Learning from the Aurora Colorado Massacre: Applying the OODA Loop

[Vigilante]

A lot of people today more than yesterday are feeling helpless, vulnerable, and scared in public. We are inundated daily with stories like the tragedy that played out two days ago in Virginia, where two unarmed and vulnerable people were gunned down in a horrific massacre by a psychotic murderer.

Unfortunately, we live in a society where the person you meet on a random encounter in the street might be fresh off of a 12 hour binge of play acting violence in a video game. The lines have blurred for some in-between the demented desensitization that they have muddied their mind with virtually and the real world where shooting someone doesn't get you extra points.

I wrote a series of blog posts in 2013 on the OODA Loop. I am going to unpack them here for you, averaging a post per day over the next several days, to equip you to practice situational awareness intentionally until it becomes an intuitive habit. I will post the first few introductory background blog posts today. I don't blog regularly, so I don't have a blog you can "follow" but I will bring all of that previously written content here. It is important to point out that I didn't create the OODA Loop, I am just a student of it like you might become. It might save your life some day, and the lives of those around you in any given set of circumstances.

Just like muscle memory, you can train your mind to subconsciously observe and orient to your surroundings.

Most of this same content I shared during a special recording of the Mind Your Business Podcast. If you learn better by listening than reading, you can listen to the Podcast here:

http://www.twincitiesnewstalk.com/o...d-your-business-survival-strategies-13324786/

 

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[Vigilante]

On Friday, July 20, 2012, a mass shooting occurred inside of a Century movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, during a midnight screening of the film The Dark Knight Rises. A gunman, dressed in tactical clothing, set off tear gas grenades and shot into the audience with multiple firearms, killing 12 people and injuring 58 others.

Initially, few in the audience considered the masked figure a threat. He appeared to be wearing a costume, like other audience members who had dressed up for the screening. Some believed that the gunman was playing a prank, while others thought that he was part of a special effects installation set up for the film’s premiere as a publicity stunt by the studio or theater management.It was also said that the gunman threw two canisters emitting a gas or smoke, partially obscuring the audience members’ vision, making their throats and skin itch, and causing eye irritation.He then fired a 12-gauge Remington 870 Express Tactical shotgun, first at the ceiling and then at the audience.

What can we learn from the survivors of the Aurora, Colorado massacre?

 

[Vigilante]

MOMENTS CHOOSE YOU... BUT YOU CHOOSE HOW YOU RESPOND IN THAT MOMENT.

Over the next several days, I will blogging about a strategy developed by U.S. Air Force Colonel John Boyd called the OODA Loop.

OODA stands for :

• Observe
• Orient
• Decide
• Act

We will consider the OODA strategy from the vantage point of an intended victim in an emergency situation such as the tragedy that unfolded in a movie theater in July 2012 in Aurora, Colorado. However, the same reoccurring cycle of observe-orient-decide-act is applicable to most emergencies. Your ability to process through this cycle intentionally, and more rapidly than someone that might intend to do you harm may assist you in successfully navigating yourself or others out of harms way. Boyd developed the concept to explain how to direct one’s energies to defeat an adversary and survive.

If you can consciously process through this cycle quickly, observing and reacting to unfolding events more rapidly than an opponent you can thereby “get inside” and disrupt the opponent’s decision cycle. If you are acting while the opponent is still observing, you can gain a strategic advantage.

The observations I will make based on my study of the OODA loop are my opinions, intended to help you create an intentional thought process with the aim of emergency survival. Whether you agree with my interpretations or not is not vital, but hopefully will spark you doing independent research and creating a proactive mindset of a survivor.

Look for posts here every few days as I blog through the OODA loop.

 

[DrkSide]

Excellent subject @Vigilante

It amazes me everyday to see so many people completely oblivious to their surroundings and what is taking place around them.

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

Another example of this is the 9/11 tragedy. So many victims were told to "stay put" by authorities when your gut probably was telling you to "get the hell out." Sometimes you just have to trust yourself.

