How exactly does one become aware of things that are behind them?
This is a serious post btw. I try my best to be aware of my surroundings whenever I’m out in the public or driving, but that is pretty much limited to things that I can actually see and generally keep my eyes on.
And I don’t know how to keep my ends on things behind me. Mirrors?
[quote]magick wrote:
How exactly does one become aware of things that are behind them?
This is a serious post btw. I try my best to be aware of my surroundings whenever I’m out in the public or driving, but that is pretty much limited to things that I can actually see and generally keep my eyes on.
And I don’t know how to keep my ends on things behind me. Mirrors?[/quote]
Well, you could always glance over your shoulder? You should check your mirrors every 5-8 seconds while driving for basic road safety. I’d say if you were to casually check your six and work your peripherals at similar intervals you’d be pretty well covered.
Also yeah, reflective surfaces are useful as well.
You can do a couple of things. Slow down. 2nd plan your route to make changing the angles easy without looking obvious. Then if there is a crowd around use it to disguise your activity (look like a people watcher). Last look like you are confused and trying to decide what to do. All the while actually purposefully observing. Lastly snap photos like a tourist. You shouldn’t put yourself in this type of situation without preplanning for some kind of contingency. Just my 2 cents.
It’s also about your mindset and general state of awareness. If you are always walking around on dream land or thinking about what you are going to eat for your next meal/that hot girl at the gym/that jerk who cut you off in traffic/etc… or with your nose burried in your phone/a book/a magazine; in other words not on what you are currently doing or your current surroundings, then it is much easier to get snuck up on or caught off guard. If on the other hand you are in a constant state of “curious awareness” (to quote GM Ryan), it is much less likely that you will be blindsided.
Then there is also your “gut”/6th sense, which can be developed (or at least you can become sensitive to it 's signals) through awareness training. With this I’m not talking about some sort of reading people’s minds, predicting the future, being able to stop attacks while blindfolded, or seeing dead people though. What I mean is that often when someone is looking at us (and really fixing their gaze on us) or encroaching on our personal space, as former prey animals we still have that instinctual “gut feeling” that we are being watched/approached. The more you combine this with staying alert and aware the more useful it will be.
For a fun way to train it, ask your wife/husband/significant other/child/good friend/training buddy to randomly try to sneak up behind you and just slowly reach their outstretched finger out to touch the back of your head. After a little while you will start to recognize the signal that something is behind you and will notice before the finger touches you, then eventually you will realize that someone is standing behind you, and eventually that someone is walking up behind you. Of course you will also be practicing just paying attention, which will go a long way as well. Once you get pretty good at this then ask a bunch of people to try to do the same thing. You’ll be surprised how this drill will change the way you position yourself in a room, and improve your awareness of what others are doing around you. Don’t let this get you super paranoid though (sometimes that’s ok, if you’re in a rough neighborhood or in a seedy environment, but constantly being like that isn’t a great way to go through life); have fun with it.
batman730- Heh, honestly, I think I would look silly if I looked over my shoulder every couple of seconds, and that’s why I asked that question. It is an obvious thing to do though.
Dude623 and Sentoguy- Thank you for the suggestions!
I think it would be quite entertaining to try that exercise with my brother when I get to meet him again.
In Sept 1960 I graduated from (USAF) Air Police school, and have taken every police street level class possible. Over the years of working and helping people in nasty situations, I still work on the street level. Watch people and you can identify people who give off the signals of “I am prey”. At the same time men who have taken care of themselves physically and mentally learn to walk tall with the good posture your mother told you about.: stand tall, stomach in, chest out, get your hands out of your pocket. It does not take long before you easily determine the prey who are, open to being harvested.
Walk, think, be aware of your environment. Up here we have indoor toilet, and an outhouse, bear and coyotes. If at night the lady of the house is in the bathroom, I just hold on till she is finished, as opposed to walking to the outhouse in total darkness. Same in the city, sometimes you should find a better 3:00AM ATM.
[quote]magick wrote:
batman730- Heh, honestly, I think I would look silly if I looked over my shoulder every couple of seconds, and that’s why I asked that question. It is an obvious thing to do though.
