New Shooter Monday: Most important tool?

When we’re serious about carrying a firearm for our self-defense, we train with it. We know how to shoot safely, accurately and quickly.

It could be argued that there is another tool that is even more important for our self-defense – situational awareness. We’ve outlined the color codes of awareness in other posts and feel that they’re worth touching on again.

  • Condition White: you are completely unaware of what’s going on around you. Maybe your texting or running with headphones in and aren’t paying attention to anyone else in your area.

  • Condition Yellow: you are aware of your surroundings and what is happening in your immediate vicinity. You may make brief eye contact with those around you, you’ve got an eye out for potential threats, and you’re doing what you can to avoid bad situations.

  • Condition Orange: you have a heightened awareness that something that may be wrong or dangerous to yourself or others. You’re taking active steps to avoid the situation (turning around, increasing distance, issuing verbal commands), and you’re mentally preparing yourself for a confrontation or rapid escape.

  • Condition Red: it’s time to take action – escape, take cover or engage the threat. Use of force is not a required outcome, getting out of the bad situation safely may be the most logical and prudent course of action.

Being aware of what others are doing and their demeanor can make a huge difference in your options for self-defense. If you notice when others are acting erratically or are getting worked up, you have a better chance to avoid a situation that might become violent and the best chance of getting home safely.

How do you train to be more situationally aware?

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As I instruct my students to do in my classes, I also practice “Making a game out of it”. Meaning that when I am out in public, I try to identify people around me in various “conditions”. I look for people staring at their phones while walking around. I also try to spot other concealed carriers or am also on watch for people who also may be carrying a knife, etc. I look at hands and eyes and also pay attention to my own color code level (Should be Yellow in public). I remind myself often that I can remain in “Yellow” and do so without others around me knowing that.

Stay safe out there.

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This is something that is hard to train with students.
But even though it’s not impossible.
I love force-on-force training when we can discuss good and bad behavior, what and how might be avoided, etc.
The true self defense situational awareness has to be trained by yourself, everyday and everywhere.
When you drive - memorize cars around you, then try to recall them.
When you shop - look around and think what you have just seen.
When you walk in to any place - scan and memorize, fe. count the people and then check if you counting was ok.
All these above become your nature in everyday life.

But remember… do not be paranoid :face_with_raised_eyebrow:

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I’ve been in Code Yellow for so long it’s normal action for me everyday. Vehicles, people and places activate my senses automatically of any out of the ordinary.
Today’s world isn’t a place to , (daydream). Doesn’t look good for tomorrow’s either.
Awareness and Safety major factors in everyday life now.

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There are different levels of condition yellow. How well is your yellow? A guy is walking towards you, what does he have in his hands? where is his hands? Good job! Now what color is his eyes? Why is this important? Was he in condition white or was he in condition yellow? What is he wearing? What type of shoes is he wearing? The type of shoes goes to matter to what the person does for a living or just a lot about his personality. Are they wearing a T-shirt? What are they advertising? Rainbows and unicorns or Rock band SLAYER? or is it a nice long sleeve shirt? Build on all the details of each person starting with their awareness, their hands, their eyes and build upon doing this getting a quick glance and gather as much information as possible.
The more you practice doing this the better you will become.

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I train by practicing. Whenever I leave the house I attempt to focus on being more situationally aware. It takes practice. I have found that it is a skill that degrades pretty fast. If I don’t practice - or if I don’t leave the house for a few days - my situational awareness is a bit rusty.

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After joining USCCA, I read a LOT of posts regarding Situational Awareness, what it means, how important it is in today’s world, and from reading some of the personal experiences folks have had, what to look for. It is amazing how much more going on out there you notice, run through your brain as a “what if” scenario, and how much more alert you are to “things that seem out of place “ or cause you to stop and focus on that individual for a couple of seconds. This site is a phenomenal resource for training, and after what I have learned feel that situational awareness can probably help you defer entering a dangerous situation 8 or 9 out of 10 times.

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Todd30, I can see a person at a place early morning and then in a different place late day and remember that person and where from and when. Remember clothes, hair style & color and vehicle if that enters the situation.
Had a lot of need in earlier years of such awareness.

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Since I live in the middle of a city the one I’ve been working on is reflections. Look at the reflection in the windows, across the street, inside of a building to see down the grocery aisle, reflections in the windows of cars. Is there a person at the corner I’m fixing to walk past, is there anyone behind that planter, is that guy behind me closing the distance? I’m amazed at how much larger my field of view is when looking at windows.

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Join the Army and get run over by a tank so that you get PTSD. Worked for me.

Actually you just have to practice situ as tional awareness regularly. Learn to be hyper vigilant but without looking like you’re crazy. Scan the room, area, pay attention to what people are doing around you. Look for odd or unusual behavior. Etc

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Every time I am out and about I’m always in condition yellow which comes from 20 years of law enforcement. I’m always with my head on a swivel trying to be observant of what is going on in my surroundings. Some people look at my behavior as being paranoid but I see it as being alert and aware. It’s an everyday thing for me. I have noticed since I have been conceal carrying since the age of 24 my sense of situational awareness has improved. I never sit in a restaurant with my back to the entrance and the ones I usually go to I know how to use different escape routes which I tell my wife about. She’s gotten used to me after all these years. Another thing I do is to give myself room between vehicles when I’m driving or am in traffic and keep my doors and windows locked. There are so many things you can do to improve your situational awareness. I have been watching and completed a lot of the Protector Academy videos on the USCCA training app and that helps a lot with situational awareness and the scenarios are pretty good.

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I just wish that I could give this post 1000 thumbs up @Johnnyq60 . You’ve described me to a “T”.

Stay safe!

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Brother @Frank73 once blue always blue.:+1::+1:

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I never let my back face a restaurant entrance. I never allowed my boss to place me with my back to my cubical/office entrance. I don’t ignore unusual noises. So I get it.

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Never drop the soap… :wink:

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And I always thought I was the only one that never sit with back toward a door or window. I do not like anyone sitting behind me so I do not go out to restaurants much, wife and children’s think I am crazy. When riding on the bus in Chicago, I always try to sit in the back near the window, I use the emergency level to open the whole window in case I need to depart quickly.

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I definately play mind games with myself. Making up fake scenerios on what ifs and how tos. Wherever I go I try my best to be prepared for anything. A go to I always do is watch lots of movies and TV shows. Action packed, mysteries, robberies, love and war stories, and the whole time Im watching just contemplating on what i would do in each and every scene and scenerio.

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