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How good is your situational awareness? 12 scenarios

Most fights are avoidable: they follow a predictable build-up (the look, the challenge, the approach, the touch), and the safest move is almost always to leave early, while leaving is still free. Pick what you'd do in each scenario below to see the safest choice and why, then get your score.

Last updated: 20 October 2026

How it works

Every scenario has one safest choice, labelled with the principle behind it:

• Avoid: don't be where it happens, and don't take part in the build-up. Most violence on a night out clusters around pubs and clubs late at night (ONS data below).
• Leave: the earlier you go, the less it costs. Walk towards light, people and staff, with your friends.
• De-escalate: give the other person a way to "win" that isn't your face. Agree, apologise once, lower the stakes, offer him the exit, and leave while talking.
• Get help: staff, door security, the police, an ambulance, your bank. Calling for help is a skill, not a weakness.

The scenarios follow the order of the social-violence script described by Rory Miller and taught in How to Never Get Punched in the Face: the look, the challenge, the approach, the touch, the punch. The aim is to leave at step one or two, where leaving is free. Your score: 11–12 already leaving; 8–10 good instincts; 5–7 some gaps; 0–4 ego is making the decisions.

Techniques from the book behind this tool

This tool puts a few of the named techniques from How to Never Get Punched in the Face to work. Each line says how it relates to the tool.

• The sequence: the look, the challenge, the approach, the touch, the punch: The scenarios follow this order; the aim is to leave at step one or two.
• Social violence and predatory violence: Different kinds of violence need different responses; the scenarios cover both.
• Leave an hour before everyone else: Closing time is when crowds and tempers peak; one scenario is set there.
• Pre-attack signals: Closing distance, going quiet, turning side-on and dropping a hand: the signals in one scenario.
• The de-escalation script: Agree, apologise once, lower the stakes, offer him the exit and leave while talking.
• The fence: Hands up and open between you and him to keep your distance; the book teaches it alongside the de-escalation script.
• Alcohol: Alcohol was involved in about half of violent incidents in the ONS data the page cites.
• Ego: The lowest score band says it plainly: ego is making the decisions.
• The street: The robbery scenario: hand them over, get away towards people, then call the police and your bank.
• In the minutes after: The last scenario covers what to do after an incident.

See every technique in How to Never Get Punched in the Face →

Questions

How do I avoid getting into a fight?

Leave early, stay the least drunk person there, and don't take part in the build-up. Status fights need two players: look away from a stare, decline the challenge with a short apology, and walk away towards people and light. Walking away isn't losing; it's declining a game whose prize is nothing.

What should I say to calm someone down?

Agree ("You're right, my fault"), apologise once, lower the stakes ("I'm not looking for trouble, I just want to get home"), give him a way out ("Let's leave it. Have a good night"), and leave while you're talking. Avoid "calm down", "what's your problem?" or anything that sounds like a challenge.

When is violence most likely on a night out?

Late, around licensed premises and after drinking. In the Crime Survey for England and Wales (2013/14), victims believed the offender was under the influence of alcohol in 53% of violent incidents; 93% of violent incidents in or around a pub or club were alcohol-related, and the share rose to 83% for incidents between 10pm and midnight.

Should I hand over my phone if someone tries to rob me?

If someone demands your phone or wallet with the threat of force, handing it over and getting away is usually the safest choice: nothing in your pocket is worth a head injury. Then go somewhere busy, call the police, and block your cards and phone.

Is it legal to defend myself?

In general terms, many legal systems allow reasonable force to protect yourself from an imminent attack, judged on the circumstances as you honestly believed them to be. Force that is out of proportion, or that continues after the threat has ended, isn't self-defence. The law varies by country; this is general information, not legal advice (see the CPS guidance for England and Wales below).

Does the way I walk make a difference?

It may. In a 1981 study, people convicted of assault watched films of pedestrians and picked those they saw as easy targets, and their choices were linked to how people moved. Head up, phone away, walking with purpose is the posture of someone who sees things coming.

Sources

1. Office for National Statistics, Focus on Violent Crime and Sexual Offences, 2013/14, Chapter 5: Alcohol-related violence.
2. Crown Prosecution Service, Self-Defence and the Prevention of Crime (legal guidance, England and Wales).
3. B. Grayson and M. I. Stein, "Attracting assault: Victims' nonverbal cues," Journal of Communication 31 (1981).
4. Further reading (books): Rory Miller, Meditations on Violence (2008) and Facing Violence (2011); Gavin de Becker, The Gift of Fear (1997).

Personal-safety education, not legal advice. Nothing here teaches you to hurt anyone; physical skills should be learned from a qualified coach. No method can guarantee you won't be attacked. In an emergency call 999 (UK), 911 (US) or 112 (India and EU).