Permit me to add a few details on the color code. Col. Cooper was my neighbor in Big Bear, CA (before Gunsite in AZ) and told me these personally around 1970: * There is a time delay in humans to go from one color code to another, mentally. The longest time delay is to go from "White" to "Yellow". * When a person is in "White" and a deadly threat appears, the most common reaction is a lengthy period thinking "This can't be happening to me". * If you absolutely need to be in White, it can be done with preparation. Honeymoons, drinking parties, sleeping, etc. Soldiers doing this by setting a perimeter and posting guards. Do it in your home by having a secure house/garden/yard with mechanisms to alert you with enough time so that you can go from White to Orange. * He gave credit for the origin of awareness color codes to a French man. Col. Cooper innovated by applying them to awareness and action for personal defense and guns. Famous flight instructor Rod Machado applied the code to pilots, for awareness of equipment failures and weather. My flight instructor taught me that before every takeoff, tell yourself "I am going to lose an engine"; consciously moving out of White into Yellow. Col. Cooper is the most fascinating and influential person I've met. Master's degree in History, college prof, raced cars, served on the USS Pennsylvania in WW2, then Korea, transformed/invented defensive pistol shooting as we know it today. His wife Janelle Cooper was gracious, capable, intelligent, and a true lady. They served as roles models for an impressionable teen-ager who was greatly improved by their example.
I’m a retired corporate pilot of 47 years with no accidents or violations. I owe it to situational awareness 100% of the time. I always looked at where I was, where I was headed and anything that could go wrong along the way. Constantly searching the areas below me just in case the engine might quit at any second and I needed a safe place to land without using the engine. After retiring I kept the situational but applied it to what is going on around me either while driving or eating dinner with my wife in a resturant. It applies to just about everything I do. USCCA reminded me that I needed to keep doing it and keep my head on a swivel.
The late Jeff Cooper is the one all legitimate, experienced self defense trainers look to. However, shop around when looking for Jeff’s training material, or be ready to get a second mortgage to pay for his books.
“You may be able to beat the wrap in court, but you can never beat the ride” this quote rings echos of truth in my earns. I’ve almost been murdered by police for nothing based of unjust and unconstitutional legislations. I beat everything in court but the stress, anxiety, and everything else that has come from such actions will never leave me.
Prologue. I have a peculiar advantage in the entire realm of firearms, preparedness in the matter of defending against violence, and so forth: namely, until I decided that I needed to learn about guns and the whole spectrum of people who have guns, everyone among my family and friends hated guns and anybody who had them (good guys and bad guys alike). My advantage is that not a one of my new friends in firearms has a meaningful understanding of our opposition. This is one of Sun Tzu's warnings about failure to know yourself, and failure to know your adversary. Situational awareness to my older family and friends is anathema. Cannot be bothered. Their powers of reason, empathy and sympathy with an assailant (we all are the same under the skin) will save the day were a threat ever to present itself. My friends in firearms have no meaningful idea how deeply my earlier friends hate us. Among the books that I give on occasion to my family and early friends are these: "The Gift of Fear" by Gavin De Beker, and "Left of Bang" by Patrick Van Horne. There's more, but that'll do for now.
I live in Arizona. I was lucky enough to meet Mr Cooper on multiple occasions. My children, now in their 30's all know the color codes. They know what the difference is between cover and concealment. Every time we would enter a restaurant, they started looking for plan "A" and plan "B". An escape plan. They now live in another state, and still live by this. I recently visited them, we went out for dinner, when the hostess asked where we would like to be seated, they had already ascertained the safest locations in the restaurant that held a good escape plane. *TEACH YOUR CHILDREN*
@@RussellNelson So sorry to hear this. Keep working on her. I was in LE for a period of time, and my children saw first hand the need to as Lord Baden-Powell stated "Be Prepared" - Robert Baden-Powell, the English soldier who founded the Boy Scouts, published the motto “Be Prepared” in his 1908 handbook, Scouting for Boys. He wrote that to be prepared meant “You are always in a state of readiness in mind and body to do your duty”
Tom, i am a senior citizen. I became of Colonel Jeff Cooper as as a young man. This guy was a huge influence on me. I recommend that all read every one read his book, "to ride, shoot straight & speak the truth "
Great breakdown. Growing up on a farm, the animals conditioned you to be in a constant state of yellow and orange. Martial Arts training at an early age increases spacial concepts of them and an intuitiveness. These were very necessary in my 35 years in LE. Thank you. Everyone needs this information. Keep it coming.
I agree with you about the animals. They keep you alert 1) because, especially with larger livestock, they can hurt you quick even not meaning too, and 2)they are prey animals and as long as you pay attention to their body language they will alert you to any changes in the environment.
I attended Gunsite in 78 while with the Marines it was a great pistol course. One of the best parts of the course was hearing his beliefs of pistol combat and quick engagement.
