Situational Awareness Test: Can You Spot the Threat?
We had just moved to California, and I was meeting my wife, Jesse, to go over some business stuff. She had arrived before me, grabbed a seat outside Starbucks, and got to work.
As I approached, I immediately spotted four problems.
I saw them all before she saw me.
The biggest concern?
Not her purse.
Not her headphones.
Not even where her eyes were locked.
The biggest concern was the man sitting behind her.
I snapped a picture before she even looked up—because in that moment, I wasn’t just seeing my wife.
I was seeing a lesson in real-time.
And now, I’m turning this moment into a teaching moment for you.
The Reality Check
If you think this kind of moment is harmless, consider this:
Every 68 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted. (RAINN)
Over 1.2 million violent crimes are reported annually in the U.S. (FBI Crime Data)
More than 400,000 people go missing in the U.S. every year, many due to human trafficking. (NCIC)
Purse snatching? It’s an easy crime. The FBI categorizes it under larceny-theft, which accounted for over 4.9 million incidents last year alone.
These aren't just numbers. They represent real people—many of whom had no idea they were being targeted until it was too late.
Now, take a look at the picture again.
1. Totally Exposed
Jesse’s sitting with her back to the crowd, focused on her paperwork, oblivious to her surroundings.
She has no clue who’s approaching, what their intent might be, or if someone is already watching her.
Practical Tactical Choice: If you're solo, position yourself with your back to a wall—not to the world. That way, you see movement before it’s too late. If there’s no wall, share a table with a friend or even a stranger.
2. The Purse is a Target
It’s hanging off the back of her chair, practically inviting a thief to grab it and walk off.
A skilled purse snatcher can be in and out in less than two seconds.
Practical Tactical Choice: Never hang your valuables behind you. Keep them in your lap, in front of you, or on the chair between your back and the backrest. Make it harder, not easier, for someone to steal from you.
3. Sensory Shutdown
Headphones in.
Pen in hand, completely focused on filling out a form.
That’s two out of three survival senses compromised.
Your auditory sense reacts faster than your visual and tactile senses. If someone runs up behind you, you’ll hear it before you see it—unless you’ve blocked out the world with music.
Right now, Jesse is in a cognitive tunnel—fully engrossed in her task. If something happened around her, it would take valuable seconds for her brain to switch gears and react.
Practical Tactical Choice: If you're out in public, stay engaged with your surroundings. But, more importantly, let your survival senses do their work. NO AWARENESS, NO CHANCE.
4. The Stranger in the Background
Did you notice him?
The guy on the phone.
Is he just chatting with his wife, or is he pretending to talk while watching Jesse?
Is he waiting for the right moment to grab her purse and run?
Or worse—is he signaling to an accomplice that they’ve got a potential target?
This is how victims get picked.
Practical Tactical Choice: Scan your environment. Choose safety before a problem chooses you. Trust your instincts and intuition.
Final Thought: The Lesson People Actually Want
When I first wrote this article, it exploded online. It was shared thousands of times, and the traffic was so intense that our server crashed. That tells me something important:
More people want to learn how to avoid violence than how to fight through it.
And that’s exactly what real self-defense is about. Remember our Three D’s?
Detect the danger before it’s a problem.
Defuse the situation before it escalates.
Defend yourself only if there’s no other option.
The foundation of managing fear and danger, is situational awareness. That’s why we say:
NO AWARENESS, NO CHANCE.
Understand this, and you change everything. The safest fight is the one you never have to be in.
Your Next Move
Share this article with someone you care about—especially someone who doesn’t want to train in physical self-defense but might be inspired to start thinking more about situational awareness.
If you’ve been following my work, you know our approach to teaching self-defense is vastly different from most systems that focus primarily on the physical solutions. And while those skills have their time & place, it’s your pre-fight arsenal that keeps you out of the post-fight drama.
We’re looking for conscientious professionals who want to add the SPEAR System® to their program. Our next certification is in May 31 - June 1, 2025.
Stay safe out there.
Coach Blauer