The Combat Mindset

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Scarecrow411, Jul 27, 2007 21:52

Mindset

"There are no dangerous weapons; there are only dangerous men."

-Sergant Charles Zim, Starship Troopers

My contribution to School Week here on TFR will revolve around mindset and awareness. I preach mindset often, because it's far easier to buy kit then it is to take a long hard look at yourself. We'll start with some of the standard terms you'll run across when dealing with mindset topics:

Jeff Coopers Color Codes:

The recently deceased and much revered Jeff Cooper simplified the military's way of describing states of awareness and applied them to the civilian mindset. Today, it is common nomenclature among defense-minded people and is used as a shorthand.

Condition White: A total lack of awareness.

Condition Yellow: General alertness.

Condition Orange: Heightened alertness, often triggered by a specific situation that causes concern for your safety

Condition Red: Some form of immediate action needs to be taken to ensure your safety.

OODA Loop:

The OODA Loop was originated in the Air Force. It describes the generic decision path that's travelled prior to action.

Observe - Realize that somethings happening.

Orient - Determine how you and the situation will impact each other.

Decide - Decide what actions you will take.

Act - Execute those actions.

The faster you can move through the OODA loop, the faster you'll be able to act in a situation. A common tactical technique you'll hear is to "Get inside the opponents OODA loop" or "short circuit the opponents OODA loop." The techniques for disrupting and opponents OODA cycle typically involve a rapid change in conditions that render the opponents "Orientate" or "Decide" choices invalid.

A more practical example of this is commonly illustrated in Krav Maga where most strikes will be to the upper body, but everyone once in a while you end up with a knee to the groin. Your opponent will have "Observed" being slapped upside the head, "Orientate" himself to expect another high-line strike, "Decide" to guard high and end up never having children again.

You seek to keep your OODA Loop as short and simple as possible. This is done by determining a preset "Trigger" where once certain conditions are met action will be taken.

Triggers:

A Trigger is a preset response when certain criteria are met. By building a trigger you are mitigating the time spent in the "Orientate" and "Decide" segment of the OODA loop. The most common trigger I see now-a-days is the "Let me talk to your manager" trigger that seems prevalent in yuppies and soccer moms. If you'd like to see another common trigger, go to a club and get in a bouncers face - don't touch him, but get right up in his grill. He's not going to bother with "Orient" or "Decide" because he's "Observed" this behavior before and knows what "Action" he needs to take.

That's all nice, but what about developing mindset?

Well, lets talk about some common and uncommon responses to possible situations...

What does it take for you to leave the area?

The easiest way to avoid trouble is to avoid trouble. If someone starts eye fucking you, following you, cat calling, etc, leaving the area is often the easiest way to make sure you have a good day tomorrow.

What does it take for you to attempt verbal de-escalation? Under what conditions will you attempt to Win Friends and Influence Others? Sometimes the situation doesn't warrant leaving the area but still needs to be addressed.

What does it take for you to engage someone with the possibility of killing them? All conflicts carry the possibility of serious injury and death. Fist fights and shoving matches are not exempt. What would happen for you to intend to hurt someone?

What does it take for you to engage someone with the intent of killing them? Under what conditions would you actively try to end another human life?

Here's your bonus situation: What does it take for you to assist another person? Just because you can, doesn't mean you should, but think about it.

Now we skirted the issue of escalation of force. This varies marginally by state, and you should know your rights. Ideally you'll also be thinking about what triggers an escalation in your force options as well. The one thing I commonly see is that people only have a "lethal force" trigger and start OODA-ling when confronted with a problem that doesn't require lethal force.

Putting it all together: Abstract

You should be rolling around in condition yellow for the majority of the day. This will stop you from bumping into stuff, wrecking your car, and tripping on your shoelaces. It's also going to make potential problems stand out. Once you spot that problem it's time to shift up to orange.

Now, before you give that problem your total attention you need take a step out of your skin for a second a look around. You want to look at the whole picture once more before you settle in on that one problem - you might spot some additional problems that complicate the situation. Once you have a good handle on what the situation really is, it's time to formulate a course of action. Your plan will be built on the triggers you've already thought through.

You've made the transition from Yellow to Orange. You've anticipated a problem, and determined a course of action. If the problem cannot be avoided, you will put your plan of action to work. You will do so quickly, forcefully, and with all your will.

Scarecrow411, Jul 28, 2007 09:01

I was trying to stick straight to mindset, but it's tough not to bleed into the tactical aspects of mental preparedness. Drav's spot on with his additions. If I had to add one line to my post it would be this tidbit from the Ranger Handbook by way of Erik Lawrences "Tactical Pistol Shooting"

"A simple plan, well rehearsed and violently executed offers the best chance for success."

"The Fighting Pistol" DVD from Tactical Response/James Yaeger is 6 hours of pure gold. If you rent it for $25 that's cool - but it's worth the $100 price tag. Mindset is a large part of this material. "The Professionals Guide to Ending Violence Quickly" by Mac Young has some valuable information as well.