Excellent content and great information. I learned this while I was in the military and situational awareness is always part of my thought process. Stay safe good people, power to the people and 2A4Life!
Am a proud alumni of the late Col. Cooper, last couple of weeks he taught in my little corner of Paradise before retiring. And while that was a long time ago, I can still remember he saying that a "mild dose" of paranoia is in fact a pretty good way to stay alive, or words to that effect... his transitions from and to yelloworange is that. But the relevant word here is MILD. So a mild dose of paranoia is good for you... I concur wholeheartedly. :>0 The way I remember it, Cooper talked about condition RED: In red, something or somebody had crossed your line in the sand, you have presented your firearm and are in the process of engaging your threat(s) with accurate deadly fire, while starting to move to cover (that you should have identified while in orange...), if at all possible... Mass (of whom I'm also a proud alumni... :>0) if I remember correctly, was the one who introduced the condition BLACK (as equivalent to Cooper's RED), he added an extra step since to him in red, while you did draw your firearm, YOU DID NOT automatically opened fire upon your threat. - Mass is more LEO oriented in his philosophy, and cops do point guns at more people than they actually shoot. - Cooper was, at least in our course (there was an insurgency/civil-war going on at the time in my little corner of Paradise), more harsh in his. One of his teaching also had to do with not presenting a gun unless you where facing a "death penalty" situation. Something like: if the situation does not warrant a death sentence to your threat, keep your sidearm holstered and move away without engaging. One was therefore encouraged to make a serious soul search introspection and define what does and what does not warrants a death sentence, BEFORE packing a gun in public. Great presentation, as usual...
Great information Tom. I learned year's ago from a Military friend about situational awareness. I do haveca swivel head and always follow my gut instinct. I'm a 67 yr old female and can't run. I'm thinking of getting a hip friend and taking classes. I appreciate all that you're doing to help us.
For us, when I was deployed, condition black meant all of your ammunition was spent. The battle may or may not be over, but you no longer have the supplies necessary to engage the enemy. I never did hit that status, praise God.
This is smart! Use of Force Continuum is something I'll bet many "think" they understand, but few actually do. Most probably have never even heard of it! This is kind to provide. Thank you.
Situational awareness was always discussed at our shift briefings and to this day I keep my head on a swivel, it’s a good habit to have. Great video topic Thank You!
Lowell at WPS talked about this a year or so ago and then I found Mas's video. I read Cooper's book and it was very informative and inspirational. Sometimes I find myself in white and have an actual head shake moment that puts back into yellow.
Tom, This was very well presented. I have a rather extensive background in martial-arts. I have lost count of the number of incidents I walked away from prior to things popping off. Good refresher!
My friends think I'm crazy too. I sometimes throw a hypothetical situation at them to see how they respond. Most times I get this wise crack answer and they play it off. I remind them how perps work and how fast too. I can tell by their answer they have no idea what they would do in a serious situation. If they turn the question around on me I tell them one way I might do. If they laugh, I move on. I have other things to do.
I am a retired military cop, and worked for a branch of the service as a civilian cop for a total of 39 years. I am always looking at areas before I enter. Sit in the back of restaurants with my back to a wall, learn the exits, possible cover in the area. I check everyone inside for discrepancies or suspicious behavior. If I have to use a cell phone, I stop back up to the wall and keep looking in every direction. I don't start moving until my cell phone is put away. You have to keep your head on a swivel and be aware of your surroundings. It didn't use to be that way, 30-40 years ago, but now, it is. You will live a longer life if you remain aware of your surroundings. Just because you look paranoid doesn't mean, no one is out to get you.
Hey Tom, love the content, we need more like this. I would love to see more. I would love to join, but cannot afford to at this time. Thank you for your great work on this channel.
Yellow is sitting in a restaurant facing the doors. Yellow is watching the eyes of someone you are talking to. You may see the eyes jump to something. In other scenarios yellow can be defensive driving. Asking yourself, “Is someone coming my way,” as you start to pass another vehicle. Twice I have had to jump from yellow to red for line of duty. Jumping that way it can be hard to do all critical steps.
Huge fan of Col. Cooper. I was taught, and have taught, a modified scale. Stoplight. Green vs White. Yellow vs Orange. Red is Red. Unfortunately, like a great many vets, I have trouble sometimes getting below yellow. I have never r3ached Black fortunately.
I went from yellow to orange just recently. I maintained my cool and eased out of rhe situation. I took the dude who came up on me off of his game. He had me rattled for a bit. Have not felt that in a while. I am one of those people who are high energy. For some reason, when a heightened situation arises, I go into super focused, quiet mode. It has always worked well for me.
Thank you. I appreciate this being gone over. I appreciate hearing this from multiple perspectives and views. Solid and vital info. Good, necessary vid.
