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Situational Awareness Drills – Mark Hatmaker

Wake Up

THE Primary Factor in self-protection/self-defense is situational awareness. Keeping in mind that crime is, more often than not, a product of opportunity, if we take steps to reduce opportunity to as close to nil as we can manage we have gone a long way to rendering our physical tactical training needless (that’s a good thing.)

Yes, having defensive tactical skills in the back-pocket is a great ace to carry day-to-day but all the more useful to saving your life or the lives of loved ones is a honed awareness, a ready alertness to what is occurring around you every single day.

This Isn’t Easy

Here’s the problem, maintaining such awareness is a Tough job with a capital T as most of our daily lives are safe and mundane (also a good thing) and this very safety allows us to backslide in good awareness practices. Without daily danger-stressors we easily fall into default comfort mode.

A useful practice to return awareness/alertness to the fore is to gamify your awareness, use a series of specific awareness/alertness drills on a revolving basis that allow you to keep your mind in the day-to-day routine while also making a bit of a game out of what may save your life.

In aid of that I use an extensive series of gamified awareness drills culled from historical warrior traditions across the globe. Where appropriate I have updated the drill to fit the 21st century environment.

Below you will find just three of these many drills that you can take into your day to day life starting NOW.

Situational Awareness Drill #1

The 1st Awareness Exercise for Warriors is from “Puewatsi Nemito” (the Wild Walker or Walk of the Wild), a Comanche warrior tradition. “Tuhoit’u” (the Hunted One). Today: You are on the Menu.

Whether in an urban or a natural setting, live as if you are a hunted man, a targeted woman, a person on someone’s Kill List.

  • Know who or what is behind you.
  • Look into the faces of the people around you, are they the one who hunts you?
  • Look at the hands of all around you—is the method of your demise in any hand?
  • Keep to the edges of trails or sidewalks-only confident or foolhardy
    animals cross open ground.
  • Treat all security cameras as tools to locate you. Avert your face
    when passing by or beneath them.
  • Treat all birds as possible drones.
  • In short, live with eyes wide open, mind alert. Live as if you are
    being stalked.
  • At the end of the exercise ask yourself what you learned from this bit
    of role play.

Warriors must be aware. Aware of what? Everything.

A Warrior must be Awake. All detail is interesting, all detail may be important. We do not know what detail will change our lives. We do not know what detail will save our lives.

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Situational Awareness Drill #2

Here’s another Drill adapted from “Puewatsi Nemito” (the Wild Walker or Walk of the Wild). This is an inverse exercise of Hukhiap’u Puniti (Shadow Watcher) Drill.

Today: Look for Reflections

Today find all the reflective surfaces that you can. See what those
reflections hold.

  • Find the trees in the windows of your home.
  • See the glint of the semi-truck in the window of a passing car.
  • See the rippled reflection of the sky or yourself in a puddle of water.
  • See the surroundings of the restaurant in the beverage glass before you.
  • See the reflections of the road in the heat haze on the highway in front of you.
  • See the distorted you in the corneas of the person you are speaking to.
  • The only reflection to pay no attention to—that of any mirror.
  • Find any and all reflections-and mark how many surfaces provide mirror images.

I repeat: Warriors must be aware. Aware of what? Everything.

A Warrior must be Awake. All detail is interesting, all detail may be important. We do not know what detail will change our lives. We do not know what detail will save our lives.

Situational Awareness Drill #3

The next drill is an adaptation of a similar drill found in both Northeast Indian Warrior Traditions and the Viking tradition.

“If you are wise, be wise. Keep what goods the gods gave you. Don’t ignore five good senses. Seeking an unknown sixth.” –The Viking Havamal.

“Don’t get caught looking for leaves in the trees in Autumn. Those leaves are on the ground.” –Comanche teaching

Or this short Puha (Medicine Man/Coach/Mentor) to a Ekasahpana (young
warrior) exchange.

“Look.”
“At what?”
“Everything then you’ll never have to ask.”

WARRIOR AWARENESS DRILL:

Take 3/Find 5

  • Select a 15-minute period in your day to execute this drill.
  • Take three steps, stop and list (verbally if possible) 5 distinct
    things in your environment that you can physically sense, These can be
    things you see, sounds you hear, scents, tastes on the wind, a breeze
    on the skin.
  • Take three more steps, stop and repeat cataloging 5 more things. Do
    not repeat anything in any of your prior inventory.
  • Continue until the ¼ hour is completed with no repetition of what you noticed.

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Final Thoughts

If you take the time to honestly commit to this exercise you will find there is far more to sense than we normally take in. We gloss over and glide through so much of life that what we miss can be astounding.

I repeat the above exchange:

“Look.”
“At what?”
“Everything then you’ll never have to ask.”

T’zare Tubunit’u Ekasapana! (Be Awake Warriors!).

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55 thoughts on “Situational Awareness Drills – Mark Hatmaker”

  1. Thank you for the tips. Situational awareness is so vital, especially in today’s world that anything we can do to enhance our awareness ought to be appreciated and practiced.

