How to walk, so you don’t get mugged
“Inmates who were shown video clips of people walking on a city footpath rated who would, and who wouldn’t, be good prospects to mug.” I came across this quote when recently reviewing information from my body language research library.
The only reference I found for the quote was ‘Esquire magazine article, by John Poppy’ and my notes about the article.
Let me explain the quote. In a study where inmates were shown video clips of various people walking, they rated people who walked not too slowly or too quickly, as not being good prospects to mug. (That is, these people were not seen as easy prey). Other attributes that marked these people as not good to mug were their relaxed body movement and gait, and that they appeared to be on route to a destination (ie. versus walking without a purpose).
In addition to keeping this ‘not too slow or to quick’ walking method in mind, here are additional ideas on how to walk, so that you signal confidence and certainty to others (and if the situation arises, to not be seen as easy prey for potential muggers).
- Focus your body a few centimeters below your naval, midway below your back and stomach.
- Keep your weight down low. Be aware of your pelvic girdle rocking back and forth.
- Let your legs drop free from your hips. Let them flow.
- Allow your body to move. Let your hands and arms swing freely.
- Make firm contact with the soles of your feet on the ground.
- Walk with this analogy in mind: Like a monorail train car, smoothly running along its track.
The ‘how to apply’ for this post: In the next seven days, observe how other people walk and carry themselves, and rate them in relation to the above points. Begin adding some of the above suggestions into your ‘walk’.
