This is just a little bit of information I typed up on the color coded Levels of Mental Awareness that is used by Military and Law Enforcement to evaluate how aware of your environment you are at all times. I drafted this for some of the new white belts in our class because it's an important tool to use for self defense as well.


Levels of Awareness


Experts say that 90% of all self-defense encounters are determined by your level of mental preparedness and only 10% of the outcome directly results from physical technique. By being aware and recognizing potentially dangerous situations you greatly increase your chances of avoiding confrontation or responding effectively when evasion is not possible. The color coded system for identifying ones level of mental awareness is a useful way to assess your own attentiveness from moment to moment.


White- I’ve heard this described as “la-la land” and it denotes a complete unawareness of your environment. You are most likely distracted by one thing or a number of things and are oblivious to your surroundings. All perpetrators of crime look for people in this state of awareness. In this state of alertness you set yourself up to be the perfect target.


Yellow- Here, you are relaxed and calm, but alert and cautious. It’s important to maintain a constant awareness of your surroundings. At this point, you may not be anticipating hostility, though you are prepared to act if it is presented.


Orange- Something has triggered your “Sipdey Sense” and you are aware that there is a threat. Begin to take action to identify the threat and prepare for possible confrontation; at this point it is highly likely. You are ready for anything and cannot be caught off guard because you are ready for confrontation.


Depending on the situation and your response you can elevate your awareness to stage Red and engage in the confrontation or take control and use some method (diverting course, finding a sanctuary, going back inside, etc.) to lessen the threat and move back into Yellow.


Red- The threat you perceived has now manifested and instant action is absolutely necessary to control the situation. Essentially, all systems are a go. You are totally committed to defending yourself and already have a plan. Despite the urgency of the matter your head is still in the game. You are able to act rationally and remain calm and in control.


Black- You are caught off guard and your reaction is panicked, ineffective, or completely non-existent (paralyzed by fear). You are basically fighting blind at this point and there is a very great chance you will be overtaken.


Clearly, condition White is a bad place to be, though most of us spend at least some part of our lives in this state. If you are caught off guard by someone or something your natural progression from this stage is likely White-Red or White-Black. Only your own mental preparation determines how well you react to being completely caught off guard. It’s a good idea to run through mental scenarios and make mental plans for various encounters you can imagine yourself one day encountering. The more training you have, the easier it is to transition from White to Red.

Running in condition Orange for extended periods of time is too taxing on the body and mind to be justifiable. Maintaining a hyper vigilant state of mind increases not only mental stress levels but physical stress levels as well. The body doesn’t differentiate between types of stress, and over time mental stress will diminish your physical wellbeing and vice versa.
From day to day we will naturally move back and forth between Yellow and Orange according to our environmental stimuli.

It’s much easier to assess a situation and move from Yellow to Red if necessary than it is to move, as mentioned before, from White to Red/Black. Yellow is the level of awareness at which we can safely operate for extended periods of time, and it gives us a chance to transition into a dangerous situation more prepared and more likely to survive.