    Reply

  3. I thank you for the insight. I have fallen into complacency quite often. You have laid out the simple truth. In this world there can be no feeling of safety. Always be aware or get ready to die. Once again thank you

    Reply

  8. Fantastic lesson. After my 6 years in the Corp, I was a private investigator for 5 years. To this day, I walk, drive, sit, smoke, WHATEVER, trying to figure out who is following me. It has become habit.

    Reply

  15. I live in the Portland area of Oregon and one thing I noticed when I moved up here from California is that people here don’t look at each other. This is even if they aren’t on their cell phones. I don’t get it. In CA people seemed to pay much more attention to the people around them. Maybe it is just because the people in CA are more ethnically diverse, so they look different and that gives others something to look at. Or possibly because the people in CA are frequently there without family, having moved to CA for careers or dreams or whatever, so they have more interest in each other. My reaction to this was to gain more weight so I also became someone who wasn’t looked at. But one thing I kept part of was noticing who was around me. I also feel that women in particular are taught NOT to look at men as the mean might think they are being given a come on – and of course that makes women less safe.

    Reply

  21. This is good information. Something I have practiced for many years while hunting in the mountains. If you want to be a good hunter, you need to be able to feel like you are the hunted.

    Reply

  22. Indeed ,outstanding training, 2 b observent of all of your surroundings, at all times, as u go threw the day!! It will keep a person in 1 pc. Try 2 keep all senses open!!

    Reply

  24. Very good knowledge but for a lot of people this would be too much information. In my opinion the knowledge needs to be put simply
    into modern day situations. I have made being aware of my surroundings and the people around as part of my normal day and
    in this way it becomes part of routine. Walking at night will cross the road if people are approaching me so I can avoid a
    possible unexpected confrontation. Always be aware of people behind and if you can see your shadow watch for theirs !
    At ATM Machines take in all the surroundings and the people around. If you see anything suspicious or have a bad feeling do
    not use it. Use your intuition and trust to your senses. When using it still stay alert and watch for anyone approaching and do
    not completely turn your back. This is just a couple of examples how the old the knowledge could be put into modern day
    context.
    has to how t

    Reply

  27. Amazing stuff. Oddly, I find I have been practicing this most of my life without even realizing it; though usually not until I was in a situation where I needed to be alert. Having seen this, it has greatly heightened my desire to intensify usage. Practice makes perfect.

    Reply

  28. Thanks for your help,and the tips I know about a lot of these from my grandfather and other older people who I grew up with .PS I have the stinger knife and DVD already

    Reply

  30. Mark,
    Thanks for the heads-up.My dad was in the 101st in ww2,and taught me awareness at the least expected times.
    First and fore most,it’s saved my life. After that,it just makes living so darned interesting.
    Good works. Bill

    Reply

  32. The best source for training materials around. I use it to teach a Few warriors. My first class is in March. Thank you Bob Pierce and Fight Fast dot com.

    Reply

  33. Amazing tips!
    Here’s one for you all, visit whyIslam.com and discover how this coincides with the practicality of “our way of life” i.e. Islam
    Thanks again

    Reply

  35. Even though I know evil lurks in any environment, I am not going to walk like I am hunted. Anyone who does is just paranoid unless they have a reason to be hunted, or marked.
    That does not mean I am unaware of My surroundings or the people in it, and stay prepared for any attack upon my person or loved ones.
    That said, this article is very note worthy should that time arise when it’s you and yours to keep yourself alive and safe.

    Reply

  36. I think that we all do these to a certain degree, but not as mindfully as we should. Mindful practice will definitely enhance or awareness. Thanks for publishing this.

    Reply

  41. Most excellent. I attempt to be aware at all times but, find it difficult at work. I practice by analyzing, in my mind, each new person I come in contact with. Still it’s hard to focus in that environment. Can’t wait to try drill #3. I believe it will prove to be as interesting as it will be valuable. Thank you!

    Reply

  43. SORRY i NEED TO REDO THIS GOOD iDEAS THERE EVERSINCE i WAS IN THE aIR fORCE AND ESPICALLY IN SE ASIA I LEARNED SOME OF THE IDEAS IN THIS MESSAGE I STILL USE THEM TODAT I ALWAYS AM AWARE OF WHERE I AMD AND WHAT IS AROUND ME

    Reply

  44. Before I leave a business I scan the parking through the business plate glass moving my eyes only. As I cross the parking lot and approach my car my eyes continue to survey the parking lot, looking for any possible threats. Before I unlock my car, I scan the parking lot for any approaching my car. I enter my car quickly and use the rear view mirror to check behind and the sides of my vehicle. I mostly move my eyes and not my head or body unless I perceive a possible threat approaching me. I also listen for unusual sounds behind me.

    Reply

  45. Being a night nurse…in the big city…in the psych ward has taught me much. But the best lesson is to never let your guard down…..it gets exhausting and stress full. Finding safe haven in nature is restful and practicing awareness of nature keeps up the skill. Always amazed at how many people only watch a phone screen and drive never knowing who is behind and for how long! A lot if easy prey out there! Thanks for great reminders and refreshers!

    Reply

  49. Thank you Mr pierce I’m highly interested in these concepts of awareness and I agree that prevention is a good method of avoiding conflict.

    Reply