Self Defense Thoughts

Before karate class last night I watched a bit of a self defense tape that the teacher and one of the black belts had on. We all found it a bit amusing to tell the truth. I find it interesting that in all these “How to Defend Yourself” tapes things are shown as so easy and so simple. I wonder if anyone has sued them when it didn’t work in the real world.

The other interesting thing was the attacker always did one thing then stops so the girl can get the best of him. . . . talk about stacking the deck. I have yet to hear of any mugger taking one punch then waiting to get hit. . . . What is probably my biggest complaint on these things is the idea that you can watch the tape or take a course for a weekend and that is it. People think they can defend themselves after watching the tape or doing the one weekend. . . . Sorry folks, if you don’t practice the moves over and over you won’t be able to do Sh$T when things go bad. A best you will freeze, at wost you will get hurt or killed.

While I am talking about self defense I have found it rather interesting that the martial artist I have delt with probably are less aware of what it takes to defend themselves than the gun owners I have met and read books by. For some reason I have found I learned more about being aware and avoiding problem situations from how to carry your gun books than I ever did in a martial arts class. It seems to me that this would be good information to bring into the martial arts classroom to help people avoid problems. With that in mind here is a listing of probably the best self defense information you will ever get. . . . The color codes for mental awareness:

Developed by Col. Jeff Cooper (I believe, please correct me if I am wrong)

You can find this list a number of places on the net. . . .

Condition White
Complete mental unawareness

Total mental blackout. Unless one is asleep, there is no
reason to be in condition white. You are totally unprepared
for any circumstance, and even the smallest thing will shock
you out of your trance, and be a complete surprise. If an
attack comes while in this state, you will be easily defeated
and if it involves deadly force, you will most likely not
survive.

In a perfect world, we could all live in this state, but it is
not a perfect world.

Condition Yellow
Relaxed alertness

This is the condition that we should be in all of the time
we are awake. You are aware of immediate surroundings.
This is however NOT a state of paranoia. You are
simply aware of your surroundings, but have not identified
any specific threats. You are unlikely to be attacked when
in condition yellow, as predators look for easy prey. You
are ready to elevate to a higher level to defend yourself if
nessessary if a threat is detected.

Condition Orange
Potential Threat Situation

You are alerted to a specific potential threat.
You continue to observe the situation and evaluate to see
if the potential threat turns into a real threat. You may
also take action to give you a tactical advantage if the
situation level escalates to a higher level. You have not
produced a weapon, as the potential threat is not a distinct
personal threat yet. It could be concindental circumstances,
or simply a predator who upon seeing your actions, decides
to find easier prey elsewhere.

Condition Red
Specific Real Threat

In Red, your observations are such that there is no doubt
that the threat is real and your life, or lives of loved ones,
is in real and immedate danger. You have taken action to
avoid the threat, when it first appeared, and formulated a
plan of action, and are now carrying it out. You have also
drawn a "line in the sand" or a "mental trigger" that will
determine when you will deliver your defensive response.

When the line is crossed, you WILL deliver your
defensive response, as by now your response has been
determined, and the plan has been made. There is no
hesitation, as you response is instantaneous.

Condition Black
Line in the Sand Has Been Crossed.

Simply put, this is where you deal with the threat.
At this point you survival depends on the level of training
that you have, and your ability to control your mind.

This is where the Combat Mindset comes into play.

Combat Mindset

This quite simply, is the state of mind that replaces fear,
in a life or death situation, with the knowledge that you have
trained for this, expected it to happen at some time, and
are ready, able, and willing to handle it.

You are at a level that you are not allowing fear, doubt,
astonishment, or surprise to enter your mind. You have the
confidence, through training, to handle the situation.

You do not think of fear or being killed, you think of what you
know will get you through, and that is the front sight, and
your training.