Stop before it starts.
If you never walk down a path, you’ll never get to the paths end. If you never smoke a cigarette, you’ll never get addicted to cigarettes.
Decide now what you will do in the future. Now I know this sounds simplistic but you can decide some things. You can decide you will never be a victim.
There are several components or evolutions of pre-emptive self-defense. Some of which are so obvious they could be called just plain common sense. Others are much more subtle and require an ability to read a situation and people. Then adjust or modify your role in the interaction and/or manipulate the behavior of attackers or bad guys to your advantage.
The military teaches Detect-Deny-Destroy as a way of defending against terrorism.
These three words precisely sum up the essential objectives of what the concept of pre-emptive self-defense is all about. They are as effective for personal self-protection as they are when used in protecting our country.
There are several steps you can take to make them work just as effectively for you.
I’ve talked a lot about mental preparedness as defined by Colonel Jeff Cooper, perhaps the greatest influence on modern gun fighting and the teaching of shooting skills of the 20th century. Many people attribute this color code to Jeff but he actually never claimed to invent it. He just used it so much it took on his name.
The color code; White, Yellow, Orange and Red are used to describe the escalating states of self-preparedness.
In the Colonel’s own words:
1. White – You are unprepared and unready to take lethal action. If you are attacked in white you will probably die unless your adversary is totally inept.
2. Yellow – You bring yourself to the understanding that your life may be in danger and you may have to do something about it.
3. Orange – You have determined upon a specific adversary and are prepared to take action, which may result in his death, but you are not in a lethal mode.
4. Red – You are in a lethal mode and will shoot if circumstances warrant it.
By identifying these different conditions as differing states of readiness and becoming consciously aware of them you can assess what condition you are in at any given moment and decide if it is appropriate for any situation you may find yourself in. It also gives you the ability to make a conscious decision to step to the next rung of readiness if the situation warrants it so.
So, let’s start with the most obvious ways to protect yourself from an attack and hopefully, pre-empt an attack before it happens.
Common Sense Rules Your Safety
Don’t go to an ATM at 2:00 in the morning. Don’t flash cash in a bar, or anywhere else for that matter. Lock the doors of your house. Don’t wear expensive jewelry while you’re on vacation. Don’t stop for a couple of beers in a biker bar. If a stranger asks you what time it is, tell him to get a watch. And don’t ever, ever, wear your ipod and earphones while you’re out in public. I could go on for pages with these seemingly foolish examples, but I think you get the point.
Unfortunately people do all of the above and more. As it is always said, maybe common sense isn’t all that common.
The point is this; if you want to stay safe you can start by not doing stupid things.
Now, I know that sounds simplistic, but you’d be surprised at how many times people blindly walk straight into dangerous situations without even realizing it. People that do these things are definitely in condition White, the most dangerous and vulnerable of all states of situational awareness.
I’ve seen it in civilian life, and it even happens in combat. In Viet Nam they would call it “Diddy Boppin”. You must pay attention.
Detect
If you wander about in condition White how are you ever going to detect a threat to your safety?
If you are awake then you better well be in condition Yellow.
How do you detect a threat? Well first you have to assume that the predatory attack, just as in nature, predicates its success on the element of surprise. An ambush is always better than a heads up, “in plain sight” confrontation. Just ask any alligator or tiger. So, the first method of Detection is simply this; Don’t go places where the conditions are perfect for an ambush. And if you do go there, get your radar up and running. Check your surroundings check your avenues of escape, be aware of obvious ambush points and of course, check six.
In crowds in the general population, who are the only two people that will look you in the eye? The answer is, Cops and Bad Guys. Everyone else just goes about his or her business (in condition White). Let’s go into a little more detail about this phenomenon. Sociopaths, sociopathic criminals, and predatory criminals in particular, are all masters at picking out their potential victims. They are so good at it in fact that they are rarely, if ever, wrong in “messing with the wrong guy.”
Most criminals are so adept at a process called “scanning” that they can look over a crowd of people and ID and separate potential victims and non-victims in mere seconds. How is it that they are this good at it? Remember it’s what they do for a living and after a lifetime of practicing their craft they’re way better than you or I. What are they looking for? All of the obvious of course, the weak, the old, the infirm and the distracted. Most of all they are looking for the victim that they can “hit and split, with the least amount of danger to themselves, by choosing the easiest, softest, target. Remember the principle that, “a wounded predator becomes prey?” The principle is the same here, so the bad guy is looking for surprise and opportunity, the necessary components for the perfect ambush. He doesn’t want to have to fight it out, thereby creating the chance for injury or being caught.
