Situational Awareness?

[doc540]

Would some of the pro's here share their wisdom with the "ABC's" of situational awareness?

I'd like to learn more about the fundamentals/essentials of keeping one step ahead of potential danger.

I think I'm fairly competent at it, but have no training whatsoever. And thinking I know something has most certainly failed me in the past.

Or, if there's a thread dedicated to the topic, please redirect me or post a link.

Thanks

 

[rrruuunnn]

circle around hidden areas like corners. do not walk near corners or large objects.

 

[rrruuunnn]

if you must wait outside, stand with your back to the wall and away from the corners.

at gas stations be aware. i caught a weird guy sizing me up as he walked by.

know the tueller drill, 21 feet is close enough to reach you before most can draw your weapon.

 

[Rob Pincus]

BassP,

The human power of recognition is very powerful. The Warrior Expert Theory relies on developing your ability to respond with the appropriate learned behavior (as opposed to reacting with automatic instincts, which is going to happen anyway). By definition an ambush is something that catches you off guard and that is going to be the worst case scenario. No matter what techniques you employ or what you are "looking for", the most important situation will always be a response to something unexpected. Exposing yourself to as many plausible dangerous situations as often as possible through realistic training, simulation and role-playing is the best way to raise your ability to respond to a situation intuitively as opposed to having to "figure out" what is going on. Of course, real experiences contribute largely to this ability as well, but its not something that most people recommend .


I think this is the most important part of preparation for responding to an ambush. The simple things you can do to avoid ambushes in general are also important, but they are designed to help you avoid attack, not survive a worst case scenario. Combining both approaches is what I recommend, with the knowledge (as you alluded to) that thinking you are prepared is the best way to be caught off guard.

-RJP

 

[rrruuunnn]

i never leave my car window down especially at drive thrus. i don't feel safe in the driver's seat. always make it a reflex to manually lock you car when the last person shuts the door.

 

[doc540]

"Exposing yourself to as many plausible dangerous situations as often as possible through realistic training, simulation and role-playing is the best way to raise your ability to respond to a situation intuitively as opposed to having to "figure out" what is going on."

And the most effective way to do that is with professional training instead of dreaming up my own "what if" scenarios?

and thanks

 

[Rob Pincus]

"day-dreaming" can be a valid form of preparation, but it only goes so far without good raw data and empirical tests to see what works. Visualizing what a typical attack in your environment would look like and what your appropriate response might be, would be a way to prepare to recognize real developments.
Once you've had training and gone through FoF or worked with people who have been through real situations, you can certainly get a lot out of sitting in your cubicle and visualizing appropriate responses to critical incidents (workplace violence, in that example). Basing your visualization on the latest Action Movie might not help though .

-RJP

 

[Tarvis]

It seems to me that knowing when to draw your weapon/knowing when you are in real danger is very important as well. Like playing lacrosse; some guys just dont know when they have a good shot on the goal; it doesn't happen all that often for some and new players don't recognize it. I get the feeling that if I got "ambushed" my first reaction would be to fight them off instead of push them away long enough to draw and fire.

 

[rrruuunnn]

massad ayoob says "action beats reaction." most likely you will be one step behind the attacker and have to catch up.

i am shy person. but i don't keep my head looking down. if danger is coming my way i want to at least see it coming.

 

[Gunther]

Slow down when putting car in park and look around. Look into and around that convience store/Wal-Mart before going in. When in a crowd stay to the sides and watch what is going on around you especially peoples hands and where they have them. Most important if you can get away from trouble without pulling the gun do it, if not the 380 in your pocket beats the 1911 at home in the gun safe. Throw your jug of milk at them and do what you got to do. Be prepared for the legal hell in the aftermath. Hope it helps.

 

[rrruuunnn]

an acquaintance told me a story that stuck with me. he was walking and met someone who had a few hundred dollars and was looking for a place to make a money order or some transaction. so he's helping this guy find some place and then another guy comes along and converses with them and tags along. my friend could not recall why but knew that the two knew each other but were not supposed to know each other. so he left them. he felt it was a con's ambush.

i was driving in houston late night. i hear the screech of tires twice. then i see a truck speeding away. i guy is running towards my direction and says that he's been carjacked. he has a few specs of red something on his white t shirt. he tells me that he was hit with a pipe on the head. i rolled my window up and called 911. he seemed uninterested in helping 911 describe the carjackers. i found it odd that he didn't want to cooperate with 911 operator. this may have been a con to get inside my car.

when ever i call cops to the scene of a crime the cops look at every human being as a potential threat. when i called them, they would still get my driver's license and i noticed the officer back his car up to capture me in his car camera. when i had to sit in the front seat, he put his shotgun laying on the seat to the trunk. treat every victim as a potential con artist.