 

[Veloce Grey]

Another example of this is the 9/11 tragedy. So many victims were told to "stay put" by authorities when your gut probably was telling you to "get the hell out." Sometimes you just have to trust yourself.

I'm guessing we saw the same documentary or maybe that 911 call was just so awful it gets replayed a lot. Ok she may not have even been able to find a way out but the whole "stay and wait" attitude of the dispatcher was just terrible.

Similarly whenever I see anything about the Titanic I think of this quote from the Wikipedia page-

"Some, perhaps overwhelmed by it all, made no attempt to escape and stayed in their cabins or congregated in prayer in the third-class dining room.[118] Leading Fireman Charles Hendrickson saw crowds of third-class passengers below decks with their trunks and possessions, as if waiting for someone to direct them.[119] Psychologist Wynn Craig Wade attributes this to "stoic passivity" produced by generations of being told what to do by social superiors.[98] August Wennerström, one of the male steerage passengers to survive, commented later that many of his companions had made no effort to save themselves. He wrote:
Hundreds were in a circle [in the third-class dining saloon] with a preacher in the middle, praying, crying, asking God and Mary to help them. They lay there and yelled, never lifting a hand to help themselves. They had lost their own will power and expected God to do all the work for them.[120]"

 

[Jake]

Relevant vid https://www.facebook.com/ThairathFan/videos/10153632267167439/

=(

The latest attacks at my native home and at my chosen home are making it difficult not to circle back to an idea / brand that I created in the past. One that I conceived while being rocketed in Jalalabad, Afghanistan

Hopefully within a few months I can launch it as a side project and donate a fair amount to people(families) who are subject to these horrific attacks.Sickening. But sometimes there's no preparation possible without being paranoid 24/7.

Bomb a shrine...wtf

 

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[ryanbleau]

I grew up having this beat into my head by my grandfather. He is an Ex Military intelligence officer. Spent many years fighting MMA up and down the east coast and several years as a bouncer in some of the worst night clubs in the country. I can tell you the process works. Managed to keep myself and others safe in situations that would have made national news otherwise. My wife hates some of the habits I have because of my need for situational awareness : always sitting with my back to a wall in public, Never sitting by a main entry door but always near an exit, and always leaving the house with at least one handgun. I may never have a use for it, but good guys with guns end more bad situations than the media wishes to talk about.

 

[FastNAwesome]

If you can consciously process through this cycle quickly, observing and reacting to unfolding events more rapidly than an opponent you can thereby “get inside” and disrupt the opponent’s decision cycle. If you are acting while the opponent is still observing, you can gain a strategic advantage.

Krav Maga is great for anyone interested in this. There's a lot of practicing of reacting and thinking on your feet in sudden and stressful situations.

It's very practical.

You learn to react under stress, while getting yelled at, attacked
by multiple attackers and with realistically looking weapons.

Or laying on the beach, relaxed, with your eyes closed,
and suddenly getting kicked.

You learn how to exactly react in this situations.
That is, to decide in a split-second what to do and then do it.

For example, if you get pushed from the back, you learn
to always first turn around to see who it is (might be a friend),
and only then, if needed, (usually) smack'em with the elbow

Or when someone tries to strangle you, bending your head to
one side you can protect one artery, which buys you
valuable time to kick the guy in the nuts, turn your hands
into hooks which unhook his grip from your neck in one strong
decisive move...and then RUN.

(disclaimer: this is just a trainee sharing his experiences,
solely for illustration purposes)

But watching videos won't do much.

You need to partake in it to really benefit.

And the progress is fast, as this is not a sport,
but a practical discipline.

This is for girls too.

Keep at it for a few months and you won't be someone
to be fooled around with.

