There is a lot of talk in the self-defense community about the use of intuition.  On a personal level I am a big fan of utilizing it to its fullest potential.  Anything to avoid a physical conflict in my books takes top billing.  In short, your intuition is figuratively and literally a “gut feeling” that something is out of place.  During my seminars I am often asked about the warning signs of intuition, or more specifically how to recognize it.  There are several signs but here are the most noteworthy:

• The assailant creates an attachment or partnership with the victim. In short their goal is to create a false sense of trust with you.
• They lay it on thick, or put another way they are too nice.  This should be self explanatory, but in case you are lost if the person is Mr. Charming, be on guard.
• My personal favorite- diarrhea of the mouth.  The person keeps talking and talking and talking and… you get the point.  The will volunteer a lot of details in an attempt to create the appearance of being trustworthy and honest.
• The assailant will also be slightly condescending to the victim in an attempt to get the victim to cooperate.  For example, “What! Are you too good to talk to me?” Or, “What is the matter, am I not good enough for you?”
• The last and most important sign is their inability to hear the word “No.” Instead of taking the word literally they begin to negotiate with you.  It is very important for you to realize that if this is the case, seek safety immediately.

If you take a moment and comment these signals to memory, they will help keep you safe in all areas of life and will help you avoid sexual assaults, mugging and other potentially violent situations since most criminals follow the same (predictable) patterns.  In conclusion it is interesting to note that, contrary to popular belief, intuition CAN be developed.  During my violence prevention seminars I incorporate a lot of drills to develop this vital skill.  I do this because, as  I said,  I am big believer in using our own innate preferences and not our fists to protect ourselves. 

Special thanks to the authors of the Gift of Fear and Humane Pressure Point Defense for helping with the content of this article.