How Many Practice Situational Awareness

[BlueEagle]

Generally watching exits and entrances and surveying people in my surroundings when we go out. Wife knows to let me sit facing the exit, and accepts it without question wherever we go.

 

[Valvestate]

I practice whenever I realize I'm not.

 

[spec4]

Its like any other discipline, if you want to be good at it you must practice constantly.

 

[88GT]

Just make sure that when you return home you practice SA too. You might find a surprise in the house.

I'm only worried if the dog doesn't meet us at the door. There's either nobody there or he's already despatched them for us. Good doggie. So far it's only been the former though.

Yes, my SA is always at condition orange. Not quite as good as Psych's, but good enough to notice details about people that most others won't recognize.

 

[VN Vet]

Just like riding a motorcycle. Plan on laying your bike down, roll over on top of it and ride out the slide.

Do the same thing with your handgun. Set where you a observe your situation, listen to the normal sounds in your area, run over in your mind your handgun draw, your putting the gun into firing condition, putting the gun into firing position, sweaping the area with your eyes, identifying the bad guy, confirm the bad guy. Finally think about what you are about to do. Do not hesitate. Prepare for the aftermath.

Oh, did I forget to tell you.....No drinking while carrying and planing to be a defender or a responder. If you are drinking, then you are unarmed. You are a last resort responder/defender.

Do my suggestions apply to everyone in every situation? Of course not, but know your abilities and use your brain.

 

[Turf Doctor]

Sometimes I feel like a bobblehead. Trying to look around and see what is happening. Other times I catch myself not paying attention.

I am trying to be more aware. Lock doors on vehicles when getting gas. I don't need a hitch-hiker getting in the other side or my vehicle.

 

[Concerned Citizen]

Every time I walk into a place, I ask myself "If a threat walked in right now, what would I do?" "If a BG came in to rob the place, what would I do?" "If an active shooter came in through that door, what would I do?" I find that the more I go through that scenario, the more I have SA on my mind. Like a mental workout.

My wife & kids always know I sit in the outside seat of the booth, facing the door. They don't even question it anymore. I always scope out the exits, because I am going to get my family to safety, before saving anybody. If I am going to lunch with a group of people who don't know I'm carrying, I make sure I get to the table to pick out a seat before they do.

 

[Bigshep]

Thanks to past experience and Uncle Sam I am deliberate in my practicing situational awareness. It is kind of funny when some women get offended when I "check them out". Shouldn't have been in my next scanning sector or looked suspisious then lol

 

[aaron580]

Everywhere I am, I practice situational awareness. Its like an instinct that has always been with me. I have to find the "advantage" in ANY situation I am in. Not even thinking about it.

 

[Mark 1911]

I realized that when I am out with my wife, I sometimes tend to get more involved in our conversations and less aware of what's going on around me than when I'm solo. I mentioned this to her, and she agreed. My wife has a LTCH, but typically does not carry (she doesn't feel that she is proficient enough yet, but we're working on that). She understands the need for situational awareness. So we adopted this "game" when we're out of observing the people around us and trying to spot folks who might be carrying, and we have spotted a couple over the past couple months. Granted, we're not doing that 100% of the time, but it does help to increase the amount of time that we are aware.

 

[BiscuitNaBasket]

Situational awareness is a lifestyle choice and I practice it everyday and everywhere I go. Relying on being quick is dumb. Nobody's quick enough to dodge a bullet except Neo.

 

[TB1999]

i think the better question (and therefore makes me superior) is how often do you practice SA.

 

[Reapermaxx]

I make it a habit to do it anyplace I go. Always looking at entrances and exits and such. Always particular about where I sit in a restaurant and what direction I face. Drives my wife nuts but you just never know these days when someone is going to do something stupid.

 

[downey151]

Always... Planning is essential, but many of us don't possess the time to practice the hundred or so "common scenarios". That said, it's been proven time and time again that "situational awareness" has led many a potential victim through seemingly impossible situations. I believe everyone who owns a firearm should invest in at least a basic self-defense/shooting course, but probably more important is learning how to avoid the need in the first place. There are simple steps that make a huge difference and we should learn to trust our guts a bit more... we've grown up in a bubble and always believe it won't happen to us!

 

[PriestEG]

this pretty much sums up my opinion about the matter. the minute you let yourself be unaware is the time that you lose control of your destiny in a situation

 

[VeteranUSN]

I usually try to practice situational awareness daily. I usually have a pretty good grasp of my surroundings

 

[jb1212]

I would say I am usually on yellow, I just try to take everything in. Riding a motorcycle for a few years would definitely make one more aware. One of the reason I started practicing SA was watching the movie "Assignment" when I was like 15 or something. I started trying to remember all of the cars in the parking lot at the gas station, what people were wearing, just overboard stuff just to see how many details I could remember.

 

[Cestep72]

You can never practice enough?

 

[Cestep72]

. not ?

 

[Firefighter56]

Always, everywhere. Its my job at work and I don't really change much off duty.