 

[ryanbleau]

I trained with a couple IDF guys and Krav Maga is no joke. My background is american and muay thai kickboxing . But having grown up in "the hood" you learn early theres a target on your back at all times. Situational awareness is key to survival. You learn to judge facial microe-xpresions , body movement , muscle flexation all without consciously doing it. It becomes your gut instinct. I can tell where a punch or kick is coming from or going before they even know they want to throw it. The way a person walks when carrying a gun as opposed to a knife concealed is different as well. The way a person who is going to do something bad eyes dart side to side instead of a general sweeping pattern with smooth head movement. It's all there. Everyone gives up what they are going to do if you can see it and train yourself to see it. The scariest people I know are the ones I cant read or purposely give off false body tells.

 

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[Vigilante]

Krav Maga is great for anyone interested in this. There's a lot of practicing of reacting and thinking on your feet in sudden and stressful situations.

It's very practical.

You learn to react under stress, while getting yelled at, attacked
by multiple attackers and with realistically looking weapons.

Or laying on the beach, relaxed, with your eyes closed,
and suddenly getting kicked.

You learn how to exactly react in this situations.
That is, to decide in a split-second what to do and then do it.

For example, if you get pushed from the back, you learn
to always first turn around to see who it is (might be a friend),
and only then, if needed, (usually) smack'em with the elbow

Or when someone tries to strangle you, bending your head to
one side you can protect one artery, which buys you
valuable time to kick the guy in the nuts, turn your hands
into hooks which unhook his grip from your neck in one strong
decisive move...and then RUN.

(disclaimer: this is just a trainee sharing his experiences,
solely for illustration purposes)

But watching videos won't do much.

You need to partake in it to really benefit.

And the progress is fast, as this is not a sport,
but a practical discipline.

This is for girls too.

Keep at it for a few months and you won't be someone
to be fooled around with.

Agreed. I studied Krav Maga for a year with my son. I also had my high school aged (at the time) daughter train in Krav for just a few lessons, and it was probably the best thing we ever did for her self confidence.

 

[million$$$smile]

Great subject Vig.
I think it not only applies to our own personal situational awareness but we need an awareness of what is happening nationally/globally as well. I think we need to remind ourselves that none of us lives in a glass bubble. September/October may prove the point on using the OODA strategy in a grander way.

 

[Vigilante]

OBSERVE (THE FIRST PHASE OF THE OODA LOOP)

We’re talking about an action strategy developed by USAF Colonel John Boyd.

Observe ——> Orient ——> Decide ——> Act

You bring into any situation your history, which serves as a filter for how you observe an evolving situation. Observation is something that you can practice daily, like a mental game. Fine tuning this skill of focusing your mind on details around you can help you in the event of a real emergency by quickly processing through the observe part of the OODA loop. By observing, Boyd was talking simply about your ability to scan the environment and gather information from it.

In an emergency, decisions are made split second. Human reaction time is defined as the time elapsing between the onset of a stimulus and the onset of a response to that stimulus. We process approximately 80% of the information we receive with our sense of sight, but we can and do make observations with our other senses also.

In the box office hit movie Taken II, Liam Neeson’s character was blindfolded by his abductors and taken on a car ride. During that scene in the movie, he processed an incredible amount of information by observing distance (in seconds by listening to clicks of his watch) and sounds (such as the clucking of birds) that he later used to orient himself. While they took huge theatrical license with this scene, it’s the impression of observation that we can bring back to the OODA loop.

A few things to think about as you sharpen your concentration skills :

1. Meditation - to learn how to clear your mind and focus

2. Practicing Logic - using puzzles and other tools to increase your logical reasoning

3. Practicing Memory Recollection

4. New Experiences

and

5. Trial and error of your observations and memory

The point for this opening step of the OODA loop is to make a conscious effort to improve your powers of observation. The faster you can observe details, the quicker you will move beyond the observe step to the orient step of an emergency situation.

Next: We'll do a quick video demo on observation before we move on to the second phase of the OODA loop. Stay tuned. The best way for your to learn this is to not jump ahead, but to stay absorbed in each phase until we move into the next one. So, if you are new to the OODA loop, don't cheat yourself by short circuiting the learning curve. Stay at the same pace as these blog posts, and practice what we talk about in the intervals in-between each posting/phase. It's an intentional strategy on your part to heighten your intentional sense of awareness. It may save your life some day, or the lives of those around you.

