“Awareness” is a constant theme in self-defense training, but it can sometimes be presented as something rigid that doesn’t take into account the way your attention to your surroundings fluctuates during the day. In this video, Kelly Muir describes the three states of awareness that most people move between throughout the day: Relaxed, Familiar, Unfamiliar. Your behavior in these states will vary, as will how much mental energy you are actually putting into being aware of the details of your surroundings. By paying more attention to your surroundings when you are in a more vulnerable situation, it will be easier to manage your personal defense efforts.
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Excellent video.
I know that I did this naturally, possibly because of being a therapist and working with troubled children in a group home and psychiatric hospital type settings for many years. But since I have been carrying a concealed weapon I have realized I should have been even more aware than I was all those years.
Excellent articles. Thank you
Thank you for addressing this topic. The term I use is Contextual Awareness. Simple and helps new students more quickly than trying to interpret, apply and remember Cooper’s color codes.
Thank you for your advice and for looking out for the responsible citizens who choose to protect themselves. Having a concealed carry permit involves much more than just strapping on a firearm. Please continue to educate the privileged citizens who refuse to be victims.
Home awareness
I strongly disagree with the comments made in regards to there being a low probability of a bad situation occurring at home.
FBI statistics on aggravated assaults list the home as #1 with over ¾ of a million instances in 2013 and the majority occurred during the day.
Good info for all, just presented in a different way than the color codes or OODA.  Whatever it takes to get the info across
The same as the color codes, white,yellow, orange, red,etc. Level of awareness goes up with perceived threat level.
I’m a former non commisioned officer in the US armed forces. We have a simple, all-inclusive term for this. We call it Situational Awareness. Simply, be aware of your suroundings at all time. And never fall in complacency.
Situational awareness is much more important and efficient than generic awareness, and much safer than any “relaxed” demeanor. Depends on who you are of course, but I prefer situational awareness because it doesn’t pigeonhole me into any type of state but rather expands and contracts as needed based on….well, each situation that is presented.
This is good advice for everyone – not just women. And, trust your instincts: it something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t right. You’re not being silly, you’re being safe. And, I’d rather feel foolish about be too careful than for being too careless