Couldn't agree more!LucasMcCain wrote:Situational awareness is one of the most important skills you can learn and practice. If you don't see the threat coming, all the combat training in the world probably won't help you.
Unfortunately, gun boards are awash in stories of folks who are proud of their situational awareness, in incidents they relate on-line, when in fact what they describe is the number one cause of the loss of situational awareness. Example:
" I noticed a shabbily dressed..., I followed him visually until..., I never took my eyes off him the whole time." They very fact that the person never took their eyes off the perceived possible threat is fixation or preoccupation. This is one of the the major clues that you have lost, or are losing, your situational awareness.
This is true in the aviation, maritime, medical, and many other fields, and is documented thru thousands of accident and incident investigations, not just my opinion.
In terms of self protection, fixating on a perceived threat means you may be totally unaware of what else is happening around you. The perceived threat may be just one of several players in the scenario unfolding, and perhaps even designed to distract and occupy your undivided attention, while the real threat goes unnoticed.
Just sayin'
