Larry Yatch is a former Navy SEAL who now works in roles as varied as teaching self-defence and business leadership. Many of these professionals, who have devoted their whole lives to fighting for their country, now use what they know to teach civilians how to defend themselves against threats that occur every day in every city.
Being aware of your surroundings and of the type of threat and, above all, being prepared in advance can make the difference between life and death, whether you are a waiter, a security guard or the owner of a large company.
A piece published by Business Insider gathers some tips for getting out of a potentially dangerous situation, whether it is someone following you or a direct threat.
You need to stay alert at all times and observe your surroundings. Only then can you identify people who might cause trouble and avoid them in advance. Awareness of your surroundings saves lives, Yatch told Business Insider. You should also listen to your intuition.
Once you have identified a possible threat, you need to work out how dangerous it is and how much harm it could do to you. To do so, the former SEAL advises examining:
1. Strength
According to Yatch, a person’s hands are a good indicator of their strength. Check whether their hands are scarred or calloused and whether their knuckles are raised. These small signs would show that you are dealing with someone used to fighting, who could therefore be a serious threat in a physical confrontation.
Look at their nose as well. If you break an ordinary person’s nose, they will crumple. If you are dealing with someone whose nose has already been broken several times, hitting them on the nose again will not stop them, because they already know they can keep fighting with a broken nose.
2. Intent
You can tell a person’s intent from their eyes. If someone is watching you, following your every movement and even visually “scanning” you, that is a major warning sign.
Likewise, if you notice that the person is closing the distance between you while their eyes glance discreetly left and right, an attack is probably imminent.
Once you have established that you are facing a threat, it is time to take action:
1. Increase the distance: putting more distance between you and the threat gives you more time to react.
2. Put a barrier in between: everyday life is full of natural barriers. It could be a chair, a table, a car or even a building.
3. Look for escape routes: you need to be aware of your surroundings. Look for possible exits and for people who might be able to help you if the threat becomes real. You should also weigh up your own abilities. If you are an Olympic sprinter, you will obviously find it very easy to lose them.
4. Defend yourself: as a last resort, if you cannot escape the threat, Yatch says you must immediately change your attitude to confront it. Do not be the victim. Once you have done everything you can to prevent the threat and you have no other option left, fight for your physical safety without hesitation, without mercy and with determination, because at that extreme only confidence and resolve can make the threat back off. Try to hide your fear and make sure the attacker sees you not as a victim but as a threat.
Larry Yatch retired from the military in 2008 after being wounded on the battlefield and set up his own company, Sealed Mindset, where he trains individuals and executives not only to defend themselves in dangerous situations but also to prepare them for business leadership.
This article is adapted from a piece originally published by Business Insider.
See also: Seven lessons for success from William McRaven, commander of the SEALs who hunted down Bin Laden
Featured image: U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Laurie Ellen Wash, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
.jpg){kind=link}