Awareness Color

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" U l t i m a t e v i ct o r y i s in a v o i d i n g t h e f i g h t ." - Sun Tzu

It is an unfortunate fact that most people stumble through li fe, blissfullyunaware of the world around them. They remain preoccupied in their own

thoughts of work, personal problems, how to get a date, or other

mundane issues, with no thought to their immediate environment. By not

paying attention to their surroundings, they place themselves in needless

jeopardy.

To understand this phenomena, go take a seat in your neighborhood

hospital emergency intake area one evening. Observe the unfortunates

who come in for treatment and you will get an excellent illustration of

this point. About 20% of the individuals are actually sick, ignore them.

The remaining 80% are there because they did not pay attention to their

environment. These will be the folks who walked off the loading dock,

stepped off ladders twenty feet high, backed into running machinery,stepped into the path of a vehicle, or allowed a thug to walk r ight u p to

them unn oticed and hit th em with a brick.

You can be be stupid, inattentive, and oblivious in your work environment

day in and day out and get lucky, until one day the odds catch up with

you and you are injured. The same principle applies to the streets. Yo u

c an b e s t u p i d , i n at t e n t i v e a n d o b l i v i o u s a n d g e t a w a y w i t h i t u n t i l

y o u r p a t h c r o s s es t h e p a t h o f a c r i m i n a l . The vast majority of

criminals are opportunists, who only strike when presented with a viable,

easy opportunity. Remove the opportunity and you remove the risk to

yourself.

Utilizing awareness, risk reduction and avoidance techniques, you canachieve a large degree of control over your fate thru learning to observe

your environment, continually evaluating it, and reacting appropriately to

what you see or feel. This requires that you learn a concept known as

Colo r Code developed by Colonel Jeff Cooper as a way to train soldiers in

awareness and readiness to react & respond to combat conditions. The

system is now taught to military and police organizations and is used in

most handgun training classes.

The concepts behind Co l o r Code A w ar eness translate well into

self-defense training and should be a cornerstone to all effective training

programs.

The Color Codes serve as a scale of readiness to allow you to match

your level of awareness/readiness with the situation being presented. It

allows you to shift gears, if you will, mentally by going from a state of

being oblivious and unprepared to a condition of being ready to instantly

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do lethal violence if forced.

T he Co l o r Code S ys t em o f A w ar eness

So what is the color code system of awareness? Simply, it is 5 states of

readiness. They are:

W h i t e - unaware, not paying attention

Yel l ow - attentive, but relaxed

O r ange - focus is directed, there is an immediate potential threat

Red - there is a definitive threat

Black - you are actively fighting

So why do we need the colors? Because, when faced with a life

threatening attack by a criminal, as a typical normal person, we are faced

with three very difficult challenges. They are:

Recognizing the presence of the predator in time;

Realizing, internalizing and accepting that THAT MAN , R I GHT THERE is

about to kill you for reasons you do not understand, if you do not stop

him; and

Overcoming your reluctance to do lethal violence to another fellow

human being.

So let's take a look at these. First, you have to see the criminal and

realize that he is a threat. Contrary to popular belief, criminals don't just

"pop-out" of thin air. They typically walk right up to you unnoticed

because most people don't pay attention to their surroundings. Learn to

pay attention and you will see the warning signs earlier and be able to

respond effectively.

Secondly, it is very difficult for rational, normal, socialized, civilized

human beings to fathom and acknowledge that they live right next to

those who are N OT rational, normal, socialized, civilized human beings.

These are individuals who just don't care about you or the suffering they

cause. They care only about themselves. They may kill you for the

contents of your wallet so they can buy another day's worth of drugs;

they may rape you because they feel powerless, degraded and abused

except while they are degrading or abusing someone else; they may kill

you simply to move up in ranking in their street gang. Ultimately, it

doesn't matter Wh y. You just need to understand that it DOES happen

and your job is to not be the next victim.

