Those who are interested in self-defense commonly focus on what to do when we’re in the process of being attacked. Empty-handed techniques, edged weapons, firearms…all receive their fair share of attention, time, and publicity. Classes and training are devoted to these disciplines, as are advertisements. Also, the latest, greatest equipment is a major focus. Promises are made that you will be better prepared after being a student of this training. Conversely, a tiny percentage of people consider the moments leading up to these attacks and maintaining situational awareness. Let’s face it, it’s not as glamorous to study what happens before an attack versus learning some fancy new knife techniques or strapping on some nylon and burning through a bunch of magazines in a carbine class.
First-hand experience with Situational Awareness
During my time on duty in my state’s prison system, I had the occasion to witness an extraordinary amount of people being assaulted. During a few dozen of those assaults, yours truly happened to be the target of said assaults. In 1990 when I was hired by the DOC, there was at least one serious incident on every shift inside the prison where I worked. Frequently, there was more than one incident. Fistfights, impact weapon attacks, edged weapon attacks, and all manner of shenanigans in between.
The author gained plenty of experience both witnessing assaults and being assaulted in the prison where he worked.
I’d estimate that I saw several hundred fights, stabbings, beatings, and assaults, along with their aftermath, during my time in service. I don’t say these things to brag or make myself out to be a tough guy; rather, they are simply byproducts of the brutal, unforgiving environment in which I operated. Quite a few of my coworkers were assaulted and seriously wounded during our careers. Sadly, one of my coworkers (he was a good friend) was Killed In The Line of Duty.
Being an observant person, I quickly began mentally dissecting what was happening around me. Maybe a little bit of it was the sociologist in me. More so, survival mode kicked in because I realized that I did not want to be stabbed or pummeled, and I quickly began noticing trends and patterns in the assaults that were occurring around me.
Formal training
At the training academy, they incessantly harped on Situational Awareness, trying to give us the basics to stay alive in a very limited amount of training time. As soon as I stepped foot inside the fifth-largest prison in America, Situational Awareness became THE way to stay alive. Because it doesn’t matter how much of a badass you are, how strong or tough you are, or how good you are at martial arts…there is always someone badder than you. Or there will be more of them, too many for you to physically prevail against. One cell block where I worked housed 750 inmates, versus approximately six corrections officers assigned to that block. Those are not good odds, regardless of how tough any of us thought we might be.
SCI Graterford. 4,000 inmates packed into a small area. The scene of copious amounts of bloodshed. Photo: PA Dept. Of Corrections.
The best way to stay off a stainless steel slab is to not get involved in altercations. Unfortunately, my entire job required me to be involved in such events. Despite that, I learned how to spot many altercations before they began. Well, to be fair, I wasn’t the only one who learned how to detect impending violence; the vast majority of people in that type of environment learn how to do it, I don’t possess any unusual or mystical skills. I simply enjoy analyzing this sort of thing and teaching it to others for the purposes of fighting evil. Staff and inmates alike could normally spot an incident before it jumped off. It was routine to see inmates clear out of an area before a stabbing was about to happen. They were being smart by getting out of the area, plus we realized the impending trouble from watching their reaction.
Why is Situational Awareness so important?
Okay, I can hear some of you out there in the audience saying, “But I don’t work in a prison, why do I need to know this stuff?”
Watching the nightly news will be evidence enough that criminals also operate on the streets before (and after) they go to prison. And the trend these days is to release criminals from prison after they’ve served less time than ever before (don’t even get me started on that topic). The lessons I learned in prison can benefit anyone in any place. Beyond that, people are generally the same during confrontations, no matter where we happen to be. Granted, career criminals are going to have a more intense approach than an average person in society, but the lessons still stand.
What should you look for?
People give off signals (verbal and non-verbal) as to their intentions in everything they do, including hostilities. Learn to watch what people are doing, it’s fundamental for situational awareness. Always watch the hands and the eyes. Pay attention to what people are doing because everything they do is for a reason. A person’s eyes will tell you most of what you need to know about that person’s mental state; whether they are relaxed, agitated, or emotionally disturbed. The old adage that the eyes are the gateway to the soul really is true.
A person who is carrying a weapon will sometimes touch it often to reassure himself that it is still there, that it has not moved. Sometimes he’s checking to make sure that it has not become uncovered, that it is still concealed. Whether it’s a gun or a knife, people will touch it. Pay attention to that. Be aware of those Furtive Movements, it could signal that the person is going for his weapon. The most popular places for weapons are generally the waistband and the pockets. Eye Contact. Early in my career, I was warned not to “grit” on inmates. “Gritting” is a slang term for staring into a person’s eyes, which can be perceived as an attempt to offend or intimidate the other person. It can get you into a fight.
Going against the grain
That said, there were times when I purposely stared into an aggressor’s eyes to let him know that I was not going to be an easy target. Yes, I intended to intimidate the individual because criminals understand one thing: violence. Under certain conditions, you have to convince them that you are as capable and willing to inflict violence as they are. You may need to make yourself unattractive as a prospective victim.
Another tipoff that something is amiss is when the other person won’t meet your gaze.
Note: While the vast majority of people will give certain “tells”, or signs of an impending attack, it is not guaranteed! Especially among mentally ill people (Emotionally Disturbed People). I’ve been in conversation with mentally ill inmates one moment, and the next moment, I was dealing with a maniac who was swinging at me with no warning at all. Sometimes “the voices” told them to attack me. My experience was that they were the most unpredictable people I’ve ever dealt with.
