On Sat, 28 Jul 2007 18:00:40 -0500, Don Foreman
wrote:

On Sat, 28 Jul 2007 18:28:54 -0400, Wes wrote:

Don Foreman wrote:

That is also why knives can beat guns.

That might depend on who's wielding the blade. A .45ACP round makes
a 21-foot trip in about 0.025 seconds, .357 mag a bit quicker.


I'm speaking of reaction time from when you recognize the threat as real,
get your piece out and accurately fire the first shot. Misses don't count.

Wes

You can react more quickly with a blade? Misses do count if they
motivate an attacker to reconsider. They don't count after a hit or
two. Would you continue to miss at distance where a blade could be
used effectively? There may be a reason why 1911's don't have
bayonet studs... G

Don..Wes is quite correct. If I primed myself, Nerf knife in hand and
attacked you, inside of say..25 feet, I (and most any attacker), can
turn you into sushi, unless you are standing there, gun in hand. Its
a standard drill in cop school as well. Holstered firearm. Even if
you know Im on my way G

Tueller Drill....good fun to practice
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tueller_Drill

Most..most folks tend to freeze for a quick moment as they analyize
the threat..and thats all she takes.
Remember the Cooper Color Code?

If you live in WHITE....it takes far to long to get to RED.


Combat Mindset - The Cooper Color Code

The most important means of surviving a lethal confrontation is,
according to Cooper, neither the weapon nor the martial skills. The
primary tool is the combat mindset, set forth in Principles of
Personal Defense.

In the chapter on awareness, Cooper presents an adaptation of the
Marine Corps system to differentiate states of readiness:

* White - Unaware and unprepared. If attacked in Condition White,
the only thing that may save you is the inadequacy or ineptitude of
your attacker. When confronted by something nasty, your reaction will
probably be "Oh my God! This can't be happening to me."

* Yellow - Relaxed alert. No specific threat situation. Your
mindset is that "today could be the day I may have to defend myself."
You are simply aware that the world is an unfriendly place and that
you are prepared to do something, if necessary. You use your eyes and
ears, and realize that "I may have to SHOOT today." You don't have to
be armed in this state but if you are armed you should be in Condition
Yellow. You should always be in Yellow whenever you are in unfamiliar
surroundings or among people you don't know. You can remain in Yellow
for long periods, as long as you are able to "Watch your six". In
Yellow, you are "taking in" surrounding information in a relaxed but
alert manner, like a continuous 360 degree radar sweep.

* Orange - Specific alert. Something is not quite right and has
gotten your attention. Your radar has picked up a specific alert. You
shift your primary focus to determine if there is a threat (but you do
not drop your six). Your mindset shifts to "I may have to shoot HIM
today." In Condition Orange, you set a mental trigger: "If that goblin
does "x", I will need to stop him." Your pistol usually remains
holstered in this state. Staying in Orange can be a bit of a mental
strain, but you can stay in it for as long as you need to. If the
threat proves to be nothing, you shift back to Condition Yellow.

* Red - Condition Red is fight. Your mental trigger has been
"tripped" (established back in Condition Orange). You take appropriate
action.

The U.S.M.C. also uses "Condition Black" as actively engaged in
combat, as do some of his successors, but Cooper always felt this is
an unnecessary step and not in keeping with the mindset definitions.

Also note that the Color Code was never meant to be a warning system.
Rather, the Color Code was designed to be a mental crutch. It was
designed to allow someone to "get over" the resistance that a normal
person has in pointing a pistol at the center of someone's chest and
pulling the trigger.

In short, the Color Code helps you "think" in a fight. As the level of
danger increases, your resistance to shoot decreases. If you ever do
go to Condition Red, the decision to use lethal force has already been
made (your "mental trigger" has been tripped).made (your "mental
trigger" has been tripped).
Remember the Cooper color code?