Thirdly, it is difficult to intentionally inflict pain and suffering on another

human being knowing that you are turning a vertical, living, breathing

individual into a horizontal piece of meat. As a society, we just don't go


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out and randomly beat the crap out of someone just because. Private

citizens are reluctant to harm, even when justified. Y o u m u s t o v e r c o m e

t h i s obs t ac l e i f you r l i f e i s on t he l i ne . You will have to realize that

there are times when lethal violence is not just excusable or justifiable or

acceptable, but actually required.

Luckily, by studying and practicing the Color Code system, you mentally

prepare yourself to overcome all three of these problems. By learning to

use the system and making it a part of your daily routine, you can beginto see an attack in its beginning stages and become both mentally and

physically prepared to defend yourself when avoidance is not an option.

The Co lo rs

W h i t e is the lowest level on the escalator. Here you are unaware, not

alert and oblivious to your environment. This state is usually

characterized as "daydreaming" or "preoccupied". People in white walk

with their heads down as if watching their own feet. They do not notice

the impending danger until it literally has them by the throat.

These are the folks who operate their vehicles and do not notice the stop

sign, or the vehicle in front of them. They are the ones after a vehicular

incident you will say, "I didn't see him." How many times have you been

driving somewhere and didn't remember how you got there?

These are the same folks who will be victims of violent crime because the

criminals target the inattentive, the complacent, the lazy, the distracted,

the preoccupied. Why? Because the criminal is not looking for hard work.

He wants to get to the victim, get what he wants, and get away all

without being caught or hurt.

So when is it acceptable to be in condition White? When you are in your

home with the doors locked, the alarm system on and your dog at your

feet. Now you can turn your mind off because you have plenty of early

warning systems in place. If you leave your home, you now move to

Condition Y el l o w .

Ye l l ow is a relaxed state of general alertness. You are not looking for

anything or anyone in particular; you simply have your head up and eyes

open. You are alert and aware of your surroundings. You are difficult to

surprise, therefore, you are difficult to harm. You do not expect to be

attacked today; you simply recognize the possibility.

In Yellow, you would step to the far side of the sidewalk when passing a

dark alley and look down it as you pass. In Yellow, you know where the

people are around you. It enables you to spot trouble coming and either

avoid it (where possible) or be ready for it (if you can't avoid it). If youcan't avoid it, we move to Condition O r ange .

O r ange is a heightened state of alertness with a specific target noted.

The entire difference between Yellow and Orange is that there is a

specific target for your attention. Your target is the person(s) who is

doing whatever drew your attention to him. It might be the fact that he is

wearing a wool jacket in the middle of summer. It might be that he is

loitering by the doors to the mall. It might be that you have been in six

different stores and have noticed this person in each one. His actions

have caused you to take note of him. Therefore, you must assess him as

a potential threat and prepare accordingly.

How do you assess someone as a threat? You have to take intoconsideration all the clues being presented from his clothing, appearance,

demeanor, actions, intuition, anything he may say to you. The single

most important clue is body language. About 80% of human

communication is through body language. Criminals / predators display


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subtle pre-aggresion indicators which are obvious once you learn to look

for them.

When shifting to Orange, you are focusing on the individual that drew

your attention, but do not lose focus on your surroundings as you do not

want to be blindsighted by any of his associates. Nine times out of ten,

you will note after a few minutes of observation that there is a reason for

his behavior and you will dismiss him. Once he is no longer a threat, you

will de-escalate to Yellow.

So what about the tenth? He is the predator, the criminal who would have

gotten you if you weren't paying attention. Now that you are aware of

him, you are in far less danger.

As you assess this individual and you note things taht convince you he

has evil intentions, you start to play the "What if...." game in your mind

and begin formulating a basic plan. This is how we move ahead of the

power curve, prepare and take control. If he does this, I will do this you

begin the mental preparation vital to winning the conflict. With even a

simple plan already in place, your physical reaction is both assured and

immediate if the criminal presses his intentions. If, after assessing him,

you believe he is an actual threat, you then escalate to Condition Red .