So, what is your role in taking yourself out of this equation?
Here is one basic principle that is vitally important and perhaps the most important component of Pre-Emptive Self Defense.
If it doesn’t feel right, it’s not right.
You need to listen to your gut. Your gut feeling is your very first line of self-defense. In religious circles it’s called listening to the Spirit. It never lies. It is never wrong. One of its reasons for existence is to protect you. Unfortunately our brain gets in the way and convinces us to do something when our gut feeling is telling us not to. Listen to it and always heed its warning. It will never let you down. For more on this by a man considered the World’s foremost authority on this subject, Gavin DeBecker, I highly recommend his book “The Gift of Fear.”
If you see him before he sees you then you can simply avoid him and the opportunity. If a guy looks suspicious or “feels” suspicious it is for good reason. Remember your gut feeling? There is also something else I live by; "Once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, three times is enemy action." Some say there are no coincidences. If I see someone more than once, then I’m being tailed, and if I do, I take action. Sound paranoid? Sometimes I may have been wrong, but I guess I’ll just never know. Anyway what action do I take? The first and simplest step is eye contact. No stare down, no hard look challenge, just a quick, I know you’re there pass. Definitely directly in the eyes but just long enough to say that I see you. I know you’re there. If you live in a small town seeing someone more than once, especially in high traffic areas like Wal-mart and malls, or maybe one of two or three restaurants in town, doesn’t usually mean a problem. Tailor this to your situation.
This same tactic works just as well in a crowd that’s being scanned. The, “I know you’re there”look, completely removes you as a target, at least to the majority of predatory criminals. Looking them in the eyes says loudly, I’m not an obvious victim, in fact I may even be a cop. Remember the two guys who look you in the eyes? Bad guys just don’t want to take that chance.
Is this true in every case? Of course not. When dealing with human beings there are no absolutes. But it is true enough of the time to validate its use as a first line deterrent. If you are out for a walk, look around, be observant be alert. Whether you’ve detected a threat or not, never present yourself as an obvious, unwitting, target.
If you enter into a building, restaurant, bar or store, look around. You be the scanner. See those who are inside and listen to your gut. Look for all possible entrances and exits. Never turn your back toward an entrance for more than a brief moment. And if you sit down for dinner, never ever sit with your back to the entrance or doorway into the room. Always try to place yourself in the “gunfighters chair”. Try to face entrances and be close to an exit.
There are three forms or stages that an attack may be in when detected. First is the potential attack. This is the one that we’ve covered a little already. Three thugs leaning on your car in the parking lot would fit this description pretty well.
Second would be called the imminent attack. One that hasn’t happened yet but is about it. This may be something like seeing the bad guy(s) getting into position or creating a distraction, such as the cliché but often used “Hey buddy, what time is it?” Or the more obvious, “I’m going to beat your butt!” In this second form, if you have detected this one, you have identified a threat and you better be taking active countermeasures.
This is the hardest to master and it takes a conscious effort of awareness, vigilance and discipline to be successful. But it is the safest and most successful way of ensuring your safe way out of a potentially dangerous situation. Just remember condition yellow.
The third way that an attack is detected is when it is already in progress. When it is actually happening to you. Unfortunately, if an attack is already in progress this would be “the attack you never saw coming” and it may be, the last attack you never saw coming. Don’t let it happen to you.
Deny
Have you ever heard of the Grey Man? It is one of the cornerstones of spook tradecraft and is a vital, invaluable tool, to anyone wanting to stay under the radar. It is easy to understand yet difficult to master and it can be the deciding factor between your safety and a very bad day. When I was in basic training I adopted this philosophy. I was called into the intructors office for a admin thing and he said “You keep a pretty low profile, don’t you? “Sir, Yes Sir!” Being invisible has its advantages.
What is the Grey man? Grey is a neutral color, it’s not black, it’s not white and it plays the role of filling in and becoming in essence, the background for all other colors. It is neither here nor there and goes completely unnoticed against all the bright colors and the sharp contrasts between light and dark. What does this mean in terms of you, the human element?
It means that often your best defense is to just simply become part of that grey background where you become completely unremarkable, unnoticed and unseen. It can start by being as simple as adjusting your choice of wardrobe colors. In fact grey really does work. It is not just an analogy. For example, if you are in a foreign country and don’t want to be “American,” don’t wear your “I Love New York” T-shirt. Look like a local, don’t talk loudly, laugh loudly, or do things that draw attention to yourself. Having a book, or better a local newspaper, (even if you can’t read it) is always good. Don’t pull out your map and look around trying to figure out where you are. Remember condition white? If you are in a foreign country some of your, “must learn” words should be, please, thank you, excuse me, good morning, good evening, hello and goodbye. Many times that is all you have to say, and nothing more, to pretend you’re just not in a talkative mood.