I would recommend being in yellow at all times unless you are sleeping or at home and dont need to worry to much but yellow is still an option even when at home. Great content my man I appreciate it
My wife is always in condition rainbow. She grew up in an affluent family, school and neighborhood. She barely tolerates me being vigilant. Everything is sunshine and dancing bunnies in her perspective. She’s been a realtor in Seattle for 32 years so she’s high risk but prefers to lie to herself. Deep down she doesn’t believe anything will happen to her because nothing ever has.
Tom, it seems as if simply living in RED yet still maintaining a yellow relaxed state within yourself is the way to be. Dutifully strived for, I appreciate your rating systems here. They make a lot of sense ! Thanks !
thanks for the reminder. It may not seem rational but I tend to live in "orange". I spent three years of my youth working the flight deck of a US Navy aircraft carrier where everything was out to kill you. There was nothing in that environment that wouldn't or couldn't end you if you were not constantly on the look out. Good advice and although I had heard the quote you started with, if I ever knew the source it had long since escaped my memory.
In the green-yellow-red color code for medical triage, black is a fourth category meaning "dying or nothing can prevent their dying." Think of someone with blood spurting from a severed artery in their neck. For situational awareness, black might mean that the situation you're facing appears hopeless and all you can do it go down fighting, doing as much damage to them as you can. In that situation you're fighting for others rather than yourself.
This is very interesting. I worked un security and law enforcement. I worked in the toughest areas there. My Situation Awareness concept is what i use.
Another way to reframe this is to consider reactionary gap. A suspicious guy at the other end of the parking lot gives you more reaction time than when someone hiding behind the door of a public restroom. In other words, be aware of those spots where your reaction time is compromised if something were to happen.
This stuff is very much on my mind recently -- on a hike a few weeks ago I came across a woman with a very expensive camera standing talking to two guys, and as I went past them something seemed off to me. I was intending to walk back to my car a different way, but decided to make a second pass and assess the situation a bit more. On my way back, one of the two guys popped his head around the corner where he heard me coming, then the other one looked also. I did not like this. As I got closer one of them asked me "out for your evening stroll?" This felt like a challenge and also that they were pointing out how much older I was than them. I chucked and agreed, yes. I proceeded just past them, turned, and injected myself into the conversation the three of them were having. I was still on the fence about whether this was anything serious. Her body language was a little ambiguous. She did not look afraid (at least not very), but was kind of backed up against the edge of the trail, with the other two guys fanned out blocking one (but not both) her avenues of retreat. The two of them were doing most of the talking, and she was obviously humoring them. As I stood there talking to the three of them for about five minutes, one of them produced a knife. She and I both looked at the knife, and the other guy laughs and says "oh don't mind him." Knife guy proceeds to whittle, incompetently and with a dull blade, a pointed stick, while the two of them continue some Beavis and Butthead level banter. I am very uncomfortable with this situation now, and wondering both why the knife is out (it feels like it's to make an impression on me) and what role that pointed stick is going to play in what happens next. This goes on a few more minutes when I hear someone else coming, and I am standing facing the direction she's coming from and see her before they do. The two of them turn around and look at her, doing the same routine they did when I saw them. This third (or fifth) person changes things. "It's a woman," I say out loud, "with a dog." The other two guys are suddenly less sure of themselves. I say it's getting late and I should probably be going, and turn to the woman with the camera and ask her if she wanted to walk with me to my car, and she instantly agreed, saying her husband would be wondering where she was by now. So we walked, with Beavis and Butthead close behind and keeping up a very strange conversation about the woods being haunted and how sometimes at night they would walk around in there and they'd be grabbed and thrown into the bushes. I carried on a parallel conversation with the woman about a Facebook group we were both in, and she agrees to look me up later. As we get to the parking lot, the two guys seem to assess the situation, don't like how visible we are and how many potential witnesses there now are (which is why I brought her here), turn around, and walk back into the woods without a word. She walked around to the driver's side of her car and mouths "THANK YOU" to me, and I tell her to drop me a line later and we'll talk. We both got in our cars and left. Later, she told me that she was absolutely terrified and was convinced that she was going to either be robbed or assaulted the minute she turned her back on them, and had been standing there talking to them for "a long time" just stalling until she could see a way out of the situation. Very weird, kind of ambiguous, and alarming. I think they were able to get right up on her because she was photographing an owl, and were RIGHT THERE before she had any idea what was happening. They did not like me coming along because I was checking them out, watching what they were doing, and they could not tell what kind of threat I represented. I asked probing questions and did not offer any personal information to them. I was wary but not afraid. But I've got to tell you, I did not like when that knife came out.
Sounds to me like you saved this woman a lot of hurt. Good on you to be alert and see things were not going well. I hope this woman understands that she was a very easy target that day. Too many stories of single women being prey to vultures like these guys.
That was certainly her take on it. I recommended a couple books to her: The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker, and Facing Violence by Rory Miller. Good stuff in both books that I learned the hard way a long time ago in a more violent place.
