Why Most Attacks Aren’t Random at All
Most people imagine violence as unpredictable — sudden, senseless, and unavoidable. The narrative we hear is:
“It came out of nowhere.”
“It could have been anyone.”
“It was totally random.”
But in real-world victimology and criminal behavior studies, one thing is consistently clear:
Most attacks are not random.
They are selected.
They are built.
They are earned by hesitation, distraction, and opportunity — not fate.
Understanding why this is true is not about blame — it’s about power.
Because if most attacks involve choice on the predator’s side, then you have room to make choices on yours.
Predators Don’t Choose Targets at Random — They Choose Based on Risk
Criminals study environment and people before acting.
This pattern is documented across research in assault, robbery, abduction, and targeting behavior.
Predators look for:
Someone not paying attention
Someone walking alone
Someone distracted by a phone
Someone who won’t notice them approaching
Someone who won’t speak up
Someone who will hesitate
Someone who looks unlikely to fight back
The question a predator asks is never:
“Who can I attack?”
It is:
“Who is safest for me to attack?”
Violence Begins Before the Physical Moment
Most dangerous encounters involve a pre-incident phase.
This includes:
Watching
Following
Proximity testing
Ignoring boundaries
Attempting small contact
Checking if you look back
Seeing whether you change direction
Confirming that you’re alone
Confirming that you didn’t recognize them
By the time someone puts a hand on you,
they’ve likely already made multiple decisions about you.
Attacks Happen Where Predictability Exists
Predators rely on routine.
They take advantage of patterns:
The same running route every morning
The same side of a parking lot you always choose
Leaving the gym at the same time
Sitting in the same spot after work
Returning to your car while distracted
Going to public restrooms alone with no exit plan
Routine makes life easier — but it also makes you easier to track.
This is not paranoia.
This is clarity.
“Wrong Place, Wrong Time” Is Rare
True stranger-on-stranger spontaneous violence is statistically less common than targeted opportunity-based violence.
Most adults who say “it came out of nowhere” later remember:
Something felt off
They noticed the person earlier
Their intuition fired
They dismissed discomfort because it felt rude
They didn’t want to overreact
They assumed it was nothing
Danger doesn’t usually arrive without warning.
It arrives without permission because the warning was ignored.
Why This Realization Creates Power — Not Fear
If most attacks involve:
Target selection
Testing
Opportunity
Hesitation
…then prevention is not helpless.
It is actionable.
That means:
Awareness matters
Boundaries matter
Leaving early matters
Trusting discomfort matters
Changing routine matters
Not apologizing for safety — matters
When you know attacks aren’t random,
you stop believing you are powerless.
What Krav Maga Does With This Knowledge
At California Defense Academy in Murrieta, adults train to:
Notice testing behavior early
Respond before someone “earns” access
Interrupt opportunity
Change direction without waiting for proof
Leave without guilt
Fight only when there is no distance left to save
Real self-defense is not about surviving the worst-case scenario.
It’s about never letting the worst-case scenario begin.
A Final Thought
It is comforting to believe violence is random — because randomness means we don’t need to change anything.
But randomness removes your power.
Awareness gives it back.
Most attacks are not random —
and that should make you breathe easier,
not harder.
Because if violence can be built,
it can also be disrupted.
California Defense Academy – Murrieta, CA
Krav Maga | Self-Defense | Martial Arts | Personal Protection
Serving Murrieta, Temecula, Menifee, Lake Elsinore, Wildomar, Canyon Lake
