Violence, an angry person’s favorite form of release, is a plague that haunts societies. An unfavorable scenario can turn bloody if the people involved can’t control their emotions. The worst part is, some people resort to violence, so they will look “macho” or cool in front of their equally boorish pals. These beasts will attack anyone who looks threatening, even innocent bystanders. As a regular good-natured individual, you should know how to deal with violent people. Here are eleven ways on how to avoid a fistfight:

1. Be Indifferent – Many violent people are simply looking for attention. They pick fights to be noticed by other people and to get praises from their dumb friends. As for brawls and fistfights, they usually start when an offended party reacts to what the other party said or did. Since most troublemakers are attention-driven, a good strategy is to deny the attention that they’re looking for. Treat them as if they are old pieces of furniture. They’re there, but you simply do not care. Eventually, they will lose their aggression, since fighting with you will feel too forced.

2. Wear Mixed Martial Arts Apparel – A shirt that reads “Tap Out” or “Gracie-Barra Jiu Jitsu” brings an instant intimidation factor to most people, including bullies. Wear those shirts or other known mixed martial arts apparel to the club and you will instantly get respect from everyone. If a troublemaker decides to approach you, do a strange martial arts pose. He will have second thoughts on doing anything funny. Don’t use this tactic all too often, though. Some bullies actually practice mixed martial arts.

3. Travel with a Beastly Entourage – The favorite victims of violent people are those who travel by themselves. Without companions, you are almost defenseless against a group of unreasonably angry people, unless you know martial arts or you have a weapon. If you have a group of people with you, troublemakers will think twice if they’re going to do something stupid or not. Bring your burliest friends, who have tattoos, when you want to go out on a drinking spree. Chances are, bar room troublemakers will feel bullied just by looking at them.

4. Bring a Gorgeous Lady – The quickest way to a man’s heart is through a pretty lady and a barrel of alcohol. Bring your most gorgeous friends when you go to city’s haven of violence, the night club. The toughest guys will not harm you since their attention is focused on your lady friends. Remember, one of the cardinal rules of dating is to befriend the buddies of a prospective date. Let them approach your female friends (with their consent, of course) and you’ll gain more buddies and rounds of free beer.

5. Assume the Role of a Policeman’s Son – One characteristic that most bullies don’t have is rationality. Overly aggressive individuals are more concerned with beating people up rather than hearing them out, which leaves little room to actually stimulate the brain. As a rational individual, you can always use your head to outsmart these monkeys. When someone looking for trouble approaches you, look him in the eye and smirk. Bring your mobile phone out and start dialing random numbers. Tell him, “Once I press this button, the entire police force will be gunning for your arse.”

6. Bring a Can of Tear Gas – Drunk boorish men think that they can take on anyone who mistakenly crosses their path. Little do they know, they wouldn’t stand a chance against someone who has a can of tear gas. Spray a good dose on your attacker and he will choke on the fumes. You then have the choice to walk away or to give him a fat lip–black eye combo.

7. Hold Your Ground – Not all bullies are legit. Some of them seem tough at first, but eventually, their true colors appear when the people they intimidate are actually willing to trade blows with them. When a troublemaker approaches you, look him straight in the eye. Calmly say, “I’m not looking for any trouble” while maintaining eye contact. A wannabe bully will oblige and walk away, since the eye contact conveys the silent message – “Make your move, kiddo!” Genuine toughies, on the other hand, may start throwing blows the moment you look them in the eyes, so use this tactic sparingly.

8. Look Down – Eye contact is the one of the factors that formalizes a fistfight. It is a silent way of saying, “I challenge you!” or “I accept your challenge.” If you keep your eyes trained down or in different directions, hooligans will not see you as a threat. Non-threats, of course, have little value for someone upholding a reputation of notoriety. They will feel that they are merely wasting their time if they pick a fight with you.

9. “I’m a Lawyer” - The strongest things have the simplest weaknesses. If elephant is to mouse and Superman is to kryptonite, a troublemaker’s weakness is composed of three simple words – I’m a lawyer. Ruffians have an “I-can-get-away-with-it” mentality, since they can usually intimidate other people through their roughhousing tactics. They can’t do the same with lawyers. One wrong move can result in a lawsuit or worse, a jail sentence. So use those three words whenever necessary and you shouldn’t have any trouble with troublemakers.

10. Walk Away Towards Security or a Populous Area – Walking away is the usual recourse of someone who is trying to avoid a fight. It doesn’t always work, especially when the angry party chases you then hits you while you walk away. You can make this tactic more effective by walking towards security or a populous area. The angry guy will immediately be detained or expelled from an establishment if he attacks you in front of a security guard. Going to a populous area, on the other hand, will work if your opponent’s behavior has irked many bystanders. If you go to them, they will do all the dirty work for you.

11. Just Say Yes – Fistfights are stemmed by much antagonism from the opposing party. He will say hateful claims geared towards you. Your logical recourse is to say yes and prove to him that he is right and you are indeed wrong. For instance, an angry person can tell you that you humiliated him and he is going to bash your skull for that. You reply will be something like, “I guess you’re right. I’m sorry. If you want to beat me up, go ahead. I won’t put up a fight, since it’s my fault.” Upon hearing that reply, the angry person will soften his stance and explain why he got mad in the first place. You can then resolve the issue using rationality and an open mind. As a result, the problem will be resolved without resorting to violence.

Avoiding a fistfight is much harder than engaging one. Your avoidance does not signal that you’re a coward. You are simply resolving issues or shying away from unneeded stress. The truth is, violence rarely resolves anything because the reasons and intentions behind the problem aren’t cleared up. The only that happens is, people will attempt to outslug each other and the loser will retaliate, which starts a violent cycle. Nothing really gets resolved in the process. For more information regarding this article, read how to manage your anger and as a bonus learn how to get rid of a bully.

However, if you do get involved in a fistfight, here is how you would do to get rid of a black eye.