Guard Up! Know Your Exits: A Simple Safety Habit That Could Save Your Life
Grand Master Evan R. Henry explains why identifying emergency exits in restaurants, casinos, schools and other public places is an essential self-defense skill everyone should practice.
A Simple Self-Defense Habit Most People Never Practice
The Day I Escaped a Food Fight
Let me tell you a story from my senior year of high school. I knew there was going to be a food fight. My friend was going to start it, and I told him one thing. Give me the signal before it goes down. I did what I always do when I walk into a room. I looked for the exits. The closest one was in the back, to the far left. I had it mapped the moment I sat down. Halfway through lunch, he tapped my shoulder. I got up and moved. My best friend saw me and started to follow. He was a step behind. I made it out the door just as the first ketchup packet flew through the air. It was a barrage. Food everywhere. My best friend caught it. Half the cafeteria caught it. The mess was so bad they cancelled the rest of the school day. I was eighteen years old and I already had the habit.
Look for the exit before you need it. Because when the ketchup starts flying, you don’t have time to find one.
Evan Henry
My Father Taught Me This
That was a food fight. But I did not build the habit that got me out of that lunchroom. My father did. Sergeant First Class Edwin R. Henry, United States Army. He taught me to scan the room. That habit came from him. He did not teach me to scan for ketchup packets. He taught me because a fire can start in any kitchen. Because active shooters walk into malls, schools, and churches. Because crowds turn deadly at concerts and on boardwalks. Because in this country, we cannot pretend those things happen somewhere else.
The people who make it out are not always the fastest or the strongest. They are the ones who already knew where they were going before it started.
Every Building. Every Time.
That is why I do it every time I walk into a building. Every exit. Not just the door I came in through. Emergency exits at the back. Side doors. Kitchen doors. Windows. I do it in restaurants. I do it in casinos. I do it in churches. I do it at the mall. I do it at movie theaters. It takes five seconds, and it may save your life one day. Most people don't do this. They walk in and never look up. They're on their phones. They're focused on why they came in. They sit down and never once ask themselves how they'd get out.
Then a fire happens. Or a crowd surge. Or a gunman walks through the door. And people freeze because they never asked the question. I refuse to freeze. I am asking you to refuse too.
Evan Henry
What Knowing Your Exits Actually Means
When you walk in, look around. Count the doors. Find the emergency exits. See where the windows are. Notice if there is a back kitchen door for staff. Notice where the stairs are. You are building a mental map. If something goes wrong, that map is what your brain runs on when your body panics. Look in the lobby of most businesses; they have a building layout. Memorize it!
Sit With Your Back to the Wall
When you have a choice of where to sit, pick the seat that lets you see the room and the door. Restaurant booth in the corner facing out. Church pew where you can see the entrance. Meeting room chair with your back to a wall. Some people call it the gunfighter's seat. I call it common sense.
Places That Matter Most Around Here
Casinos have complex layouts on purpose. They do not want you to leave. Look for the fire exit signs the moment you walk in. Boardwalk shops get packed fast in summer. Know the front door and know if there is a back way through the kitchen. Schools have evacuation routes. Ask your kids if they know theirs. If they don't, walk it with them.
Practice Until It Becomes a Habit
At first you'll have to remind yourself. Give it thirty days, and it will start feeling natural. Give it sixty, and it will be who you are. That is how discipline works. Awareness becomes a habit. Habit becomes character.
Reflection
If a fire started in the last building you walked into, do you know how you would get out? If not, this is a skill you can start building today. It's free. It's quick. It saves lives.
Guard up!
For Speaking, Seminars, or Self-Defense Training Contact:
Grand Master Evan R. Henry
Founder, New Creation Taekwondo • Senior Pastor, Infinite Hope Global
Bachelor's Degree in Pastoral Leadership, Newburgh Theological Seminary
Follow @TheGrandMasterPastor on TikTok
Business: (848) 217-2202
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