The Color Codes of Awareness
Colonel Jeff Cooper is known as the Father of Modern Pistol Craft. He founded Gunsite Academy in 1976 which today still trains military personnel, LE officers and free citizens of the U.S.
Colonel Cooper was a US Marine in WWII serving in the Pacific theater and he also served in the Korean War.
“Man fights with his mind*; his weapons are simply an extension of his will.” - Jeff Cooper
Besides establishing the five elements of the modern technique of the use of a pistol**, he also developed the Color Codes of Awareness to categorize one’s state of readiness in potentially dangerous situations. Since fighting first starts with your mind, the color codes serve as a mental framework to help individuals observe and assess their environment and respond to threats effectively.
The color code of awareness consists of four levels: White, Yellow, Orange and Red. You must learn to be fluid within this scale, changing as the situation dictates. Understanding and integrating these codes into your daily life can significantly enhance your personal safety.
Condition White (Unaware)
You are unaware of what is going on around you as well as any potential threats.
Many people live their lives in condition white: they are unaware, distracted, preoccupied or simply not paying attention. These individuals may be engrossed by their smartphones, daydreaming or otherwise mentally checked out from their environment.
Some don’t believe that anything bad will happen to them and that violent crimes happen to “other people.”
Criminals aren’t looking for a challenge or a fight; they want a victim. Whether that victim is a man, woman or child matters not; it matters only if they look and act like a victim.
You should never allow yourself to be in condition white, especially if you are armed. Our ability to avoid or escape danger is severely compromised when in condition white. It also means that a defensive shooting might occur when it could have been avoided.
Condition Yellow (Relaxed Alertness)
You are aware of what’s happening around you and you can proceed with caution.
You are not paranoid or over-reactive, but you keep an eye out for potential threats and their sources.
Your posture, eyes and demeanor say, “I am alert” and you move about your business with purpose. Your body language tells the potential criminal that “I am not a victim” while demonstrating alert and assertive attention.
Become comfortable with habits such as scanning areas for threats (street corners, rooms, parking lots) and identifying exits and possible cover wherever you are.
Condition yellow is the state of awareness that you should be in anytime you are out in public.
Condition Orange (Heightened Awareness)
You have identified a threat or possible threat and are in a heightened state of awareness.
You realize that something is not right and you can “feel it.” Your gut feel, women’s intuition, or spidey senses are on alert and that inner dialog or feeling is almost always correct. You may get an increased heart rate, adrenaline may kick in and your senses may be elevated.
There may be a person or people nearby who make you feel uncomfortable and at this point you need to quickly decide on a plan. A preliminary step to action may be to make momentary eye contact with the individual(s) that further dictate that you are not the victim they want to target.
You decide on a mental trigger that will move you to take action such as the individuals staring at you, following you, moving towards you or into your personal bubble. You may be able to avoid a potential threat at this time or you may need to issue vocal commands to deter the threat.
If you are armed or have various weapons up the ladder of force they may remain in place, but you prepare to access it.
Condition Red (Action)
Immediate action is required. Your mental trigger has been tripped and you execute your plan. This can include escaping or engaging the threat.
Trust your instincts - it is better to run away from a situation that turns out to NOT be a threat than to be stuck in a mental block of “I can’t believe this is happening to me.”
You believe that there is an actual threat that you must deal with immediately.
Instinct and adrenaline will cause involuntary reactions and must be calculated into your training program. Your reaction to the threat and your subsequent actions will fall back to a default: the training or lack of training that you have.
Action can be along a continuum of force depending upon your training and confidence in that training. It may be striking techniques, the use of pepper spray or defense with a firearm.
When you have to engage the threat with deadly force you’ll need to operate within the rules governing the use of force which includes use of something less than deadly force and retreat if possible. The complete legal issues are beyond the scope of this discussion.***
Additionally just because you unholster your pepper spray or firearm does not mean that you have to use it.
Condition Black: this is used by the USMC (Not originally part of Cooper’s Color Codes)
This is the catastrophic breakdown of mental and physical performance. Condition black can be information overload. This happens when you have not prepared yourself for a violent encounter mentally or through self-defense training and now your mind is overwhelmed with stress and your mind and body shut down to any realistic defensive response. The easiest way to condition black is to live in condition white.
Get training in the various methods of use of force and practice them to the point of being instinctive in use. Start practicing the color codes of awareness and make it second nature. Me, and many others in my field, believe that training is everything when it comes to being prepared. It is in the name of my website: Train-TWW.com or Train the warrior within.
By adopting the color codes of awareness into your personal safety plan you increase your situational awareness, identify potential threats early, have improved decision-making and responses to threats, thus enhancing your overall personal security.
“If violent crime is to be curbed, it is only the intended victim who can do it. The felon does not fear the police and he fears neither judge nor jury. Therefore what he must be taught to fear is his (potential) victim.” - Jeff Cooper
*“Fighting with your mind means several things. The first is that you have a survivor mentality, you will fight with everything you have to have a successful outcome in an encounter. You employ mental strategies, psychological techniques, and control your emotions. You are aware of your surroundings and adaptable to the situation surrounding the threat or threats. You have resilience in surviving an attack and persevere despite injury or overwhelming odds against you. You are a warrior. The weapons you employ in defense of yourself or others are simply an extension of your warrior mentality.
**He established the five elements of the modern technique of the use of a pistol for personal protection. This included 1. A large caliber pistol, preferably in a semi-automatic 2. The Weaver stance 3. The draw stroke 4. The flash sight picture and 5. The compressed surprise trigger break.
***Legality in the use of deadly force can be learned in my course Concealed Carry & Home Defense Fundamentals.
