Posted on 12/24/2015 10:22:01 AM PST by Baynative
There's a scene at the beginning of The Bourne Identity where the film's protagonist is sitting in a diner, trying to figure out who he is and why he has a bunch of passports and a gun stashed in a safety deposit box. Bourne also notices that he, well, notices things that other people don't.
~snip~
...situational awareness is simply knowing what's going on around you. It sounds easy in principle, but in reality requires much practice. And while it is taught to soldiers, law enforcement officers, and yes, government-trained assassins, it's an important skill for civilians to learn as well. In a dangerous situation, being aware of a threat even seconds before everyone else can keep you and your loved ones safe.
(Excerpt) Read more at artofmanliness.com ...
Huh?
I ordered a book suggested on FR.
400 THINGS COPS KNOW. Good info!
I love that website .... lots of good info on a variety of subjects.
Always.
One more of those things pounded into my head by my great grandmother who noticed everything and pointed them out.
Bkmrk.
I gave the police an description of the person they were looking for -- a middle-aged black female. My description included her approximate height and age, the location and direction she was walking when I saw her, and an exact description of everything she was wearing.
The cop didn't seem to believe me. He asked: "How do you remember all that?"
My response: "Something didn't look right about her, and I figured she didn't live around here. I guess I just made a mental note of it when she walked past."
One good trick is, when you are in a restaurant or public place, is to try and get the “gunfighter’s seat”. Sit with your back to a corner, where you can see everyone who enters, and nobody can approach you from behind.
care to share all 400 thigns with us?
Bfl
Unless you grow up with “street-smarts” it’s difficult to ever acquire this kind of awareness. Unless you have actually been in dangerous, real life situations your body just will not react from book-learning alone. I suppose you can train yourself....or be trained, but there’s no substitute for experience.
I do that.
...and look at the horizon. Don’t just look at where your feet will land on the next step. Most people don’t seem to be able to look beyond their noses.
I practice that in defensive driving, too. Constantly scanning near and far, left and right for emerging threats. Just like piloting a plane, you never stop scanning.
bfl
Where did you get that cartoon?
When I was a young homeless kid.... Just kidding. In those days we called it living on the street. I developed a keen sense of my surroundings, and the people who were around me. It was instinctual, and I never thought to analyze it as a manly skill. At fifteen I knew I was prey, and spotting predators was a matter of survival. Well past my teens I was unable to go into a public place without sizing up everyone in it. At 61 I don’t care anymore. On the rare occasions I go anywhere, I figure everyone is a nutcase, and if they come at me, I will draw my firearm and plant them.
lol that’s cheating
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