@johnschuler4816 I see too many people absorbed in their phones or distracted in life now days. It doesn't shock me why there is a rise in crime. Our world had changed so much in 40 years that we all need to look over our shoulders and be aware of our surroundings. Thank you John for your story. I hope others will read it.
There's a lot of truth in your remark: "This third (or fifth) person changes things. "It's a woman," I say out loud, "with a dog." When it comes to defense, dogs are a wild card. A potential attacker doesn't know what they might do. While a human might be deterred by their knife or gun, a dog may attack anyway to defend their owner. And dogs are always armed with sharp teeth.
First of all, thank you for posting much necessary information. I sure hope it gets widely disseminated as this is the type of pre-crisis training that can save lives, costly legal bills and just avoid a bad time like a ruined outing with your family, etc. 1. Yes, I have used these tactics and it has worked. Mostly but not only overseas and in other countries. 2. Your worst enemy is the “normalcy” bias. Pretending or hoping everything will be OK, and continuing about your business, even though your observations or your gut tells you something is not right. 3. Trust your gut feelings. Your instincts. Your subconscious notices things your conscious mind does not. If you get a bad gut feeling at any time. Immediately stop what your doing and start the OODA loop. Tom: a video about the deadly “NORMALCY BIAS” could be a great follow up to this one.
Jeff Cooper wrote quite a few books in his lifetime. Some might like to know that there's a biography of him written by his daughter, _Jeff Cooper the Soul and Spirit_
Dress up as a dandy and U R a target, dress as a slightly less kemp individual and U will likely not 2 draw much attention! Drive a shabby vehicle is a good move 2!!!
Advantage of ADHD. Often I think I’m in condition white, not paying much attention to world around me. Something catches my attention and I ask others around me what they think of it... as a general rule they’ve got no clue and didn’t see a thing. Unfortunately, the flip side is that my condition red, or even orange is unsustainable and I get distracted even from immediate, potentially deadly threats 🤦🏼♂️.
Avoiding trouble is the "discretion is the better part of valor" in other words. I'm as comfortable around guns as most people are with a cup of coffee and I don't feel safe going without a gun than without a seatbelt while driving. That said. With the media and in a liberal city I'm sure I'd be arrested for defending myself no matter how great the threat. That's why I have after action insurance. I also avoid known problem areas. But like motor bandits of the 1930s miscreants are all over and anywhere. Not to mention road ragers at the tiniest thing.
Learn from other animals my friends, you ever see a bird keep its head still while eating or on the ground? Or like my dog he looks all around before exiting the house, we are animals predator and prey, some just are so lazy they want to live in white
So if bad things happen to so called good people...that would make it a fact that karma is a lie of the devil...also to add to that, read chapters 1 and 2 of Job and read the last chapter to see who brought the adversities upon Job, it wasn't Satan, it was the Lord God... Now read Proverbs 16:1-9 Amos 3:6-7 Job 12:20-25 Isaiah 45:6-7 Psalm 9:17 And then answer honestly who is in charge of the events of the world...
Condition rainbow is when you know Jesus is coming back but you run into a bunch of drag queen story time clowns , and you say go ahead Satan make my day ..😊
Permit me to add a few details on the color code. Col. Cooper was my neighbor in Big Bear, CA (before Gunsite in AZ) and told me these personally around 1970:
* There is a time delay in humans to go from one color code to another, mentally. The longest time delay is to go from "White" to "Yellow".
* When a person is in "White" and a deadly threat appears, the most common reaction is a lengthy period thinking "This can't be happening to me".
* If you absolutely need to be in White, it can be done with preparation. Honeymoons, drinking parties, sleeping, etc. Soldiers doing this by setting a perimeter and posting guards. Do it in your home by having a secure house/garden/yard with mechanisms to alert you with enough time so that you can go from White to Orange.
* He gave credit for the origin of awareness color codes to a French man. Col. Cooper innovated by applying them to awareness and action for personal defense and guns. Famous flight instructor Rod Machado applied the code to pilots, for awareness of equipment failures and weather. My flight instructor taught me that before every takeoff, tell yourself "I am going to lose an engine"; consciously moving out of White into Yellow.
Col. Cooper is the most fascinating and influential person I've met. Master's degree in History, college prof, raced cars, served on the USS Pennsylvania in WW2, then Korea, transformed/invented defensive pistol shooting as we know it today. His wife Janelle Cooper was gracious, capable, intelligent, and a true lady. They served as roles models for an impressionable teen-ager who was greatly improved by their example.
This comment should be PINNED!
Thank you good sir.
I’m a retired corporate pilot of 47 years with no accidents or violations. I owe it to situational awareness 100% of the time. I always looked at where I was, where I was headed and anything that could go wrong along the way. Constantly searching the areas below me just in case the engine might quit at any second and I needed a safe place to land without using the engine. After retiring I kept the situational but applied it to what is going on around me either while driving or eating dinner with my wife in a resturant. It applies to just about everything I do. USCCA reminded me that I needed to keep doing it and keep my head on a swivel.