If you are reading this after the original posts were written, give yourself a day or two in-between each phase... don't sit down and read this thread in one sitting or you will miss the sequence completely.

 

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[Vigilante]

 

[Vigilante]

 

[Vigilante]

You should have done better on the second video than you did on the first one. It's a simple matter of looking beyond the surface of a situation. You can practice this skill when you go out to eat, when you drive down the street, or when you walk into a convenience store. Lets do one more. Now your mind will be intentionally looking for the unexpected in the next video:

You can intentionally teach your mind to instinctively observe more than the iPhone generation does. You just did, in three videos. Now, take this discipline beyond your computer and from virtual into reality.

When you walk into a convenience store for the 100th time, is your mind numb and on auto pilot? Because, as you can tell in the news.... that might be the time you meet a different scenario. Fate may have plans that need disrupting. Are you situationally aware?

 

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[jon.a]

I had to ignore the question to see in #2 and #3.

 

[jon.a]

I had to ignore the question to see in #2 and #3.

I modified the rules to my liking

 

[Vigilante]

You are a Military veteran.. You get to do whatever the hell you want. Several people here including you could probably write this better than I could.

 

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[jon.a]

You are a Military veteran.. You get to do whatever the hell you want. Several people here including you could probably write this better than I could.

You're doing just fine.

 

[Vigilante]

Orient (The second phase of the OODA Loop).

We're talking about an action strategy developed by USAF Colonel John Boyd.
Observe ----> Orient ----> Decide ----> Act

After you have made an observation of your surroundings, you want to quickly orient. Boyd spoke of the orient step as being the most crucial, as this is shapes how we observe, how we decide, and how we act. In orientation, we use the information we observed to form a mental image of the circumstances --- we synthesize the data into information. As more information is received, you "deconstruct" old images and then "create" new images.

You may have walked into a convenience store 100 times before, but this time you observe differences. A panicked look on the face of the retail clerk. A man with a hood in the back corner of the store. A second man fixated on the clerk. Your orientation is indicating to you that there is a break in the pattern you were expecting. You are decoding this data intake, and turning it into information. This is no longer an ordinary visit to the convenience store. Orientating to the new circumstances, you are constructing a new picture of the scene you are encountering.

Note that different people require different levels of details to perceive an event. Often, we imply that the reason people cannot make good decisions, is that people are bad decisions makers — sort of like saying that the reason some people cannot drive is that they are bad drivers. However, the real reason most people make bad decisions is that they often fail to place the information that we do have into its proper context. This is where "Orientation" comes in. Orientation emphasizes the context in which events occur, so that we may facilitate our decisions and actions. Orientation helps to turn information into knowledge. And knowledge, not information, is the real predictor of making good decisions.

 

[Member]

I disagree with the commentary about video games and the likelihood of getting caught in a mass shooting situation.

Violence in the US is very real though.

Here is a link talking about some of the murder statistics in the US: http://mic.com/articles/22774/mass-...-100-out-of-12-000-annual-homicides-in-the-us

Despite those disagreements, what you are talking about is super important.

Muggings, bar fights, house fires, car accidents all need this type of clear thinking.

I am really looking forward to the rest of the series. Do you agree that these steps happen in entrepreneurship as well?

 

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[Vigilante]

The OODA Loop is taught in business schools now in the United States. The thought process is super relevant/applicable to business strategy.

 

[Member]

I also had my high school aged (at the time) daughter train in Krav for just a few lessons, and it was probably the best thing we ever did for her self confidence.

This is great. I wish that high schools taught this in gym class instead of just having them play dodgeball.

 

[ryanbleau]

if you can dodge a wrench you can dodge a ball

 

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[Member]

if you can dodge a wrench you can dodge a ball

On second thought dodgeball might be the most applicable thing people do in gym class...

 

[Vigilante]

DECIDE (THE THIRD PHASE OF THE OODA LOOP).

