Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Assess the situation
• Method 2 of 3: Dealing with a non-immediate threat
• Method 3 of 3: Dealing with an Immediate Threat
• Tips
• Warnings

You can encounter many types of threat in the course of your life. Some threats are urgent, immediate and violent. Other threats are not acute, but just as harmful. Think about a possible decision and what you need to do to keep yourself safe. Act quickly, calmly and rationally.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Assess the situation

1. Estimate the urgency of the threat. Try to gauge how confident you are that the threatening person will act on his or her words. There is a wide margin between a threatening letter and a man standing in front of you with a knife. The way you react will necessarily depend on the immediate danger of the situation.
2. Assess the situation. If the threat is immediate, quickly and calmly look around for potential defenses and escape routes. If the threat is more abstract, try to get a clearer picture of what exactly is going on. Make sure you understand why you are being threatened and what the actual risk is.
   • Why are you threatened? If you don't know this, ask. If you can't ask, take a gamble.
   • Does the other want something from you? Consider giving a threatening person what he / she is asking. You never know how desperate someone is, and it is pointless to be killed because of the contents of your wallet.
   • Who is the leader of the group? If you are being threatened by a group of people, your first goal is to raise yourself up.
3. Take in the environment. Are you familiar with your surroundings? Are you being watched with surveillance cameras? Do you have a chance to escape? This will greatly determine how you deal with the situation.

Method 2 of 3: Dealing with a non-immediate threat

1. Talk to the person. If you know the person personally threatening you, find out if there is a way to resolve the situation without further escalation. Try to make a deal if you are being blackmailed or asked for something. Discuss the situation in person (but not alone) and try to reach a mutual agreement.
   • Find out if you are being threatened for any reason. Maybe the person thinks you did something to them.
   • Don't be too proud to apologize. A good apology can calm the most tense situations.
2. Dealing with blackmail. Blackmail is a real threat, even if there is no threat of violence. The way you respond will depend on what the person knows or has about you and how much you can lose with it. Make sure you don't give in until you consider other solutions. If you are confident in your own cause, then refuse.
3. Tell someone. Make sure you're not trying to handle this on your own. As soon as possible, involve someone you trust, such as a teacher, parent, friend, partner, coworker, or someone in authority. You are stronger together. Show someone the threatening messages and make sure they know exactly who is threatening you.
4. Apply for a restraining order. If there is no other way to avert the threat, you can prohibit the person from contacting you through the courts. You must provide evidence of the seriousness and urgency of the threat, and report it to the local police. You can ask for a restriction on the person to stop specific behavior, or you can ask the judge for a restraining order.
   • Once you've arranged a restraining order against the person, he or she is not allowed to come within a certain distance from you - often on the order of 50-100 meters. This may not be enough to stop the threat, as long as the person is persistent enough, but it can at least create a legal barrier.

Method 3 of 3: Dealing with an Immediate Threat

1. Respond as nonviolently as possible. Try to face the threat by giving in, escaping, or talking you out. Perhaps the other person is more reasonable than you expected.
   • Compromise or compromise. See if there is a way to de-escalate the situation so that everyone stays happy and healthy.
   • Assess whether you have an escape route. If the threat is in front of you, you may be able to back up. Run to other people --- together you are stronger.
   • If there is no nonviolent way to escape, then you have to defend yourself. Be prepared for this, but don't use this as your first reaction.
2. Defend yourself. Be realistic about your odds. If you are in the minority or face force majeure, it is wise to first look for nonviolent solutions. Remember that violence is never a guaranteed method of dealing with someone. Once the situation gets out of hand, it can be very difficult to get it to calm down safely.
   • If there is CCTV and you plan to fight your way out of the situation, it is important to let the aggressor make the first move. However, if you are in the minority, and one or more of them are armed, in a visible way, this may be enough to justify your further actions.
3. Take out the leader. Try placing a kick in the groin, or a well-placed elbow thrust in the ribs, or giving a good punch. Now is not the time for style or fair play - but if you put all your strength into it, the other person has to go right away. Now you need to think about your next steps.
   • Run away now, if possible. Get out of the way quickly, using the space you just created. If you're lucky, the rest of the group will be temporarily distracted.
   • If you can't get out, then you have to put something between you and the rest of the group. One person from the group is an option. Grab the person closest to you by the throat or neck - you want to be behind that person, so he or she will have to stand in the right way with you - in addition, make sure you get that person in such a way. insists that he or she cannot attack you. For example, grab the person's ear and pull hard while holding the person in a clamp.
4. Fight for your life. Fight fast and mean. Go in and back quickly and don't let anyone grab you. You will lose out if one or two of them can take your barrel. Run away as soon as you see an opening.
   • Kick the back of the knee of your human "shield" so that it is forced to its knees. Ideally, in such a way that the other person cannot immediately get up again. Then you handle the rest in a similar way.
   • Focus on unexpected goals. The knee is very weak and can easily be (temporarily) switched off with a single kick.
   • A "sucker punch" to the jaw can knock someone out, but these are so obvious that you can rarely get away with them.
5. Call in the authorities. Tell the police or a security guard about the confrontation. Alternatively, you can also use your mobile phone or (if it is nearby, from a telephone booth) call the emergency services. Do your best to accurately describe the situation: when, where and what the threatening people look like.

Tips

• In case you get robbed, you can reserve an old purse and keep it in the back or front pocket of your pants, and your real wallet in another pocket so you can hand over the "fake purse" to the robber.
• If you have such a "fake purse", give it to the robber. Then run away. Throwing the fake purse at the robber will give you more time to escape. The robber will likely be more interested in the contents of the purse you are throwing than you.
  • Put some fake credit cards, receipts and maybe even some change in the purse. This should keep your robber happy long enough for you to get away.
  • Keep the "fake purse" in your pocket. Keep your real wallet in another less visible pocket.
• If you have to punch, make a correct fist: tight, with your thumb on the outside and on the bottom, not along the side. Practice this by turning your hand towards your face. Make a fist with your thumb on top of your curved fingers, not next to them. Strike with a tight fist or you risk injuring your fingers and hand.
• Take lessons in self-defense. Exercise gives confidence, style and strength.
• If you are untrained in self-defense and have (almost) delivered another punch, work with your legs and deliver low, football-like kicks to the knees and ankles. Compared to that, your punches will be weaker. You can also work on your punch and kick technique, in case a confrontation occurs.
• Know which vulnerabilities to hit if you want to take someone out temporarily. From bottom to top: Ankles, knees, groin, stomach, floating ribs, collarbone, throat, jaw, eyes, temples. Be especially careful with the throat, eyes, and temples unless you are in a situation where your life is in immediate danger. Bumps in these areas can be fatal.

Warnings

• If you know an attack can come, avoid those people / places / things that can cause a confrontation.
• If you are involved in illegal activities (drugs, prostitution, gangs), make sure you choose better company. You can't go back before you know it.
• Always try to escape the situation before resorting to violence.
• Always have a mobile phone with you.You may not be able to use it while being threatened by attackers, but it will come in handy later. Call emergency services immediately with your cell phone if you are injured. A cut from an aggressor can eventually cause illness.