"Best Defense, No Be There."

Mr. Miyagi, the famed sensei from the Karate Kid movies, may be fictional, but his words of wisdom contain very real truths. In the second movie, he teaches his student, Daniel, that the best defense is simply not to be in the way of the attack. This lesson can have a couple of applications. First, if someone tries to hit you, simply stepping out of the way can do you a world of good. It protects you from the strike, puts distance between you and your attacker, allows you a brief second to plan your next move, and gives you an opportunity to take over the advantage in the situation.

But I would like to think of the lesson in another context. The concept is simple. The most effective way to defend yourself is to keep yourself out of dangerous situations. To do this, you must increase your awareness. Pay careful attention to your surroundings. Walking with your head up and your eyes moving can do a lot to increase your safety. First, your apparent confidence makes you a less appealing target to would-be-attackers. Second, if you keep your mind focused on the world around you, rather than withdrawing into your own internal world, you will be able to see situations that might be dangerous.

You may, for example, want to avoid walking past a dark alleyway between buildings. Is there someone sitting in the van parked next to your car? Perhaps another entrance would be preferable to the mall door that is surrounding by a group of drug-doing-potential-gang-members. Keep your eyes open for anyone who looks “shady.” In a seminar on knife fighting, we were taught to watch a person’s hand for signs that he might be carrying a blade. Look for any telltale signs of aggression. Is someone following you too closely? Is the man coming toward you angling himself so as to pass much closer than necessary? Is his hand clenched around something?

If you see someone behaving suspiciously, avoid them. Even if you feel paranoid, crossing to the other side of the street can be a smart move. Trust your instincts. If someone gives you the creeps, create space between yourself and this person. Don’t wait to find out if you were just being paranoid. Make sure you use your other senses as well as your eyes. Sometimes you can hear an attacker coming before you see them.

Unfortunately I can’t cover all of the ways a situation might become dangerous. The trick is to keep your focus turned outward. Be aware of your surroundings and the dangers that might be present. If you don’t walk into a dangerous or violent situation, you won’t have to fight to defend yourself. Remember: “best defense, no be there.”