My own theory
I've found that when people are being aggressive and confrontational with me, standing up to them is enough to make them back down. I work on the basis that anyone who says they're going to hit you isn't really - if they were, they'd have done it already, rather than let you know it's coming. Not backing down, but also not making my own threats or escalating worked for me 100% of the time for 20 years.

The exception was my neighbours son - a big lad, with a reputation, who was off his nuts on cocaine and booze, apparently. He was kicking off, smashing up their fence, had punched his stepmother etc. I thought I could talk him down. I was wrong. He thought he could knock me down. He was wrong. I decided I could restrain him without punching him back. I was right. I suppose that's 1-0 to me, but I had to get punched square in the face to find out.
(Sammyhaswoefullyneglectedyou, Thu 31 Jul 2008, 9:46, Reply)