Awareness - "Warriors Awareness"

Author: Darren C. Poesel
Date Posted: March 17, 2009

Recently, I read an article by Ralph Mroz called "Warriors Awareness." The premise of his article was "People who are good at situational awareness have often developed this habit by virtue of experiences of lifestyles that make it imperative that they do make a habit of it." OK, that story was written by a law enforcement officer and I understand they need to be constantly aware, but how does that apply to you and me? I'm glad you asked the question.

One of the very first principles that we teach at Self-Defense Company is that you must be aware of your surroundings. If not, no martial art in the world (or .357 magnum) will help you. The purpose of this post is look at awareness from a much wider scope and how to develop a pattern of making awareness a habit.

Looking ahead towards the next terrain feature:

As a young infantry officer, I was taught when patrolling (in the woods) we were always to look one terrain feature ahead. By physically moving our eyes, head, neck and body so as to evaluate the context of what is being presented is what's presented part of something larger, such as looking at the next hill, draw, waterbed, etc. and mentally prepare ourselves for how we would react if we encountered an enemy force. The purpose of this drill was to increase our situational awareness by "mentally widening out." Instead of focusing on what was right in front of us we would "widen our mental vision of view" and look around and take into context the current situation and other potential threats.

Driver's Education revisited:

You actually learned how to do this, or at least you were told to do this back in Driver's Ed, remember? You were taught that if you see a ball, or a person, or an animal run across the road in front of you, you don't look at it, you look at where it came from to see if there's a person or animal running after it. Why then don't we do this? Because it's only human when we perceive something might be wrong or someone might be a threat, to focus in on that threat and exclude other things, which are going on and other people who may be in the area. That's what everyone does when they are under attack or feel someone is presenting a potential threat. But in those situations where there is a potential threat, or maybe just "something wrong," most of the times we tend to focus in on the one thing that has our attention. We focus on the person who might be intent on doing wrong; we focus on in on the direction of an unusual sound and so on.

Exercises you can do in your leisure to develop and maintain your observation skills and widen their field of view (imagine a camera lens pulling back from telophoto to wide angle) and widen our mental vision field of view. Let's apply the looking ahead at the next terrain feature concept to the following exercises: Kids, when going to your locker between classes, don't just focus on your locker, keep your head on a swivel and look around the hallway, the stairs, or at people congregating along the pathway that leads to your destination. Trust your instincts and be aware of your surroundings. In Middle School, I remember being the new kid at school and getting "ambushed" by the school bully between classes...and denting the locker with my head.

Teenagers, next time you are standing in line at a concession stand, Movie Theater, chatting it up with your friends, or waiting to use the restroom at a sporting event...all areas where I have seen attacks occur. Take that darn cell phone or iTunes earplug out of your ear, so you can look, listen, think and act accordingly. Sound stupid? I, along with thousands of Soldiers and Marines, can attest that while on foot patrol or driving in convoys in the streets of Iraq and Afghanistan have used this very same principle to identify possible VBIEDs (vehicle borne improvised explosive devices) or other potential hostile situations. Trust me, if it can work in a combat zone, it can surely work wherever you live.

Mom and Dad, as you exit your establishment (work, mall, grocery store, etc.) take a moment and assess the situation. Look around the parking lot, look a row or two (the next terrain feature) beyond where your car is parked. Is there anyone lurking around or hanging out in a group along the route you planned to take to your vehicle? You hear a loud noise (horn, tire screeching) widen your vision and attention beyond the specific area from which it occurred and get a birds-eye view of the environment. Is your mace in your hand and ready for employment should you be "surprised?" These are but a few suggestions, use your imagination the possibilites (training environments are endless).

In closing, there are only three ways an assailant can impose his will upon you:

1. He approaches you

2. You approach him

3. He uses the environment to get close to you

Remember, make awareness a habit and not an exception...and keep your head on a swival.