Awareness...How Do You Teach It?

[Brian R. VanCise]

I also think some folks confuse awareness with strategy (planning, not going to places that things might happen, etc.). To me those are two very different things.

Hey Dave that is an excellent point as they really should not be confused and they easily can be.

 

[Bigshadow]

Teaching someone how to avoid danger (strategy) is far easier than teaching them to be aware of imminent danger (where there is often no real visual cues, until it is too late).

 

[Kacey]

I also think some folks confuse awareness with strategy (planning, not going to places that things might happen, etc.). To me those are two very different things.

I agree and I don't; too many people fail to take steps to avoid problem situations because they don't think about possible consequences - being aware of the potential for danger helps to guide strategy to avoid such danger. Strategy and awareness are, to me, intertwined - it's a chicken-and-egg question; you don't need a strategy to deal with a potential situation if you are not aware of the possibility of the situation occurring; likewise, if you are not aware of what is going on around you at any given time and the potential outcomes of your choices, you will need a reactive, rather than proactive, strategy - and I find proactive strategies (avoidance) tend to be more effective and less dangerous.

 

[Bigshadow]

I agree and I don't; too many people fail to take steps to avoid problem situations because they don't think about possible consequences - being aware of the potential for danger helps to guide strategy to avoid such danger. Strategy and awareness are, to me, intertwined - it's a chicken-and-egg question; you don't need a strategy to deal with a potential situation if you are not aware of the possibility of the situation occurring; likewise, if you are not aware of what is going on around you at any given time and the potential outcomes of your choices, you will need a reactive, rather than proactive, strategy - and I find proactive strategies (avoidance) tend to be more effective and less dangerous.

I don't necessarily disagree with that. Certainly people should have strategy and have enough understanding of the dangers that exist out there. However, sometimes danger can find you, even though you are trying to avoid it. One still needs to nurture that ability we all have to sense the danger. Everyone has it, it is there because it is natural. It's purpose is to keep us safe.

Our eyes can deceive us and regularly does. That is why folks often say.... He just came out of nowhere.... I would have never expected that... And the best of them.... "it was a random attack....".

When it comes down to it, the awareness I speak of IS the last line of defense for a person. Without that, no matter how much planning and strategy, avoiding the danger, it is still a roll of the dice.

 

[Kacey]

I don't necessarily disagree with that. Certainly people should have strategy and have enough understanding of the dangers that exist out there. However, sometimes danger can find you, even though you are trying to avoid it. One still needs to nurture that ability we all have to sense the danger. Everyone has it, it is there because it is natural. It's purpose is to keep us safe.

Our eyes can deceive us and regularly does. That is why folks often say.... He just came out of nowhere.... I would have never expected that... And the best of them.... "it was a random attack....".

When it comes down to it, the awareness I speak of IS the last line of defense for a person. Without that, no matter how much planning and strategy, avoiding the danger, it is still a roll of the dice.

I don't necessarily disagree - but I will add this example from some years ago. I had gone out with a group of friends to a comedy club; the show got out at 1:00 am. I had recently gotten my black belt in TKD, which my friends were aware of; as we left the club, we had a choice of 2 routes - one well lit, but longer, and one through an alley, with the only light that which leaked in from the street. One of my friends stated we should take the alley because "Karen's a black belt - she'll protect us". My response was "You're right, I am a black belt - and I'm not that stupid, I'm taking the well-lit route; you can do what you choose." We ended up all taking the well-lit route (it probably helped that I was sober and they weren't); I later heard on the news that there had been a series of muggings in the area, all of them in alleys such as the short cut I refused to take. Was my choice to avoid that alley strategy, or awareness? For myself, I think it's both.

I don't really think we're saying different things here - I think it's more of a terminology issue than an actual disagreement.

 

[Bigshadow]

I don't really think we're saying different things here - I think it's more of a terminology issue than an actual disagreement.

