight or flight" mode their bodies are pumping oxygen and adrenaline into their systems and if they are trying to contain that urge to fight or flee (for the moment) they will do some odd things. Pacing, bouncing up and down, rocking back and forth, helps "burn off" some of that extra O2. it is also indicative of a subconscious "warming up" for action.
Averting the Face: People on the verge of initiating an action often attempt to hide their anxiety by averting or hiding their faces. This will also be seen in facial wipes, slicking back the hair, looking up into the air, etc.
Boxers Stance: This is a solid indicator that the "fight" half or "fight or flight" is being chosen. Look for a flexing of the knees and a "nose over toes" lean that indicates a preparation to launch.
Clenching of Fists: Another indicator that "fight" is the choice. Its also another "warming up" gesture.
Thousand Yard Stare: The subject is looking "through you" instead of at you. He has that "faraway look" on his face. He is putting himself in his "angry place". He is dehumanizing you and hovering over the launch button. Gain distance.
Target Glance: The opposite of the Thousand Yard Stare. the subject is zeroing in on a target. If he's staring at your chin be ready for the sucker punch. If its your weapon, a gun grab attempt.
Facial Wipe: see Averting the Face Now, don't go nuts just because some guy wipes his face. The secret to decoding these cues is to take the entire situation into account and look for clusters of behavior. If you are in a profession where you have to deal with people in these situations; when you see these indicators it is time to act! Put some distance between yourselves and start issuing commands for compliance. I would be getting my OC or taser limbered up and/or tightening the laces on my running shoes. If you are a civilian and you see these cues...leave...if possible. If leaving is not an option, get ready.
The attached video is a clip from a project put together by a close friend who is a martial arts instructor, a local film artist and myself. It's a project in progress. Don't be too critical of the realism of the defensive response at the end. The threat indicators were the focus of the piece and we were not willing to roll around on the hot summer pavement for a more realistic "fight".
Like this post? Subscribe to our
feed, or
by email and you won’t miss a thing.
All original material is copyright of their respective authors.
All rights reserved. Permission must be obtained before use. Copyright 2011
2 comments:
I've seen this before but it's always good to see it again. I find the description of the reason for the thousand yard stare a little scary...
This is what I would term fundamental to self-defense. It should become ingrained in all of us, and taught to our kids and loved ones. I love that description, and have seen it before. At the time, I was glad to have that distance. Thanks for reading, and for the comments!
Post a Comment