Dude623 and Sentoguy- Thank you for the suggestions!
I think it would be quite entertaining to try that exercise with my brother when I get to meet him again.[/quote]
Honestly, if you learn to do it smoothly and calmly as a natural part of just looking around it doesn’t look like anything. If you do it like Robocop or in a sketchy paranoid sort of way, then yeah, you’ll look like an idiot.
If you’re using you peripherals you won’t need to look “over your shoulder” in the sense that you’re envisioning. A glance left will show you most of your rear left quadrant and likewise on the right. It is pretty tough to hit it every 5 seconds consistently though, and in most settings that might be overkill anyway.
I also second Sento’s advice.
[quote]batman730 wrote:
[quote]magick wrote:
batman730- Heh, honestly, I think I would look silly if I looked over my shoulder every couple of seconds, and that’s why I asked that question. It is an obvious thing to do though.
Dude623 and Sentoguy- Thank you for the suggestions!
I think it would be quite entertaining to try that exercise with my brother when I get to meet him again.[/quote]
Honestly, if you learn to do it smoothly and calmly as a natural part of just looking around it doesn’t look like anything. If you do it like Robocop or in a sketchy paranoid sort of way, then yeah, you’ll look like an idiot.
If you’re using you peripherals you won’t need to look “over your shoulder” in the sense that you’re envisioning. A glance left will show you most of your rear left quadrant and likewise on the right. It is pretty tough to hit it every 5 seconds consistently though, and in most settings that might be overkill anyway.
I also second Sento’s advice.[/quote]
The key is to rigidly enforce a “safe zone” of about 9 feet around you at all times. This takes prep, but can be done easily enough.
Wear nothing but tighty whities(white briefs), and one swim fin. Cover all visible skin with a layer of olive oil or vaseline. If you need pockets a fanny pack is accessible.
Or do what Sento says.
Either way.
Whichever.
Regards,
Robert A
Good bump idaho,
I have nothing good to report.
A year of minor and embarrassing injuries.
Broke a toe training. It healed. Broke a toe on the other foot. Between the two I spent way to long hobbling around, first with a cane, then just hobbling. I still trained what I could, but it wasn’t as much as I would like.
Dislocated the small finger of my dominant hand, rehab and recovery was slow but non surgical. It took months before I could tolerate recoil again. Shooting ability is in the shitter. Working back up now.
Partial lat tear. Recovery. Minor ache/sprain in the other. Between the two of them punching has been “fun” for much of 2014.
Overall,
Weapons skills- Decline
Empty hand skills- Don’t know if I am better or worse. I have learned some things, I always do with time. Give me another twenty years of martial arts and I think I am going to start to get this stuff.
My biggest improvement is probably in understanding work related and medical-legal threats. Not sure if that is a “win”.
Regards,
Robert A
[quote]Robert A wrote:
[quote]batman730 wrote:
[quote]magick wrote:
batman730- Heh, honestly, I think I would look silly if I looked over my shoulder every couple of seconds, and that’s why I asked that question. It is an obvious thing to do though.
Dude623 and Sentoguy- Thank you for the suggestions!
I think it would be quite entertaining to try that exercise with my brother when I get to meet him again.[/quote]
Honestly, if you learn to do it smoothly and calmly as a natural part of just looking around it doesn’t look like anything. If you do it like Robocop or in a sketchy paranoid sort of way, then yeah, you’ll look like an idiot.
If you’re using you peripherals you won’t need to look “over your shoulder” in the sense that you’re envisioning. A glance left will show you most of your rear left quadrant and likewise on the right. It is pretty tough to hit it every 5 seconds consistently though, and in most settings that might be overkill anyway.
I also second Sento’s advice.[/quote]
The key is to rigidly enforce a “safe zone” of about 9 feet around you at all times. This takes prep, but can be done easily enough.
Wear nothing but tighty whities(white briefs), and one swim fin. Cover all visible skin with a layer of olive oil or vaseline. If you need pockets a fanny pack is accessible.
Or do what Sento says.
Either way.