No I don't think we are disagreeing really and certainly those things are very important. Why deal with danger when you can avoid it by making good strategic choices and yes, it does take awareness, but to me that awareness is a slightly different kind of awareness. Kind of like the difference between having an education and having wisdom.

 

[Hawke]

DISCLAIMER: I am a newbie. Take the following with HUGE grains of salt.

Some methods I have learned to help my awareness:

Take on a predator mind set.

Go to your local college or shopping mall. Find a nice bench and sit down while you try to pick out the easy targets (people not paying attention, a person walking alone, etc). Stroll through the parking lot and look thru the car windows as you walk past for valuables (keep walking don't stand in front of the car). This may teach you how not to walk or park your car.

Practice sneaking up on friends. Have your friends sneak up on you. When you sneak up on them just tap the shoulder or stand next to them.

Learn to use reflections. Just before I get in my car I look at the reflection of my car window. Also use windows of stores or other shiny reflections.

Learn to avoid walking next to corners where you cannot see.

Always make sure you have an exit.

When sitting down at a restaurant face the door with your back to the wall.

[qoute]"If there is doubt....then there is no doubt." - RONIN [/quote]

Anyone else have ideas to help train your indicators?

 

[thardey]

DISCLAIMER: I am a newbie. Take the following with HUGE grains of salt.

Some methods I have learned to help my awareness:

Take on a predator mind set.

Go to your local college or shopping mall. Find a nice bench and sit down while you try to pick out the easy targets (people not paying attention, a person walking alone, etc). Stroll through the parking lot and look thru the car windows as you walk past for valuables (keep walking don't stand in front of the car). This may teach you how not to walk or park your car.

I've heard it suggested that you spend a week thinking like a predator. If you were to hide somewhere for a mugging, where would you hide? What kind of victims would you watch for? What kind of risks would be worth it? Everywhere you go - the parking garage, into your house, down the street, etc.

Practice sneaking up on friends. Have your friends sneak up on you. When you sneak up on them just tap the shoulder or stand next to them.

I've played the "sticky note" game with my friends -- Write on a sticky note: "You've been stickied - pass it on!" and then try to stick it on your friend's back when they're not looking, without getting it stuck on you!

Learn to use reflections. Just before I get in my car I look at the reflection of my car window. Also use windows of stores or other shiny reflections.

Learn to avoid walking next to corners where you cannot see.

Always make sure you have an exit.

When sitting down at a restaurant face the door with your back to the wall.

All very good advice - you beat me to it.

 

[Blotan Hunka]

I attack students spontaneously and with no provocation. A La the Pink Panther.

 

[tellner]

It's not a martial arts thing, but here is a couple exercises I've used to good effect. The key is to live in Condition Yellow and be able to go from Yellow to Orange or Red and back easily. You want to avoid Code Brown entirely

1. For the next week privately keep score. Every time you get within a certain distance of a friend or co-worker without being noticed give yourself a point. Every time a friend or co-worker gets that close to you without you noticing take away a point. Lose twenty points if they think you're sneaking up on them. Extra points if you use a sense other than vision such as smell, feeling their footsteps through the floor or feeling the air move.
2. Every time you go into your workplace, a store you frequent or similar find five things that are different from the last time you were there.
3. When you go into a room make a quick note of how many people are there, where they are, what they're wearing and how they're carrying themselves. Extra points for noticing some random thing you decide on like the left handed ones, and how many of them look at you.
4. Take a friend to the park or some other public area where you can sit and watch people go by. Imagine that you are a mugger with a good work ethic. For every person who walks by each of you marks "Yes" or "No" for easy pickings or more trouble than it's worth. Make special note of the ones where you disagree.
5. Work on the Three Attentions - an old exercise used by mystics, warriors and other strange people. First, become aware of your breath. Then do the same with your surroundings starting with one sense and adding the others. I find that smell and hearing are easiest. Then remain aware of the fact that you are paying attention.
6. There's a couple meditations - Ambush, Warrior Chained, Oncoming Train - which I was taught and which are, hmm, instructive. They should only be practiced under supervision and not very often. There are some real psychological dangers, so I won't go too much into them.
7. Create a little ritual motion that you use when you are ready to fight. It can be as simple as touching an elbow. Do it every time you get ready to spar. Do the same thing in daily life until you can activate yourself at will. Then get rid of the ritual motion. Be sure to have a ritual motion that tells you to turn it off. Get to the point where you can be ready for action or back in normal consciousness smoothly.

