Instructor: David Davis assisted by Mosi Jack
Attendance: Frank, Tyus, Bryant, Jarod, Brian, Asim, Tavon, Ryan
Visitor: Nelson P
Introduction/definitions
Tuesday’s class continued the theme, situational awareness as it applies to personal safety. The lesson included new vocabulary and exercises to construct relationships between concept and application based on the previous situational awareness definition. The use of vocabulary to construct visual belief models in situational changes may help predict future threats. The evening concluded with the three of nine reverse grip and Mosi introduction of the first three grips from the receiver grip series.
Definitions
Situational awareness describes the mental process that, we train our minds to perform when placed in stressful situations. Situation awareness is the single most important formula in self-awareness because it teaches you how to process patterns such as opportunity, place, and attack strategy. It is important when in situations to understand when facing confrontational individuals, their intent. For instance, part of situational awareness require the observation of individuals that are wearing a particular type of clothing in an odd environment is it because, they are homeless or are they trying to conceal the patterns of a weapon?
Inattentional blindness
Inattentional blindness describes a lapse in an observer’s ability to discriminate important details in their environment as a result over fixation on a single detail. Magician’s often exploit the attention of an audience by employing misplacement techniques (slight-of-hands) to redirect attention away from the main intent. Likewise, criminals don unthinkable-tactics to approach unsuspecting victims.
Soft gaze
Soft gaze awareness describes the observer’s ability to fix their attention or focus vision to a distant focal point, while simultaneously using their peripheral vision to assess the larger scene.
Focus vision describes the action of our frontal vision or the way our eyes function when discriminating far and near detailed objects.
Peripheral vision
Peripheral vision explores the horizontal (left-to-right) vision limits outside the perimeters of the focus vision used during soft gaze.
Prioritization
Prioritization describes a technique used to rank the order of safety during high stress situations. For instance, it requires that the observer when departing one destination give priority to how they will arrive at their next destination.
Training method
Use three of nine left and right to heighten attacks from the peripheral vision.
Resource material
Inattentional blindness
The monkey business illusion. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGQmdoK_ZfY
Soft gaze
What is “ Diffusing View ” and how to get it.
http://www.yugzone.ru/speed_reading/wider_eye_span/diffusing_view.html
Wide Angle Vision
Fox walking and wide-angle vision – part 1. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BlvqOg6HCc.
Purpose
The purpose of these exercises is to heighten the participant’s observation skills, mainly how to observe and what to observe in the environment.
Goal
The goal and objectives in situational awareness scenario training is to develop and heighten the participant’s primal instincts to a point where they notice changes in their environment.
Objectives
In a slow to moderate pace scenario (1) the learner will learn how to connect with their soft gaze (2) explore the horizontal (left-to-right) vision limits outside the perimeters of the focus vision used during soft gaze (3) learn to apply the concept of dynamic wide angle vision to their environment.
Habituation process
Inattentional blindness (15 min)
Soft gaze (15 min)
Peripheral vision (15 min)
Application of dynamic wide angle vision (30 min)
Inattentional blindness with knives (demo) 15 minutes
In executing inattentional blindness, assemble the participants into circle and ask the participants to focus on the knives. Move about the circle thrusting and slashing with the training blades while reminding the participants to maintain their focus on the knives, as the participants watch the blades have your assistant waltz slowly behind the facilitator inadvertently striking him in the back and slowly leave the circle. Next, ask the participants, how many times the facilitator cut everyone. Take a count and then ask, how many notice the actions of the assistant? Then explain the importance of the exercise.
Soft gaze exercise (demo) 10 minutes
Organize class into circle, have participants hold their hand into a prayer position and then change hand position with only the index fingers of both hands pointing towards each other one inch apart at eye level. Then have the participants look directly pass the space between their fingers and slowly allow their eyes to take into view the images from their side view.
Peripheral vision exercise (demo) 10 minutes
While still in the circle, expand your arms out horizontally so that the body forms a small “t.” In this position look forward using your soft gaze without turning your head left or right, wiggle your fingers and allow your eyes to pick up the movement.
Dynamic wide-angle vision (demo) 15 minutes
Arrange the participants into two lines facing each other. In this scenario, the facilitator will demonstrate the application of dynamic wide-angle vision. The facilitator will stand at one end and soft-gaze on a fixed point at the other end using static wide-angle vision/dynamic wide-angle vision. Next, the facilitator will walk down the aisle using his peripheral vision. The key to this exercise relies on the facilitator’s ability to concentrate on a central point as movement takes place around him, while at the same time he attempts to take into account as much information with his peripheral vision. In other words, try to classify and recall what each participant did with their hands, determine whether they looked at you or avoided eye contact, as you looked straight ahead. Then have each of the participants repeat the exercise. Remember, situational awareness represents any place/anytime you fill the need to notice changes in the environment such as a grocery store or an airplane.
The facilitator will repeat this exercise for a second time, but this time every other participant will place one-foot forward into the path of the facilitator forcing him to transition from wide angle to focus and back to wide angle. The facilitator will take note of all facial details and then the participant will take one foot back into the line. This activity will continue until the facilitator completes the distance of the line. Then have each of the participants repeat the exercise.
Advance dynamic wide-angle vision (demo) 25 minutes
This phase of the exercise require using the trainers. Use the same formation, but have the participants go do the aisle using left and right hand 3 of 9 to find their targets using their peripheral vision. Once the participants completed the exercise with their knives, have them
go back through the line and tap their way through the land using their dynamic wide-angle vision.
Assessment
Learners were assessed on their ability to demonstrate the task.
Reference
HedgehogLeatherworks (Producer). (2009). Fox walking and wide-angle vision – part 1. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BlvqOg6HCc.
Profsimons. (Producer). (2010). The monkey business illusion. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGQmdoK_ZfY.
