The 4-Step Formula for Decisive Action Against a Threat

I have written often about the need to maintain the proper degree of situational awareness to avoid being involved in a violent encounter. I include blocks of instruction on this topic in my advanced firearms courses. I’ve also mentioned the OODA loop and how it contributes to your ability to gain control and prevail during a violent encounter. Recently I came across an article by Brett and Kate McKay at their Art of Manliness blog (www.artofmanliness.com) that tied the two concepts together succinctly and prompted me to write this article.

The concept of “situational awareness” is simple — it is nothing more than knowing what is going on around you. To explain the various levels of awareness that need to be applied to any given situation, Colonel Jeff Cooper (the father of the modern handgun technique) created his color code system. These range from Condition “White” (unaware) through Condition “Red” (acting in response to a confirmed threat). Some add a Condition “Black” (engaged/ambushed without warning) to Cooper’s system. While no one can continually be in a state of heighten awareness — it would be mentally and physically exhausting —my advice and that of just about every firearms instructor in applying Cooper’s color codes is that you should try to be in Condition “Yellow” as much as possible, especially when you are outside of your home. But, what should you be looking for when in Condition “Yellow” — i.e. what are the indicators of potential danger? This is where the OODA concept comes into play as part of your situational awareness.

OODA stands for Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act. It is a decision-making model that was developed by Colonel John Boyd to explain how fighter pilots should think when they encounter an enemy. Later it was realized that the OODA concept can be applied to just about any situation someone may find themselves in where a decision is needed. During the “Observe” step you are gathering data about what is going on around you. To effectively “Observe”, you must position yourself where you can see as much of the environment around you as possible.

After you have gathered data about the environment during the “Observe” step, you need to put that data into a context. This is where the “Orient” step comes into play. It is during this step that you develop “baselines” for the particular environment you are in, determine what types of human behavior you should be looking for, and where you begin to develop plans of action depending on what you see.

“Baselines” are what is normal for that particular environment. Do the people look like they belong there — is someone acting differently from everyone else, are they dressed differently, etc.? Are the objects in the environment what you would expect to find there or is something out of place? What you are really looking for in establishing the “baselines” are not what is normal or expected but rather what is abnormal or unexpected. It is the things that are abnormal that could be signs of impending danger and that deserve more of your attention. They are the “anomalies” in the environment. Patrick Van Horne and Jason Riley in their book Left of Bang: How the Marine Corps’ Combat Hunter Program Can Save Your Life (Black Irish Entertainment LLC, New York,©2014) describe anomalies as “things that either do not happen and should, or that do happen and shouldn’t”.

Body language is a good indicator to look for. Look at peoples’ hands. Hands are needed to hold weapons. If they are nervous, individuals might be continually putting their hands in their pockets and taking them out or “wringing” their hands. They might touch areas on their body where something is hidden “to check to confirm it is still there”, etc. Are the people “acting natural”—i.e. trying to fit in where they do not. People that are trying to “act natural” instead tend to exaggerate their behavior. They might appear to be completely distracted, go out of their way to show they belong. They often appear to be “trying too hard” to be whatever they are trying to con-
vince others they are.

Generally people in groups want to get along with each other and thus act in a submissive manner. Someone that is acting in a dominating or aggressive manner may be an anomaly. However, such behavior does not necessarily mean they are a threat. For instance, you would expect “the boss” to be acting in a dominant manner toward their employees—this is where applying context becomes important to your evaluation of the situation. You would also expect most people to be relaxed and comfortable in familiar situations, but they might be just the opposite in unfamiliar or stressful situations. If individuals are responding differently than the rest of the individuals that are present, they are the anomalies and deserve extra attention on your part. But, just because they are behaving differently from everyone else does not mean they are a threat. Once again context is needed to understand the situation. The “uncomfortable” individual may be a newcomer, they may be sick, or they might be distracted because of bad news they just received. A common trait among individuals that are uncomfortable in a particular environment is they appear to be nervous and are continually looking about trying to find exits or someone they might know. Yet another common trait is that most people do not pay attention to their environment because they are so involved with what they are doing or who they are talking to. Thus the individual that is paying attention to their surroundings or who appears to be interested in another individual across the room constitutes another anomaly. This is where you need to be careful so that your relaxed Condition “Yellow” level of awareness is not misinterpreted by others as an anomaly.

If you are going to be in an environment — i.e. a room, area, building, etc. — you should position yourself in an unobstructed spot so you will have a continual flow of information coming in to you and where you can continue to keep the anomalies in view. You should be where you can see all of the entrances and exits so you can observe when something/someone enters or leaves the area — the “bad guy” might not show up until after you are already there.

By now it should be clear that the “Observe” and “Orient” steps of the OODA process are essential to your “situational awareness”. Together they increase your perceptive boundaries. How often you go through the “OO” steps of the OODA process will depend on how often changes occur in your environment. By doing this faster than any potential threats in your environment, you should avoid becoming a victim.

The second of Colonel Jeff Cooper’s principals of personal defense is “Decisiveness”. When confronted with a threat of serious injury or loss of life, your response needs to come quickly without any hesitation. As I’ve written about previously, violent encounters occur with little or no advance warning, they are chaotic, and they are over within seconds. There will not be time to consider several alternative courses of action. As Cooper says, “to ponder is quite possibly to perish”. Thus it is important to “plan ahead” and consider what your response might be to potential violent encounter scenarios that you might be confronted with. By thinking through them ahead of time you can formulate responses and have them ready instead of having to make up something “on the fly” as the event evolves around you—remember the OODA loop.

It is impossible to consider all possible threats and develop the appropriate plans to respond to them. Instead you will have to consider what the “probable” or even “plausible” threats are that you are likely to encounter and develop those response plans.

You will not have time to adjust your pre-planned response to make it “perfect” for the situation you are in so you will have to settle for a plan that is “close enough” to get the job done. Cooper believed that the specific course of action that you chose as your response is less important than the “vigor” with which you carry it out. The reality is that the mistakes you might make in executing an imperfect plan are no greater than the ones that might result should you carefully deliberate all options before acting.

If you can quickly decide on a course of action and carry it out decisively, you will significantly increase your chances of surviving the encounter. In responding to a violent attack that threatens you (or someone else) with serious injury or death, you are generally justified if you respond with lethal force to stop the threat. However, most people abhor violence and are hesitant to use it. Hesitation can cost you or someone else you are trying to defend their life. If you hesitate, you may not deliver enough force on the assailant to stop them from carrying out their attack. So, you need to respond quickly and decisively.

Fear will be your greatest obstacle to being decisive. Fear leads you in the opposite direction, creating indecision as you struggle to deal with the risks associated with making the wrong decision. However, having confidence in your abilities helps you to overcome your fear and to take decisive action.

In future articles, I will deal with Cooper’s other principals in more detail. In the meantime, stay alert and act decisively when necessary!!

Gary Evens is a NRA-Certified Instructor and Range Safety Officer.