Body language and threat recognition - an article by Massad Ayoob

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dademoss

dademoss

What I specialized in is oboslete
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Worth sharing with the ones I respect and love:

From Massad Ayoob/Backwoods Home magazine/forum: You are invited to read, and share with those you love. Even the people in our lives who fear weapons can benefit from seeing danger signs in time to at least exit the danger zone…I hope.

Human nature ain’t changed much since that article first appeared back in 2004. It’s the single one for which I get the most reprint requests from self-defense instructors. Backwoods Home and I share the same policy: instructors are free to copy it for distribution to students so long as it is not condensed, redacted, or added to, and credit is given to publication and author.

The article is here: http://www.backwoodshome.com/body-language-and-threat-recognition/
 
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Good article! Definitely helpful when dealing with the Average Joe, the neighbor, the idiot at the gas pump during a hurricane evacuation, and other unhinged folks.

However, the average predator or well-seasoned "bad guy" knows how important it is to completely turn off all body language that can potentially raise alarm signals. They have learned to exercise control and clothe themselves with a docile and harmless persona so they can more easily catch their victims unaware.

These days, it's just a good idea to keep a relaxed awareness at all times, in all situations. Even in church, sadly.
 
I love this kind of information.

I remember when we drove to the Kitt Peak National Observatory, west of Tucson one year at Christmas time. It must have been an area full of illegals walking the desert from the border and maybe transportation of drugs. We were stopped and our car was thoroughly checked out by a few men checking out the trunk and under the car with mirrors on extensions.

I happened to be driving and a man came and totally devoted his time with me. We did not have to get out of the car. I believe we all had to show our identification. The agent kept eye contact with me and talked about having lived in the Denver area a while previously, where I was teaching. He asked what I did for work and what we were doing in Arizona. I believe he was probably well trained in body language. We passed, easily, because we were just tourist types, visiting an elderly couple.
 
Dade, thanks for the share. that was a good read. Even if you only pick up a faint hint of any one of the things he mentioned, it may be just enough to give you the edge you need. Small things add up.

Ayoob is spot on 99% of the time with his writings. And it all comes from experience. Well worth reading and learning from.
 
"situational awareness" is my watchword, although I no longer live in a city I am still very careful when walking out and about especially away from my normal location. I don't like people walking up behind me, and in a public place I sit with my back to a wall, old habits die hard!!
 
We would go to town once a week as a family. Dad and I would sit in the car while the women folk shopped for their personal needs. "Dad I'm bored!" "Watch the people" he would answer. So I would. Interesting how much you can tell (or predict) about a person by their body language. Years later an Instructor impressed on me how paying attention to the details of an encounter could save my life. Liars can be spotted by their body language too along with abusive spouses.

Like Lonewolf I too prefer to sit in public with my back to the wall where I can observe people as they come and go.
 
I think it is good to go back and reread this article periodically. There is lots of good information in it.

Being aware is so basic. Paying attention to your surroundings and those around you is important. One of my dog clients is a very social and playful girl. She is a rescue from Texas who looks to be part pit, but such a sweet girl. Any noise or new person or dog around and she is immediately tuned in. She completely stops whatever she is doing and focuses on the noise or new person or dog, probably assessing the friendliness or threat.

In comparison, many people live in their own little world and are very unaware of who or what is going on around them, let alone developing more refined ability to assess a threat level. It seems that for many, it is experiencing being attacked, robbed, assaulted or other personal threat to heighten their awareness of the danger from other people in this world. It is true for me.

A man from church is the son of a NYC police officer. He said his father was always asking him about this person or that person that they saw as they were walking down the street.
 
most people these days walk down the street with their nose pressed to the screen of their mobile phone, totally oblivious to what is going on around them, they are an easy target for a street robbery or attack.
if we can show we are alert to what is going on around us, the robbers will find an easier target.
 
Hands, breathing, and stance are the keys I have been trained to use.
The danger signs are hands in a fist - and pumping closed tightly, Rapid shallow breathing and then just before an attack a deep breath, Balanced posture is ok, leaning back means they feel threatened, a forward, ready to charge stance is a warning, rocking forward and back is very bad.
If you greet someone who is in an aggressive stance with a gentle tone, a slight smile, and solid eye contact they will almost always come off the aggressive stance - unless they are in a group. Group dynamics are harder to deal with but if you focus on the guy in charge you have a better chance of predicting future movements.
 
The Lazy L said:
I was walking with my oldest daughter in downtown Chicago.

"Dad stop that!" she whispered to me.

"Stop what?"

"You are looking directly at the people walking towards us. You're being aggressive!"

"No. I'm letting them know not to mess with my daughter!"
Click to expand...
When I first moved to the big city as a young adult, it was making eye contact that made people think of me as the person to hit on. When we went to the mall, I was the only one approached about making a donation to a deaf-mute who handed me a card. When we went to a pro-baseball game, I was the only one approached by someone wanting a donation. I watched the other girls I was with and realized I was the only one looking at people, making eye contact, and them knowing I was the weak link in the crowd.
 
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