Cooper is a must read before you go to any defensive handgun training. Just for your mindset.
Without the mindset to survive, firearms aren't enough. It's as important as the firearm and training.
The late Jeff Cooper is the one all legitimate, experienced self defense trainers look to. However, shop around when looking for Jeff’s training material, or be ready to get a second mortgage to pay for his books.
@@georgemoomaw9437There is another Cooper to look to for education - William Cooper -Behold a Pale Horse.
“You may be able to beat the wrap in court, but you can never beat the ride” this quote rings echos of truth in my earns. I’ve almost been murdered by police for nothing based of unjust and unconstitutional legislations. I beat everything in court but the stress, anxiety, and everything else that has come from such actions will never leave me.
Prologue. I have a peculiar advantage in the entire realm of firearms, preparedness in the matter of defending against violence, and so forth: namely, until I decided that I needed to learn about guns and the whole spectrum of people who have guns, everyone among my family and friends hated guns and anybody who had them (good guys and bad guys alike). My advantage is that not a one of my new friends in firearms has a meaningful understanding of our opposition. This is one of Sun Tzu's warnings about failure to know yourself, and failure to know your adversary.
Situational awareness to my older family and friends is anathema. Cannot be bothered. Their powers of reason, empathy and sympathy with an assailant (we all are the same under the skin) will save the day were a threat ever to present itself. My friends in firearms have no meaningful idea how deeply my earlier friends hate us.
Among the books that I give on occasion to my family and early friends are these: "The Gift of Fear" by Gavin De Beker, and "Left of Bang" by Patrick Van Horne.
There's more, but that'll do for now.
I live in Arizona. I was lucky enough to meet Mr Cooper on multiple occasions. My children, now in their 30's all know the color codes. They know what the difference is between cover and concealment. Every time we would enter a restaurant, they started looking for plan "A" and plan "B". An escape plan. They now live in another state, and still live by this. I recently visited them, we went out for dinner, when the hostess asked where we would like to be seated, they had already ascertained the safest locations in the restaurant that held a good escape plane. *TEACH YOUR CHILDREN*
My wife doesn't understand my need to have eyes on the entrance. :(
@@RussellNelson So sorry to hear this. Keep working on her. I was in LE for a period of time, and my children saw first hand the need to as Lord Baden-Powell stated "Be Prepared" - Robert Baden-Powell, the English soldier who founded the Boy Scouts, published the motto “Be Prepared” in his 1908 handbook, Scouting for Boys. He wrote that to be prepared meant “You are always in a state of readiness in mind and body to do your duty”
Tom, i am a senior citizen. I became of Colonel Jeff Cooper as as a young man. This guy was a huge influence on me. I recommend that all read every one read his book, "to ride, shoot straight & speak the truth "
I am halfway thru it and read his principle of personal defense a few months back!
"A free country isn't a Utopia."
Great breakdown. Growing up on a farm, the animals conditioned you to be in a constant state of yellow and orange. Martial Arts training at an early age increases spacial concepts of them and an intuitiveness. These were very necessary in my 35 years in LE.
Thank you. Everyone needs this information. Keep it coming.
I agree with you about the animals. They keep you alert 1) because, especially with larger livestock, they can hurt you quick even not meaning too, and 2)they are prey animals and as long as you pay attention to their body language they will alert you to any changes in the environment.
I attended Gunsite in 78 while with the Marines it was a great pistol course. One of the best parts of the course was hearing his beliefs of pistol combat and quick engagement.
Very Good, Col Cooper's color is a must for all who carry for self defense!
I’m always in awe from the people I see in busy public areas wearing headphones and staring at their phones. It’s just insane.
Excellent content and great information. I learned this while I was in the military and situational awareness is always part of my thought process. Stay safe good people, power to the people and 2A4Life!
Am a proud alumni of the late Col. Cooper, last couple of weeks he taught in my little corner of Paradise before retiring. And while that was a long time ago, I can still remember he saying that a "mild dose" of paranoia is in fact a pretty good way to stay alive, or words to that effect... his transitions from and to yelloworange is that. But the relevant word here is MILD. So a mild dose of paranoia is good for you... I concur wholeheartedly. :>0
The way I remember it, Cooper talked about condition RED: In red, something or somebody had crossed your line in the sand, you have presented your firearm and are in the process of engaging your threat(s) with accurate deadly fire, while starting to move to cover (that you should have identified while in orange...), if at all possible...
Mass (of whom I'm also a proud alumni... :>0) if I remember correctly, was the one who introduced the condition BLACK (as equivalent to Cooper's RED), he added an extra step since to him in red, while you did draw your firearm, YOU DID NOT automatically opened fire upon your threat.
- Mass is more LEO oriented in his philosophy, and cops do point guns at more people than they actually shoot.