Consider that, while on duty, we were always mentally expecting to be attacked, given the nature of the job. Despite that, even we were taken by surprise at times. Now, if trained professionals can be taken off guard, imagine how a regular person in a “secure”, calm environment can be surprised.
More Pre-Assault Indicators for Situational Awareness
Foot Placement. Let’s say you’re in a verbal confrontation with an individual and he’s facing you with his feet evenly at shoulder width. With his feet positioned thusly, it will be more difficult for him to throw a punch or kick at us. Normally, to launch a strike, the attacker will blade his body with one foot forward of the other. In such a position, it’s easier to throw a punch or kick. So watching the position of his feet can be an indicator of his readiness to attack. Should he switch those feet up, it may indicate that an attack is coming.
During arguments, the stabby finger and clenched fist can be indicators that an assault may occur. Note the aggressor’s feet are evenly spaced shoulder width apart, making it difficult to launch a powerful attack.
Sometimes, a subject will nervously shift around on his feet, kind of shuffling. He may even pace around. These can also be indicators that he’s considering or planning an attack. If you move around a bit, say take a small step to this side or that, your motion may frustrate his plans of attack. A stationary target is much easier to hit than a moving target.
Preparing for confrontation
If he’s engaging you verbally, pay attention not only to his verbiage, but also his voice tone and pitch. A higher pitch might mean he is more agitated and considering attacking. Also, pay attention if he suddenly clams up and ceases talking. That can be a bad sign!
Other signs of extreme agitation are flared nostrils, wide eyes, bared teeth, and clenched fists. Sometimes the fists clench and unclench repeatedly. Also beware of wild hand/arm gestures, which increase as people become more agitated. The teeth and jaw muscles may also clench up. One behavior that we’ve seen more than once is a subject removing garments before attacking (usually ripping them off of his body). When you see that, bad things often follow.
Wild arm gestures are another sign of possible attack. The defender has his arms up, palms out, to ward off an attack.
*Again, always watch the other person’s hands. This is paramount for situational awareness!
Modern-day advantages
With the widespread use of cameras these days, there’s a good chance that a confrontation will be captured on film. We’ve found that, when confronted, a good reaction is to hold up our open hands in front of our chest as if warding off evil. Taking a step or two back while doing this will make it apparent on video that we were attempting to deescalate, rather than moving in. If the subject attacks, and we have to go to court later, we are on video reacting in a non-threatening manner. Also, with our open hands up at chest level, it’s easier to use them to block incoming blows in the event of an attack.
Scanning. Before an attack, a subject will sometimes begin looking around to ensure there are no witnesses or cameras around. He is checking to see if it’s safe for him to launch an attack. Often, he will make it very obvious what he is doing. Like looking all around us and even checking behind himself to see if anyone is looking. If you’re involved in a confrontation and this occurs, it’s a good bet that you’re going to be rocking and rolling shortly. I’ve personally seen and experienced this a number of times.
Beware if a subject tries to move laterally to your side. He’s probably trying to get behind you so that he can launch an attack. I’ve had this happen to me in the past. I did not allow the attacker to get behind me, instead of pivoting to keep him in front of me. Doing this frustrated his plans of attack.
Distracted with danger
If a subject is planning to attack you, he may be distracted or slow to answer your questions because it’s difficult for people to plan an attack while having their thoughts interrupted with questions. Despite claims that people make about being good at multitasking, we suck at doing it in real life. So if a subject appears distracted or slow to answer you, one reason might be that he’s got his mind on more nefarious activities.
Although it’s not in the scope of this article to discuss the actual attack, I will give this bit of advice: if you’re attacked, immediately get off the “X”. That is to say, move off the centerline of attack. Moving to the attacker’s outside is the most advantageous avenue because it will cause him to change direction, which buys us time. What I mean by the outside is, if he steps in and swings at us with his right arm, we move to our left, avoiding his attack. He then has to mentally evaluate (takes time) and repositions his feet (takes time) to adjust.
These are not all of the pre-assault indicators that exist, but they are the main ones and should get the reader in the mindset of thinking about this subject. I encourage you to do research. Law enforcement sources are excellent for delving into these sorts of topics. Watching videos of actual attacks can be an excellent source of information. My hope is that you never have to use any of this information.
Staying alert and keeping situational awareness will go a very long way in safeguarding you and your loved ones. Always avoid a fight if at all possible.
About the Author
Jim Davis served in the PA Dept. of Corrections for 16 ½ years as a corrections officer in the State Correctional Institute at Graterford and later at SCI Phoenix. He served on the Corrections Emergency Response Team (CERT), several of those years as a sniper, and the Fire Emergency Response Team (FERT). For 25 years, he was a professional instructor, teaching topics including Defensive Tactics, Riot Control and Tactical Operations, and Immediate Responder. He also taught cognitive programs as an adjunct instructor at the DOC Training Academy. He was then promoted to the corrections counselor, where he ran a caseload and facilitated cognitive therapy classes for inmates. His total service time was close to 29 years. He was involved in many violent encounters on duty, including incidents of fatalities. Jim currently writes for several publications including Gunmag Warehouse.