 

[Hawke]

Create a little ritual motion that you use when you are ready to fight. It can be as simple as touching an elbow. Do it every time you get ready to spar. Do the same thing in daily life until you can activate yourself at will. Then get rid of the ritual motion. Be sure to have a ritual motion that tells you to turn it off. Get to the point where you can be ready for action or back in normal consciousness smoothly.

Reminds me of the anchoring technique in NLP and Hypnosis Therapy. You add some interesting insights Tellner.:asian:

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

It is funny that this thread came up because I will be teaching an awareness and avoidance class to a local CPL (concealed pistol License) class next week. A friend of mine requested that I come in and give a more in depth discussion than what he could.

 

[MJS]

Alot of great replies! Maybe I should expand a bit on what I mean by teaching. My wife has never taken a day of MA training in her life. I'm sure if I told her to throw a kick towards my groin or take her fingers and poke me in the eye, she'd do it. Will it be the text book groin kick and eye poke? Probably not. Now, take all the preaching we do about awareness. Tell the SD class to have your keys in your hand, dont have your head in the clouds, etc. and I'm sure most people will say sure, its common sense and easy.

Now, imagine how much better that eye poke and groin kick will be with some training, repitition, etc. Much better than if its never trained I'm sure. Same thing with the awareness aspect. Like I said in another post, run thru some scenario drills. IMO, its going to engrain it a bit more with some practical, hands on training, rather than just telling someone what should be done.

 

[Garth Barnard]

For awareness I teach my students the colour codes, as has already been mentioned, based on Col Jeff Coopers White, Yellow, Orange and Red.

I also get my students to regularly conduct a 'Walking Commentary', when they're out and about. A 'Running Commentary' is also used by the Police Forces as part of their training, for descriptive radio use and also for evidence gathering purposes when the commentary is recorded.

By conducting a 'Walking Commentary' your state of awareness is heightened. By doing this regularly you (and your students) will find, over time, that you (they) will do this subconsciously.

 

[qi-tah]

DISCLAIMER: I am a newbie. Take the following with HUGE grains of salt.

Some methods I have learned to help my awareness:

Take on a predator mind set.

Go to your local college or shopping mall. Find a nice bench and sit down while you try to pick out the easy targets (people not paying attention, a person walking alone, etc). Stroll through the parking lot and look thru the car windows as you walk past for valuables (keep walking don't stand in front of the car). This may teach you how not to walk or park your car.

Practice sneaking up on friends. Have your friends sneak up on you. When you sneak up on them just tap the shoulder or stand next to them.

Learn to use reflections. Just before I get in my car I look at the reflection of my car window. Also use windows of stores or other shiny reflections.

Learn to avoid walking next to corners where you cannot see.

Always make sure you have an exit.

When sitting down at a restaurant face the door with your back to the wall.

"If there is doubt....then there is no doubt." - RONIN

Anyone else have ideas to help train your indicators?

Some of my favs to highten situational awareness...

When you are driving, try to predict what the cars around you are going to do before they do them. Those of you who ride motorbikes probably are experts at this already!

A pedestrian version of the above... try to make yr way from one side of a crowded room to the other as quickly as possible without touching anyone.

Try to think of the space around you in terms of space waiting to be occupied. Either occupy yr "buffer zone" yrself with objects, or deliberately leave it vacant and observe how others navigate that space. Play with it... alter yr speed of movement through space, deliberately engineer situations where you "bump" (not really contact... more like doing the mirror dance) into ppl etc. I find that focusing on space in this way gives me a much clearer idea of what is normal and abnormal in a given situation.