- Cooper was, at least in our course (there was an insurgency/civil-war going on at the time in my little corner of Paradise), more harsh in his. One of his teaching also had to do with not presenting a gun unless you where facing a "death penalty" situation. Something like: if the situation does not warrant a death sentence to your threat, keep your sidearm holstered and move away without engaging. One was therefore encouraged to make a serious soul search introspection and define what does and what does not warrants a death sentence, BEFORE packing a gun in public.
Great presentation, as usual...
Great information Tom.
I learned year's ago from a Military friend about situational awareness. I do haveca swivel head and always follow my gut instinct. I'm a 67 yr old female and can't run. I'm thinking of getting a hip friend and taking classes.
I appreciate all that you're doing to help us.
For us, when I was deployed, condition black meant all of your ammunition was spent. The battle may or may not be over, but you no longer have the supplies necessary to engage the enemy. I never did hit that status, praise God.
This is smart! Use of Force Continuum is something I'll bet many "think" they understand, but few actually do. Most probably have never even heard of it! This is kind to provide. Thank you.
Should be taught by every Father.
Now you know why my dad left Milwaukee. He grew up around the intersection of Fond du Lac and Sherman.
Yes you do not wanna be there.
Situational awareness was always discussed at our shift briefings and to this day I keep my head on a swivel, it’s a good habit to have. Great video topic Thank You!
Lowell at WPS talked about this a year or so ago and then I found Mas's video. I read Cooper's book and it was very informative and inspirational. Sometimes I find myself in white and have an actual head shake moment that puts back into yellow.
Nice mention of the good ol Corps. I remember being taught all these in basic. Holy heck did they turn out to be real with 3 years overseas served.
Good refresher. I miss seeing Col Cooper's column in Guns and Ammo in the good ole days.
Tom,
This was very well presented.
I have a rather extensive background in martial-arts. I have lost count of the number of incidents I walked away from prior to things popping off.
Good refresher!
Omg. I could never put all this into words, people thought I was crazy
My friends think I'm crazy too. I sometimes throw a hypothetical situation at them to see how they respond. Most times I get this wise crack answer and they play it off. I remind them how perps work and how fast too. I can tell by their answer they have no idea what they would do in a serious situation. If they turn the question around on me I tell them one way I might do. If they laugh, I move on. I have other things to do.
Great video sir! Mental training is just as important as fundamental training!
I am a retired military cop, and worked for a branch of the service as a civilian cop for a total of 39 years. I am always looking at areas before I enter. Sit in the back of restaurants with my back to a wall, learn the exits, possible cover in the area. I check everyone inside for discrepancies or suspicious behavior. If I have to use a cell phone, I stop back up to the wall and keep looking in every direction. I don't start moving until my cell phone is put away. You have to keep your head on a swivel and be aware of your surroundings. It didn't use to be that way, 30-40 years ago, but now, it is. You will live a longer life if you remain aware of your surroundings. Just because you look paranoid doesn't mean, no one is out to get you.
Hey Tom, love the content, we need more like this. I would love to see more. I would love to join, but cannot afford to at this time. Thank you for your great work on this channel.
Yellow is sitting in a restaurant facing the doors.
Yellow is watching the eyes of someone you are talking to. You may see the eyes jump to something.
In other scenarios yellow can be defensive driving. Asking yourself, “Is someone coming my way,” as you start to pass another vehicle.
Twice I have had to jump from yellow to red for line of duty. Jumping that way it can be hard to do all critical steps.
Great info Tom! Thanks for sharing the wisdom of Col. Cooper. May he RIP.
Tom this another awesome reminder of the late Col. Coopers words of wisdom. More like words of life. I try to apply these every minute im awake.
Your explanation of the Color Codes is excellent. Thank you, Tom.
Awesome video , it really doesn't matter of your subject, the message is always concise and to the point
Keep these videos coming. I talk to my family about SA all the time. You nailed it.
I almost always Yellow. Have been in Orange enough times to know it. Only been in red a few times.
Huge fan of Col. Cooper. I was taught, and have taught, a modified scale. Stoplight. Green vs White. Yellow vs Orange. Red is Red. Unfortunately, like a great many vets, I have trouble sometimes getting below yellow. I have never r3ached Black fortunately.
I went from yellow to orange just recently.
I maintained my cool and eased out of rhe situation.
I took the dude who came up on me off of his game.
He had me rattled for a bit.
Have not felt that in a while.
I am one of those people who are high energy.
For some reason, when a heightened situation arises, I go into super focused, quiet mode.
It has always worked well for me.
Excellent I am always in condition yellow/orange
After age five, I've spent most of my time in yellow to red. (My siblings were vipers, learned young) this helped me in years to come.
Thank you. I appreciate this being gone over. I appreciate hearing this from multiple perspectives and views. Solid and vital info. Good, necessary vid.
Very well done. Thank you for the refresher course.