In Red you are ready to fight! You may or may not actually be fighting,

but you are MENTALLY PREPARED to fight. In many instances where

you have gone to full Red, you will not actually physically do anything at

all. The entire process of escalating from Yellow to Orange to Red then

de-escalating right back down as the situation is resolved occurs without

any actual physical activity on your part. The key is that you are mentally

prepared with a game plan for a conflict and therefore could physically

react if the situation demanded.

When you have escalated to Red and believe a threat is real, you are

waiting for a mental trigger which is a specific, pre-determined action on

the part of the criminal that will result in an immediate, positive,aggressive, defensive reaction from you. This is how you achieve the

speed necessary to win. By having a pre-made decision set up in your

mind, you can physically move fast enough to deal with the problem.

Without a trigger, you lose precious time in which you could have acted

as you are trying to decide what to do after he starts his attack.

Your main enemy is reaction time. If you are not aware of your

surroundings and fail to see the suspicious character, he may overwhelm

you before you can marshall an effective defense. The best fight is over

before the loser ful ly understands what just happened. If you are caught

in Condition White you will need five to six seconds to realize what is

happening, get your wits about you and respond. The reality is you

simply do not have that amount of time.

The final Condition is Black . This is where you are physically engaged

with the criminal. Your mental trigger has been tripped and you have

responded. Your only option here is to move forward and inflict as much

violence as needed to debilitate your attacker. There is no time for feel ing

sorry or scared, you simply react and trust your training.

M en t a l T r i c ks

There are a couple of mental tricks you can use in the early phases of

your training to help you prepare for Condition Red or Black. Remember

that one of the three problems mentioned will be actually "doing it", itbeing lethal force when required. To help with this, each morning when

you get up remind yourself that "I may have to use my defensive training

today." This plants in your subconscious mind, which drives 90% of your


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life, that there is a reason we train the way we do - we may actually need

them to save lives. When you pick up on that potential threat and

escalate to Condition Orange, tell yourself "I may have to seriously injure

him today!" Trust me, if you have internalized that a specific person is an

actual threat to your life, but that you have the means to stop him if

need be, it becomes easier to mentally deal with the situation.

S u m m a r y

Always remember that awareness and avoidance are the best

self-defense strategies. Awareness of your environment, attacker rituals

and your instinct comprise the majority of self-defense. Your firt line of

self-defense against a violent situation is to avoid it. Trust your instincts

and do not hesitate. If you cannot avoid the situation, then mentally

prepare, have a plan and execute with full conviction and purpose.

U lt i m a t e l y , t h e m o r e a w a r e y o u a r e, t h e m o r e y o u w i l l p r e v en t a n

a t t ack . Practice using the Color Codes daily and integrate them into your

training and daily living.

For more information, check out Tom Givens' book Fighting Smart erat

Range Master

Angie M. Tarighi is the CEO

& Founder of Women's

Self-Defense Institute and

has been teaching women's

self-defense programs for

over 20 years. She is a

tireless advocate of

self-reliance and

responsibility, encouraging

women to actively protect

life through awareness andeducation.

Angie holds the following

certifications:

3rd Degree Black Belt &

Certified Instructor in

Kenpo 1st Degree Black

Belt & Certified Instructor in

Combat Hapkido Certified

Instructor in Rape

Aggression Defense (RAD)

Certified instructor in

International Police

Defensive Tactics Certified Workplace Violence Prevention Specialist

Certified Kid-Safe Network Agent Certified Woman-Safe Network Agent

Professional Speaker Published Author - -"Practical Self Defense &

Safety Tips for Today's Busy Female" -"5 Simple Steps to Becoming a

Reiki Master" Reiki Master

Angie created Women's Self-Defense Institute to share information,

resources, products, training and advice about safety and survival to

women nationally & internationally coping with a dangerous world. Angie

brings humor and real world examples to her training empowering

women to tap into their own strengths and become their own bestself-defense advocates.

Feel free to join our monthly newsletter for more tips and self defense

strategies.


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