Jeff Cooper

Do You Really Have A Combat Mindset?

We talk a lot about the physical and technical aspect of martial arts, both competition and self-defense.

I thought it might be rather interesting to have a closer look at the mental aspect which supposedly makes up for about 90%.

If we want to come out of a perilous and maybe even life-threatening physical encounter unscathed, we have to have the right mindset.

What does that mean?

Let’s just call it ‘Combat Mindset’.

I would like to introduce somebody who knew a thing or two about it.

Friends knew John Dean Cooper simply as “Jeff” Cooper, who was a U.S. Marine Lieutenant Colonel and who served in both World War II and the Korean War, also known as the ‘Forgotten War’.

At the age of 36, Colonel Cooper was decommissioned in 1956.

He is still recognized as the father of the ‘Modern Technique’ of handgun shooting.

Jeff Cooper was referred to as one of the 20th century’s leading international authorities on the use and history of small arms.

This might rock your world:

According to Colonel Cooper, the most important means of surviving a lethal confrontation isn’t the weapon or martial skills, but rather the combat mindset.

In his book, Principles of Personal Defense, there’s a chapter on awareness, in which Colonel Cooper presents an adaptation of the U.S. Marine Corps system to differentiate states of readiness.

The original color code according to Jeff Cooper had nothing to do with tactical situations or alertness levels, but rather with one’s state of mind.

His teachings relate to the degree of danger you are willing to do something. This allows you to move from one level of mindset to another to enable you to properly handle a given situation.

Jeff Cooper didn’t necessarily invent anything in particular with the color code, but he was apparently the first to use it as an indication of mental state. Numerous law enforcement and military agencies apply these principles.

White – Unaware and unprepared.

When attacked in Condition White, the only thing that may save you is the inadequacy or ineptitude of your attacker.

If you are confronted by something nasty, your reaction will probably be “OMG! This isn’t happening to me.”

Yellow – Relaxed alert. No specific threat situation.

Your mindset is that “today could just be the day I might have to defend myself.”

You are simply aware that the world is a potentially unfriendly place and that you are prepared to defend yourself, if necessary.

You use your eyes and ears, and realize that “I may have to SHOOT today.”

You don’t have to be armed in this state, but if you are armed you should be in Condition Yellow.

You should always be in Yellow whenever you are in unfamiliar surroundings or among people you don’t know.

You can remain in Yellow for long periods, as long as you are able to “Watch your six.” (In aviation 12 o’clock refers to the direction in front of the aircraft’s nose. Six o’clock is the blind spot behind the pilot.)

In Yellow, you are “taking in” surrounding information in a relaxed but alert manner, like a continuous 360 degree radar sweep. Or as Cooper put it, “I might have to shoot.”

Don’t miss the continuation and conclusion in tomorrow’s post. It’s that important!