Learn to improvise. You have to think like you’re a human chameleon, mentally, physically and socially, if you want to “fade into the mist.”
The point is if you are not noticed you can’t be a target.
Destroy
Condition Red
Now, let’s take a look at possible actions. What does Pre-empt mean? My simple definition is this; the act of stopping something before it happens.
That definition denotes that there must be some action or interaction on your part.
Remember when I said that surprise was a necessary component of a predatory attack, the ambush? Well, nothing shakes up a bad guy more than a loud voice, shouting “Hey, what the crap do you think you’re doing?” I’ve seen them pick up and run with just this action alone. Not all the time mind you, but what happens is this. The first thing from the bad guys view, is that you are announcing to all, that the bad guy has been discovered. You’ve broken his train of thought, his attention to his action and thirdly, you’ve asked a question, a process so powerful that the human mind internally always pauses to answer. In a case like this others may look at you like “What is up with that guy?” But even if there were 100 people present, I guarantee to you that even if no one figures it out, the bad guy knows you’re talking directly to him. Funny how that works. It’s almost like the “hey, your fly is down.” scenario. It is awfully hard to avoid looking down (if you’re a man). It's the power of suggestion.
So, back to pre-empting the attack. Remember we’re at the moment of no return, no way to escape and without question, facing a “clear and present danger.”
I will tell you this, I’m pretty good at reading people and situations and if I know (gut feel) that something is about to go south, I’m firing first. Not necessarily a gun but maybe a punch, kick, rock, bottle, or club and maybe a bullet. The question is, now, how can you be sure? Well, I don’t know if you can ever be sure 100% of the time. That will be between you, them and the situation. There are a lot of components involved in the dynamics of every scenario involving human interaction and there are a lot of split second decisions to be made but I will tell you this; When you’re there, really there, you’ll know. And you’ll know what decision you have to make. I learned that a long time ago.
Let’s look at this in one context. You are in a hostage takeover situation. The bad guy has just told your co-worker to get down on her knees and then shoots her in the back of the head. You’re next. Sometimes it’s this easy. Most of the time it is not. Yet even in this black and white situation there are still people who will stand in line on their knees waiting for their turn.
In regard to a hostage takeover situation, when is the best time to escape? Answer; As soon as possible. In any hostage situation the most opportune time to escape is before the bad guys have taken full control of the situation. In the beginning moment’s confusion is still working on both sides of the equation and no one is in control. It’s not the only time you might have to escape but it’s when the odds are best in your favor. A successful hostage scenario, looked at from the bad guys point of view, is a series or sequence of stages beginning with the initial attacks, designed to initiate shock and awe in the victims, then adding threats or violent acts to instill fear, “anyone move and I’ll kill you,” Next they move to an assessment of who, what and how many hostages do we have, to a gathering or rounding up of the hostages, for better control. Once rounded up, there is a further assessment of exactly who the hostages are, (sometimes the most likely to pose a threat to the bad guys are killed on the spot). This progresses to a furtherance of more violence, threats, degradations, and further control, restraints, such as tying up, duct tape and gags, etc. all of which are designed to effect terror upon the hostages and to keep any attempts or even thoughts of resistance or escape from being an option. So you see in cases like this, especially if dealing with terrorists the best time to escape may be at the very beginning of this sequence. Remember Fight or Flight? Sometimes flight is the right choice.
Or, there’s the confrontation where the aggressor has just stated, “I’m going to beat your butt!” Now, mind you, I’m not necessarily thinking, “I’m going to kill this guy.” But I guarantee that I’m going to be the one to strike first and I’m not going to hesitate for even a split second until he is no longer a threat. Remember the subheading of this article is “He who strikes first usually wins.” That statement is oh so true. I’ve seen it, I’ve felt it. I’ve done it. You never want to let the bad guy get the first shot or punch off if you know ones coming. And that is a golden rule. Hesitation shootings are where police officers are killed. You don’t want that to happen to you. In a case where your life is on the line, it is definitely way better to give than receive. And remember to be generous.
Remember the 3 Ds: Detect. Deny. Destroy.
Also, using deadly force is serious business. Know the laws where you live. Avoiding any problem to begin with is the step you want to stop at.
But if it comes down to it, strike first to stop the threat and survive!
Semper Paratus
Check 6
Burn
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