Awareness & Impact Factors

What are the things that are going to impact you?

A key element of this is awareness.

Without awareness you are not going to know what hit you !
The Coopers Code for states of awareness
The Coopers Code for states of awareness is a method of describing the different
levels of consciousness, this is based on a simple traffic-light system.
Definition:
The Green State
This is where youre completely relaxed possibly at home watching your favorite
show. Your levels of awareness are really low and if someone were to attack you it
would be very easy, and your defense would be very weak.

It is crucial that you are aware of the state you are operating in.

Almost all attacks on people are when they are in the green state - at a low-level of
awareness
This is the most dangerous step !
The Amber State
This is a higher level of awareness not paranoia, but more close to being in your
car driving down the road always thinking ahead. For example, will the traffic lights
change?

Obviously your state of awareness should increase if a situation requires it. For
example, if your walking to your car after finishing work late, your levels should be
higher.
If an attack does take place then you are more likely to be able to respond and
protect yourself or escape.
The Red State
Its not a case of whether an attack might happen, but when its going to start. At
this stage your instinct will tell you to run or fight. However if you have a good state
of awareness, then the red state can almost always be avoided.

What decides the level of awareness you have is known as threat analysis or threat
assessment.
You have to be continually assessing the threat of attack at all times and ensuring
you have adopted the most appropriate awareness state.
- Working late at night requires an amber awareness level
Examples:
- At home, with the doors locked and the alarm set, is ok with a green awareness
level
Warning Signs
Talking Distance
Ambush
Ambush
This is the type of attack where there will be no dialogue.
It is a surprise attack. An example of this might be when you are walking along and
someone jumps out from behind a wall and tackles you to the oor. You wouldnt
see them until they had attacked you. Studies have shown that people who attack
in this manner target people who look to have low levels of awareness.
Talking Distance
This is the type of attack in which the attacker uses dialogue to get close to you. An
example of this might be when an attacker asks you the time in order to get close,
and when you look at your watch they attack. In this type of attack the assailant will
use dialogue, deception and distraction.

A talking distance attack can be either aggressive or passive. An aggressive talking

distance attack is where they use an aggressive phrase to induce fear. To distract
you, they might say, What are you looking at? or What did you say?
The only way to combat an ambush is to use awareness. The way to combat the
passive talking distance attack is initially awareness - you might spot an attack
ritual, which would give you the opportunity to escape. If you dont spot the attack,
then you will need your fence.
So how could you deal with each of these types of attacks?
Stress Behaviors
FEAR
If you are having a normal day and everything is fine, then someone comes towards
you or threatens to attack you, you are going get an adrenalin dump. Here your
adrenalin level goes from virtually zero to 100 percent within seconds.

If you are not used to that then the adrenalin dump is likely to make you freeze. This
is perfectly natural, as fear is an in-built protection mechanism that happens to
anybody, especially when we are taken by surprise.
When you experience a sudden fearful situation within your body there are many
biological mechanisms taking place.

The key to controlling yourself in a fearful situation, is to learn how to control your
reaction to adrenaline.
Stress Behaviors
FEAR
What happens in the state of fear?
Heart Rate Increase
Breathing Increase
Adrenaline is released
- Heart rate increase:

Your heart starts to beat faster - in fact it can triple its rate in a matter of seconds.

- Breathing increase:

The rate of your breathing increases.

- Adrenaline is released:

Your brain triggers your nervous system, which controls the major organs of your
body like your kidney, lungs and heart, inducing a massive release of adrenalin into
the blood stream from the adrenal gland. The larger the perceived threat, the larger
amount of adrenalin released.
There aren't different types of adrenalin, so if you can do things to start to get used
to them, then you will be much better placed to handle a conict situation.

Learning to cope with fear is essential; otherwise you may freeze or not be able to
react appropriately. One strategy for dealing with this is to try to face your fears.
The military deliberately give soldiers stressful situations such as jumping out of
airplanes.
Adrenaline & Fear
Fear never goes away. What you need to do is get exposure to it. The fear pyramid
is a method developed by Geoff Thompson. In it you record all the things that give
you fear, arranged in different fear levels.
Fear Levels
Once you have identified your fears you should go out of your way to try and
overcome them, or at least start to feel a little more comfortable. Start with the
lowest first and build up to the high fear activities. This will get you used to handling
your adrenaline levels.

If you can get used to operating further up your fear levels, then when you need to
operate at the top level you're less likely to freeze in a conict situation.
Fear Levels
You have finished the last section for this course !!
Course Complete