Whichever.
Regards,
Robert A[/quote]
http://newbeautifulera.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/gary-larsen.pngb
[quote]Robert A wrote:
Good bump idaho,
I have nothing good to report.
A year of minor and embarrassing injuries.
Broke a toe training. It healed. Broke a toe on the other foot. Between the two I spent way to long hobbling around, first with a cane, then just hobbling. I still trained what I could, but it wasn’t as much as I would like.
Dislocated the small finger of my dominant hand, rehab and recovery was slow but non surgical. It took months before I could tolerate recoil again. Shooting ability is in the shitter. Working back up now.
Partial lat tear. Recovery. Minor ache/sprain in the other. Between the two of them punching has been “fun” for much of 2014.
Overall,
Weapons skills- Decline
Empty hand skills- Don’t know if I am better or worse. I have learned some things, I always do with time. Give me another twenty years of martial arts and I think I am going to start to get this stuff.
My biggest improvement is probably in understanding work related and medical-legal threats. Not sure if that is a “win”.
Regards,
Robert A
[/quote]
Damn, Bro…There is nothing minor or embarrassing about broke and dislocated digits. I have had both and they take forever to heal, especially a bad dislocation. Hope you get back to 100% soon. You may have the biggest “win” so far posted. Anytime you can improve your odds in civil ligation, you have definitely increased you arsenal.
[quote]idaho wrote:
[quote]Robert A wrote:
Good bump idaho,
I have nothing good to report.
A year of minor and embarrassing injuries.
Broke a toe training. It healed. Broke a toe on the other foot. Between the two I spent way to long hobbling around, first with a cane, then just hobbling. I still trained what I could, but it wasn’t as much as I would like.
Dislocated the small finger of my dominant hand, rehab and recovery was slow but non surgical. It took months before I could tolerate recoil again. Shooting ability is in the shitter. Working back up now.
Partial lat tear. Recovery. Minor ache/sprain in the other. Between the two of them punching has been “fun” for much of 2014.
Overall,
Weapons skills- Decline
Empty hand skills- Don’t know if I am better or worse. I have learned some things, I always do with time. Give me another twenty years of martial arts and I think I am going to start to get this stuff.
My biggest improvement is probably in understanding work related and medical-legal threats. Not sure if that is a “win”.
Regards,
Robert A
[/quote]
Damn, Bro…There is nothing minor or embarrassing about broke and dislocated digits. I have had both and they take forever to heal, especially a bad dislocation. Hope you get back to 100% soon. You may have the biggest “win” so far posted. Anytime you can improve your odds in civil ligation, you have definitely increased you arsenal.
[/quote]
Sure, but they were pinky toes. And my pinky finger. If I would have just amputated them it would have taken less time to heal. That thought kept crossing my mind.
These are the types of attacks I talked about in an earlier post. You would be prudent to up your situational awareness over the next couple of months. BTW, Chris Hayes of MSNBC (fuck him) will not be talking about this cop, he was a hero.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/sergeant-at-arms-hailed-as-hero-in-ottawa-shooting/
[quote]idaho wrote:
These are the types of attacks I talked about in an earlier post. You would be prudent to up your situational awareness over the next couple of months. BTW, Chris Hayes of MSNBC (fuck him) will not be talking about this cop, he was a hero.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/sergeant-at-arms-hailed-as-hero-in-ottawa-shooting/ [/quote]
He’s not a cop anymore, idaho. If he was, SIU would have invoked their mandate and he would be under investigation and not hailed as the hero he is.
Something tells me this guy was a Hero along time ago. He just aced, his most recent test. Honor to the end Sir.
[quote]Will207 wrote:
[quote]idaho wrote:
These are the types of attacks I talked about in an earlier post. You would be prudent to up your situational awareness over the next couple of months. BTW, Chris Hayes of MSNBC (fuck him) will not be talking about this cop, he was a hero.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/sergeant-at-arms-hailed-as-hero-in-ottawa-shooting/ [/quote]
He’s not a cop anymore, idaho. If he was, SIU would have invoked their mandate and he would be under investigation and not hailed as the hero he is.