 

[sacp81170a]

The Japanese have a fairly good system for describing different states of mind that are useful here. You have mushin, fudoshin, zanshin and others. One thing I can tell you is that kendo training is primarily meant to enable you to transition from one mental state to another as necessary. Other martial arts accomplish roughly the same thing, but none are as specific and detailed as kendo. My describing those mental states here does about as much good as describing to you how a banana tastes, so I won't try. I will say, however, that firearms training involves these same states of mind and any weapons training will do wonders to enhance your situational awareness.

 

[Jeff22]

Situational Awareness

If your intuition tells you "Something is wrong" pay attention!

Don't try to ignore your intuition or overthink or rationalize. Pay attention to whatever stimulus arose your suspicions in the first place.

I think this is hard to do sometimes because most of us get in the habit of NOT thinking about potential hazards and threats, and rationalizing any feelings of impending danger that we do get.

I'm not suggesting that one should over-react, or be in condition red all the time. I am suggesting that a feeling of unease is a clue that something may be wrong, and that you need to focus your attention.

Paying attention to your intuition is the key message found in Gavin DeBecker's book The Gift of Fear

 

[Jeff22]

Situational Awareness

We were just discussing this topic at work at the PD. It lead to a larger discussion of why some people "get it" and others do not.

Our thoughts:

"Mindset" involves an understanding that the world can be an unpredictable place, where bad things happen to good people, and things can happen to you for no particular reason. (People understand the randomness of some events, like a car accident caused by icy roads, but do not necessarily understand the "randomness" concept when it applies to street crime.)

You need to be willing to take appropriate action to neutralize the threat or to remove yourself from the danger, once you identify that you have a problem.

You have to maintain situational awareness, so you can identify a problem and not be surprised.

You need to develop (often through experience) the ability to analyze available information and make a reasonable decision QUICKLY.

Oftentimes, when people discuss the topic of "mindset" it veers into a discussion of whether or not you are willing to take a life to protect yourself or others. This is a critical issue, and we all need to think this through in our own mind, in detail, but that's NOT the only issue.

"Paying attention" has a lot to do with mindset. So does pre-event training and preparation.

And "preparation" covers simple things, like (1.) Keep your cell phone charged, (2.) Have a small high-intensity light available (SureFire G-2 Nitrolon would be a quality, low cost option for this), (3.) Keep maps in your car of anywhere you might be traveling, (4.) Dress for the weather, (5.) Make sure your spare tire has air in it. Make sure your vehicle has gas and coolant/anti-freeze and the belts/battery/alternator are in good shape, and so on.

People who "don't get it" don't pay enough attention to prepare for any unusual occurrances.

 

[Old Guy]

And "preparation" covers simple things, like (1.) Keep your cell phone charged, (2.) Have a small high-intensity light available (SureFire G-2 Nitrolon would be a quality, low cost option for this), (3.) Keep maps in your car of anywhere you might be traveling, (4.) Dress for the weather, (5.) Make sure your spare tire has air in it. Make sure your vehicle has gas and coolant/anti-freeze and the belts/battery/alternator are in good shape, and so on.

We must have gone to the same School of Hard Knocks! I have all of the above, G-2 on belt in Glock mag pouch, next to G17 magazine on off side, G19 on the other, Magellan GPS (in glove box when not in use) blue tooth ear piece, press to answer, press to hang up.

A couple of extras, car locks on engine start (Alarm does that) button clipped to belt opens doors, turns alarm off, spending 5 years as a Bouncer in Liverpool seems to have looked after my instant response valve!

 

[reppondj]

Trust your instincts, even the most untrained persons body seems to somehow know something is not right even if your conscious mind does not register that fact right away. After a tour in Afghanistan and a tour in Iraq I have found that somehow you know something is "just not right". When you get these "feelings" slow down a little, take a look at your surroundings a more closely, look for something that is out of place, check whatever gear (if any) you may be carrying to make sure you can get to it if you need it, look for possible routes to exit the area quickly if necessary, think about the most direct route to your transportation. Try to do this without being obvious. This is not meant that you should be paranoid all the time, just cautious when something doesnt seem right. Most of these "feelings" can be dismissed with just a few seconds observation of your surroundings.

One example would be; Its late night, I pull up to a convenience store, there are only two people in the store (the clerk and a customer). I would stay in my vehicle where I could observe the inside, maybe play with my cell or radio or something until I can see that everything is ok inside or the customer buys what they are after and leaves. Your gear should already be where you can get to it.