I would recommend being in yellow at all times unless you are sleeping or at home and dont need to worry to much but yellow is still an option even when at home. Great content my man I appreciate it
Great Video Tom! I like the variety. Situational awareness and having your hands free are both keys to self defense success.
Thanks Hal for the comment and support!
Jeff and Massad are the best.
"You may can beat the rap but, you can't beat the ride." Like it.
I'm always in "condition rainbow" where everything is unicorns and cotton candy...until it's not.
My wife is always in condition rainbow. She grew up in an affluent family, school and neighborhood. She barely tolerates me being vigilant. Everything is sunshine and dancing bunnies in her perspective. She’s been a realtor in Seattle for 32 years so she’s high risk but prefers to lie to herself. Deep down she doesn’t believe anything will happen to her because nothing ever has.
@@mrjeffjob I know far too many people who live like that. My mom isn't affluent or wealthy, but she has that same false sense of security.
Tom, it seems as if simply living in RED yet still maintaining a yellow relaxed state within yourself is the way to be. Dutifully strived for, I appreciate your rating systems here. They make a lot of sense !
Thanks !
One of Cooper's points is that it is possible to "live in the yellow," but it too wearing to live continuously in red.
Great content as always. With things today always keep that head on a swivel.
Good job Mr, no fewer words have ever been so true.
I absolutely love this message!! Thanks, brother!!!
Good video. More, please.
thanks for the reminder. It may not seem rational but I tend to live in "orange". I spent three years of my youth working the flight deck of a US Navy aircraft carrier where everything was out to kill you. There was nothing in that environment that wouldn't or couldn't end you if you were not constantly on the look out. Good advice and although I had heard the quote you started with, if I ever knew the source it had long since escaped my memory.
In the green-yellow-red color code for medical triage, black is a fourth category meaning "dying or nothing can prevent their dying." Think of someone with blood spurting from a severed artery in their neck. For situational awareness, black might mean that the situation you're facing appears hopeless and all you can do it go down fighting, doing as much damage to them as you can. In that situation you're fighting for others rather than yourself.
This is very interesting. I worked un security and law enforcement. I worked in the toughest areas there. My Situation Awareness concept is what i use.
More like this please
Another way to reframe this is to consider reactionary gap. A suspicious guy at the other end of the parking lot gives you more reaction time than when someone hiding behind the door of a public restroom. In other words, be aware of those spots where your reaction time is compromised if something were to happen.
Thanks Tom, this is good stuff!
Appreciate the channel and content. Salute
This stuff is very much on my mind recently -- on a hike a few weeks ago I came across a woman with a very expensive camera standing talking to two guys, and as I went past them something seemed off to me. I was intending to walk back to my car a different way, but decided to make a second pass and assess the situation a bit more.
On my way back, one of the two guys popped his head around the corner where he heard me coming, then the other one looked also. I did not like this. As I got closer one of them asked me "out for your evening stroll?" This felt like a challenge and also that they were pointing out how much older I was than them. I chucked and agreed, yes. I proceeded just past them, turned, and injected myself into the conversation the three of them were having. I was still on the fence about whether this was anything serious.
Her body language was a little ambiguous. She did not look afraid (at least not very), but was kind of backed up against the edge of the trail, with the other two guys fanned out blocking one (but not both) her avenues of retreat. The two of them were doing most of the talking, and she was obviously humoring them.
As I stood there talking to the three of them for about five minutes, one of them produced a knife. She and I both looked at the knife, and the other guy laughs and says "oh don't mind him."
Knife guy proceeds to whittle, incompetently and with a dull blade, a pointed stick, while the two of them continue some Beavis and Butthead level banter. I am very uncomfortable with this situation now, and wondering both why the knife is out (it feels like it's to make an impression on me) and what role that pointed stick is going to play in what happens next.
This goes on a few more minutes when I hear someone else coming, and I am standing facing the direction she's coming from and see her before they do. The two of them turn around and look at her, doing the same routine they did when I saw them. This third (or fifth) person changes things. "It's a woman," I say out loud, "with a dog." The other two guys are suddenly less sure of themselves.
I say it's getting late and I should probably be going, and turn to the woman with the camera and ask her if she wanted to walk with me to my car, and she instantly agreed, saying her husband would be wondering where she was by now. So we walked, with Beavis and Butthead close behind and keeping up a very strange conversation about the woods being haunted and how sometimes at night they would walk around in there and they'd be grabbed and thrown into the bushes. I carried on a parallel conversation with the woman about a Facebook group we were both in, and she agrees to look me up later.
As we get to the parking lot, the two guys seem to assess the situation, don't like how visible we are and how many potential witnesses there now are (which is why I brought her here), turn around, and walk back into the woods without a word. She walked around to the driver's side of her car and mouths "THANK YOU" to me, and I tell her to drop me a line later and we'll talk. We both got in our cars and left.