[/quote]
Will,
You are correct, he is not a current , working cop. The article I read stated he retired from the RCMP after 30 years of service. After that length of time, no matter what he is doing now,(IMO) he will always be a cop. Either way, he stood up to the scum and took care of buisness.
[quote]idaho wrote:
[quote]Will207 wrote:
[quote]idaho wrote:
These are the types of attacks I talked about in an earlier post. You would be prudent to up your situational awareness over the next couple of months. BTW, Chris Hayes of MSNBC (fuck him) will not be talking about this cop, he was a hero.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/sergeant-at-arms-hailed-as-hero-in-ottawa-shooting/ [/quote]
He’s not a cop anymore, idaho. If he was, SIU would have invoked their mandate and he would be under investigation and not hailed as the hero he is.
[/quote]
Will,
You are correct, he is not a current , working cop. The article I read stated he retired from the RCMP after 30 years of service. After that length of time, no matter what he is doing now,(IMO) he will always be a cop. Either way, he stood up to the scum and took care of buisness.
[/quote]
I am sort of fuzzy about what the U.S. equivalent of his position is. He wasn’t “Po-Lease” proper anymore, but he was legally supposed to be armed and nominally in charge of security? Not an LEO like U.S.S.S. or military like the USMC protection details but more of a Praetorian Guard for the policy makers?
He most assuredly stood and was counted when needed, and provided a great data point for the “Answer to an immoral man disposed to violence is a moral one resolved to do it if need be.”
I gather he wasn’t cop, but he wasn’t little people either.
Regards,
Robert A
P.S. The hatchet attack in NY is also a data point.
Speaking of the hatchet attack in NYC, I am going to post this in the “knife Defense” thread also. I am firmly committed to visualization as training tool for mental preparedness. Whether you are planning on explosive entry or simply walking down a crowded street, a small corner of your awareness should be evaluating attack points, exit routes, and it unarmed, any useful object in your area that can be used as a emergency weapon.
Take the photo for example: confined area, it appears one escape route is cut off,(subway?), scum is already in the process of active threat, deadly weapon, scum is hell bent on killing you. Each here should think about how to survive this attack and have a mental plan to activate. Food for thought.
[quote]idaho wrote:
Speaking of the hatchet attack in NYC, I am going to post this in the “knife Defense” thread also. I am firmly committed to visualization as training tool for mental preparedness. Whether you are planning on explosive entry or simply walking down a crowded street, a small corner of your awareness should be evaluating attack points, exit routes, and it unarmed, any useful object in your area that can be used as a emergency weapon.
Take the photo for example: confined area, it appears one escape route is cut off,(subway?), scum is already in the process of active threat, deadly weapon, scum is hell bent on killing you. Each here should think about how to survive this attack and have a mental plan to activate. Food for thought.
[/quote]
I don’t disagree.
Travel in packs seems a good start. I think it saved the first officer struck and whomever else would have faced him after.
The officers who did the shooting seriously wounded a bystander, but in that kind of cement and steel box only hitting one other person is damn near a miracle.
To me options have a lot to do with distance/time and terrain and some to do with tools available.
I doubt the first officer noticed in time to mount much of a defense. The second officer was wounded. The two others saw to the asshole with the ax. The fact the shooters were not the ones the assault was initiated on gave them a moment, and as far as I am concerned they spent it well.
Barring that seeing it coming and acting on that information BEFORE injury confirms intent? Maneuver WHILE assessing instead of waiting to be certain that you need to? I play the whole consistent vs inconsistent thing when evaluating, like my post about the highway shooting, but that is only a way and not THE WAY.
Also, if any one reading this hasn’t done so already; resolve to be brutal enough, soon enough.
Keep fighting. Keep trying to solve the problem until you can’t anymore.
Regards,
Robert A
[quote]idaho wrote:
Each here should think about how to survive this attack and have a mental plan to activate. Food for thought.
[/quote]
I agree with your post.
But this is an excuse to post one of my favorite quotes. I like it both because of the content, and because it comes from an academic/scientist.
Regards,
Robert A