We’re talking about an action strategy developed by USAF Colonel John Boyd.

Observe ——> Orient ——> Decide ——> Act

So by now, you have made an observation, and oriented your mind to circumstances that were different than what was expected. The third step of the OODA Loop is to decide. You are going to consider action (or inaction) options, and select a course of action. Human reaction time is defined as the time elapsing between the onset of a stimulus and the onset of a response to that stimulus. You have to make a decision. If you go through the OODA Loop (Observe, Orient, Decide and Act) faster than your opponent, you have the strategic advantage and are positioned to win any given incursion.

It’s worth noting that your decision doesn’t have to be perfect. It simply has to be more swift and decisive than the opponent. You can respond to changing situations as you go. By nature of the discussion, the process is a LOOP. You have the ability to correct action on the second pass through the LOOP. Once you have acted you are committed to the action until you observe a new threat or situation. Your action could be successful, or afterwards it might require more action at which time you must reenter the loop at the beginning. What’s critical is that you select a path and move rapidly to the action phase.

The speed at which you get through the loop can give you a tactical edge. The objective is to get through the loop faster than your adversary. In an ideal situation you can deal with a threat before your opponent has even realized he is in a confrontational situation and entered his own OODA loop. If not, and the enemy has time to react, then you have to “get inside” his loop. This means that you need to be performing the loop faster than he can.

So… we decide. We intentionally pick a course of action based on the observation and orientation. We take a split second inventory of our preparedness, the tools or options available to us, and we decide. We force ourselves to move quickly to the final step of the loop —- action.

 

[Vigilante]

ACT (THE LAST PHASE OF THE OODA LOOP)

We’re talking about an action strategy developed by USAF Colonel John Boyd.

Observe ——> Orient ——> Decide ——> Act

We’re going to rapidly jump in on our decision with swift action. No hesitation. Nothing but 100% committed deliberate execution of the decision to act. Simultaneously, we jump back to observing what circumstances are changing. Measuring reaction. Back to the beginning of the loop.

Action needs to be a reflex. The thinking is done and the action comes swiftly. Decisively. We act more quickly than our opponent can react. Our action should be completed while they are still jarred back to their own observation step. Our action is unexpected. We have just broken their OODA loop, forcing them back on to our plan.


Observe ——> Orient ——>Decide——>Act

Observe ——> Orient ——>Decide——>Act

Observe ——> Orient ——> Decide——>Act

Observe ——> Orient ——> Decide——> Act

Safety doesn’t happen by accident. This is a life skill that you can practice, tune, and call on reflexively when needed.

Take outcomes into your hands. Don’t be a victim. Teach yourself survival skills. Practice the OODA loop.

 

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[Jake]

You're doing just fine.

Agreed.

Most of my experience comes from things it's damn hard to protect against. If you're lucky enough to have an amazing CIWS system around your perimeter you may have the benefit of a warning or it just MIGHT knock the shit out of the sky that is hurtling towards you. I never had that luxury.

You lay on the ground as soon as you hear a massive explosion or if a bunker is nearby you run your a$$ into it and hope not to get hit by the follow on IDF.

But as a former MP we did learn a lot about IED detection,disarming individuals, escalation of force, etc. All things U.S cops should learn before they...I'll stop there.

Carry on, Vig. You're doing a better job than I could. Stay vigilant but don't let over preparation ruin your life. The death blow will probably never be seen but it's wise to watch out for the ill-trained attackers.

 

[Vigilante]

The death blow will probably never be seen but it's wise to watch out for the ill-trained attackers.

Which is most. They might have thought it through 100 times in their head, but they are purely unprepared (in most cases) for counter maneuvers. Any time you can switch from defense to offense, forcing your opponent to switch from offense to defense... you start his OODA Loop over again, and you are already in your progression.

It won't ward off every possible situation, but the discipline is relevant to many aspects of daily life.

I hope you guys and gals enjoyed this series, and I hope that some of you put it in to practice.