Later, she told me that she was absolutely terrified and was convinced that she was going to either be robbed or assaulted the minute she turned her back on them, and had been standing there talking to them for "a long time" just stalling until she could see a way out of the situation.
Very weird, kind of ambiguous, and alarming. I think they were able to get right up on her because she was photographing an owl, and were RIGHT THERE before she had any idea what was happening. They did not like me coming along because I was checking them out, watching what they were doing, and they could not tell what kind of threat I represented. I asked probing questions and did not offer any personal information to them. I was wary but not afraid. But I've got to tell you, I did not like when that knife came out.
Sounds to me like you saved this woman a lot of hurt. Good on you to be alert and see things were not going well. I hope this woman understands that she was a very easy target that day. Too many stories of single women being prey to vultures like these guys.
That was certainly her take on it.
I recommended a couple books to her: The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker, and Facing Violence by Rory Miller. Good stuff in both books that I learned the hard way a long time ago in a more violent place.
@johnschuler4816 I see too many people absorbed in their phones or distracted in life now days. It doesn't shock me why there is a rise in crime. Our world had changed so much in 40 years that we all need to look over our shoulders and be aware of our surroundings. Thank you John for your story. I hope others will read it.
There's a lot of truth in your remark: "This third (or fifth) person changes things. "It's a woman," I say out loud, "with a dog." When it comes to defense, dogs are a wild card. A potential attacker doesn't know what they might do. While a human might be deterred by their knife or gun, a dog may attack anyway to defend their owner. And dogs are always armed with sharp teeth.
Thank you Tom G.
First of all, thank you for posting much necessary information. I sure hope it gets widely disseminated as this is the type of pre-crisis training that can save lives, costly legal bills and just avoid a bad time like a ruined outing with your family, etc.
1. Yes, I have used these tactics and it has worked. Mostly but not only overseas and in other countries.
2. Your worst enemy is the “normalcy” bias. Pretending or hoping everything will be OK, and continuing about your business, even though your observations or your gut tells you something is not right.
3. Trust your gut feelings. Your instincts. Your subconscious notices things your conscious mind does not. If you get a bad gut feeling at any time. Immediately stop what your doing and start the OODA loop.
Tom: a video about the deadly “NORMALCY BIAS” could be a great follow up to this one.
Jeff Cooper wrote quite a few books in his lifetime. Some might like to know that there's a biography of him written by his daughter, _Jeff Cooper the Soul and Spirit_
I've heard of situational awareness but never heard of the continuum.
7:00 Yup. Sifu says that the best way to win a fight is to not be in it.
Always be vigilant of slipping from "Yellow" into "White". This can easily happen through distraction or complacency...
Thanks, Tom 👍
Awesome content. Thank you, Tom
Great video.
thank you, very important.
Thanks Bud
Tom I like that final count down, it like your supporting PRIDE, hehehehe
Wwwoww good information 💯💯💯💯👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Thank. For. The. Ifno. God. Bless you.
Dress up as a dandy and U R a target, dress as a slightly less kemp individual and U will likely not 2 draw much attention! Drive a shabby vehicle is a good move 2!!!
Wow so Milwaukee isn’t the place Happy Days was back in the day. Sad days indeed.
Bite me RUclips algorithm!
Orange is where you get your piece in your hand.
Advantage of ADHD. Often I think I’m in condition white, not paying much attention to world around me. Something catches my attention and I ask others around me what they think of it... as a general rule they’ve got no clue and didn’t see a thing.
Unfortunately, the flip side is that my condition red, or even orange is unsustainable and I get distracted even from immediate, potentially deadly threats 🤦🏼♂️.
Avoiding trouble is the "discretion is the better part of valor" in other words. I'm as comfortable around guns as most people are with a cup of coffee and I don't feel safe going without a gun than without a seatbelt while driving.
That said. With the media and in a liberal city I'm sure I'd be arrested for defending myself no matter how great the threat. That's why I have after action insurance. I also avoid known problem areas. But like motor bandits of the 1930s miscreants are all over and anywhere. Not to mention road ragers at the tiniest thing.
Lessons to live by…
It’s a great school
Learn from other animals my friends, you ever see a bird keep its head still while eating or on the ground? Or like my dog he looks all around before exiting the house, we are animals predator and prey, some just are so lazy they want to live in white
So if bad things happen to so called good people...that would make it a fact that karma is a lie of the devil...also to add to that, read chapters 1 and 2 of Job and read the last chapter to see who brought the adversities upon Job, it wasn't Satan, it was the Lord God...
Now read
Proverbs 16:1-9
Amos 3:6-7
Job 12:20-25
Isaiah 45:6-7
Psalm 9:17
And then answer honestly who is in charge of the events of the world...
Can't make it.
Thats ok James! Great seeing you as always
Condition rainbow is when you know Jesus is coming back but you run into a bunch of drag queen story time clowns , and you say go ahead Satan make my day ..😊
This is one of your best videos!