Keeping your guard up has become a term that, unfortunately, more and more Americans need to focus on outside of just after-work boxing classes. Looking over your shoulder more or scanning the room for the nearest exits can no longer be considered quirky or worse, paranoid, say experts. Maintaining personal vigilance while also understanding certain self-defense strategies has become more critical than ever.
If you’re one of many Americans taking more precautions in their everyday activities, you’re not alone in feeling an elevated sense of unease. A 2023 Gallup Poll revealed that 40% of Americans reported feeling afraid to walk alone at night within as close as a mile of their homes.
Personal safety is no longer isolated to just late-night subway rides or after-hours outings at the club. Many people’s fitness routines can oftentimes be compromised due to safety concerns. An early, predawn run, oftentimes the kickstart to a person’s morning, can be pushed to the daylight hours to avoid any perceived dangers.
Though statistics are light, there have been reported incidents of violent crimes at gyms as well locker room thefts.
But the same time, according to FBI statistics, parking lots and garages rank as the third most common places where violent crimes occur. So getting to your car may now require a bit more vigilance than ever. Thus, it’s essential to not only learn self-defense but also to be aware of your surroundings before a situation escalates.
So what do you do? While many gyms and martial arts studios are thankfully placing a greater emphasis on self-defense techniques, the smartest and safest strategy is often knowing how to avoid confrontational situations altogether. Being proactive and able to assess potential threats is necessary to navigate your day confidently while reclaiming a sense of personal safety.
“Trust your instincts,” advises personal safety expert Stephanie Cyr, Ph.D., founder of Power Up Moves, an organization dedicated to empowering people through personal safety education. “Listen to your body; it will register a threat before your mind does. Stop and assess the situation. Your body takes in a lot of information—enough to set off alarms.”
In addition to Power Up Moves, Cyr is also a Faculty Lecturer of Personal Defense at San Francisco State University. She’s also an attorney as well as a black belt in both Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Taekwondo. She does submission techniques such as armbars and rear naked chokes. But Cyr’s self-defense classes are also heavily focused on what she calls “evidence-based maneuvers.” These are techniques that have been proven effective through clinical studies.
The common first reaction may be to choose violence. Cyr’s work emphasizes the importance of mastering non-aggressive tactics. This could be easy as altering your route to avoid a confrontation. Even using your voice aggressively—during a threatening situation, can be the difference between walking away or becoming a victim.
Cyr emphasizes that physical contact should be used as a last resort and that being situationally aware can lessen the chances of a dangerous confrontation. One of her most important lessons is to never dismiss your gut instinct as being “paranoid.” “If something seems off, don’t dismiss it as negativity or paranoia,” she says. “You’re being observant, taking in information, which is what our bodies do.”
The Importance of Knowing Your Surroundings
Cyr says that learning how to strike is an important part of self defense. However, she emphasizes that a physical altercation should only be used as a last resort. In addition to avoiding the risk of injury, she says there are instances in which you may be looked at as the aggressor from a legal standpoint.
“You only use enough force necessary to get safe,” she says. “There’s also situations of people being too aggressive. Not only does the self defense claim not stand, but you now could have charges brought against you for being the aggressor.”
Instead, knowing when to walk away or diffuse a situation use situational awareness is one of your self defense skills that can significantly enhance personal safety. One way is to use your hands in a non-threatening, calming.
“You can’t control the person in front of you. But you can control your response to them, and that’s really important,” Cyr says. “I’ll hear often someone running into class describing a situation in which someone was belligerent behind them. They would talk to the person in a calming demeanor, asking how they could help. After just talking for a moment they saw the person starting to breathe.”
Not every situation ends comfortably without incident, Cyr says. So while de-escalation should be the primary game plan, many times avoiding a potential threat altogether is the best option. This is where situational awareness comes into action, especially in environments that may pose risks, such as parking lots, concert venues, even unfamiliar spaces such as shopping malls.
“The one thing you want to avoid at all costs is engaging in an altercation,” Cyr says. “If there’s a threat in the air, and something has you alerted, focus on avoiding it rather than getting physical. Keep your eye on those individuals. For instance, if you walk past a group and notice them turn their attention toward you, know they’re probably targeting you. If possible in that situation, consider walking into a store or finding an area that allows you to create distance. And if you can, put a barrier between yourself and them. Call for help or get assistance without needing to engage verbally or physically.”
Several important factors to consider include:
Listening to Your Intuition When It Comes To Recognizing Threats
When something feels off—you get a sense someone’s sizing you up—oftentimes it is. Trusting your instincts can help you assess a situation more accurately. It’s about knowing when to remain calm and when to be on high alert while evaluating the behaviors around you. Remember it’s better to be aware and wrong then to ignore and be a victim.
And if a situation arises, don’t be afraid to be loud. According to Cyr, oftentimes raising your voice can not only scare off potential threats, but yelling out specifics of the aggressor can even help eyewitness better remember details of the incident when law enforcement is brought in.
“Parking lots are in the top four places of assaults,” Cyr says. “There, you should be beyond high alert. Parking lots are a a very easy grab and go. A thief doesn’t want the attention on them. That’s why it’s important to get loud and make lots of noise. By yelling ‘baseball cap,’ ‘white stripes,’ ‘black hoodie,’ whatever, they remember that versus just relying on their own memory or eyesight.”
Assessing Behavior, and Walk Away if Needed
Even in a gym, Understanding the behavior of those around you is another key element of situational awareness. People may exhibit unusual behaviors that could indicate a potential situation, such as having an aggressive posture or erratic movements. Instead of dismissing these observation, view them as vital signs that can help distinguish genuine threats from harmless characteristics.
“If someone’s being a little more aggressive toward you,” Cyr says, “it helps to take a moment to look at them. It could be their problem not yours. Sometimes it’s best to just walk away and get your workout in somewhere else.”
Be Prepared
Familiarizing yourself with your environment beforehand and knowing the general layout. Knowing a room’a exits and emergency routes can offer a significant advantage. In any new place, even in a gym, maintaining a mental map while continually scanning your surroundings ensures you are prepared for unexpected situations.
“In gyms, I can’t tell you how many times [I’ve been told about] people who’ve circled a bench where someone’s been working out,” she says. “Put a piece of equipment between them and someone else. You definitely want to have distance. You don’t want anyone being able to reach out and touch you. So be aware of your distance from other people.”
