Cooper's color codes

I am a Defensive Tactics Instructor at my job and always teach the color codes, but had never heard of Jeff Cooper before tonight. I had to Google them, because I also train being "in the black", meaning condition black. I found out tonight that Code Black is taught in the Marines. I teach my co-workers that Condition Black is a state of extreme panic that results in overreaction or under-reaction. Over-reaction meaning an excessive response, and under-reaction meaning blind panic. They are taught to always be in Condition Yellow on the clock, unless they are focusing on a specific threat/situation or taking action. The only two codes that they actually refer to, and they DO refer to them when debriefing, are "Condition White" or "in the Black". Whenever I'm in a crowd or a public place, I find it incredibly difficult to not be in Conditon Yellow. It doesn't matter if I'm armed. Whether I'm armed or not, I always feel as if I have to be ready to either take action, or get the Hell out of Dodge.
 
Are there color codes (or any codes) for the threat level? I already mentioned the threat levels that the Department of Homeland Security used but like I said, they didn't come with any instructions that I know of.
 
I agree - the DHS color codes was just as worthless as tits on a bull. Maybe somewhere in some bureaucrats cubicle they had a sheet of paper telling them what to do if a certain level was announced but for the General Public is meant nothing. No dissiminated plan of action tied to the color codes ever existed.

But wait - oh yea something about duct tape and plastic or was that for getting rid of a body ?? oh hell im getting old i think.


kinda the same for coopers codes - its pretty nebulous -i guess your supposed to feel different at each level. But then I do feel different when i have a client in a crowd than when hes sitting in a secured room - i do feel different when i get into a crowd of arabs then when i do hanging out with my bodyguards

But i didnt need coopers rules to tell me that.

If I tell a student to be "switched on" while on duty and he sees a potential threat he will shift his awareness levels without having to reference a color code. I think my adrenalin takes care of that for me.
 
Again, the color codes do not simply indicate awareness level. They correspond with willingness to act. It does no good to have an orange level of concern (specific danger located) if you have only a white level of willingness (none at all). Similarly, it does no good to feel a generalized sense of alarm, if you have no preparation or will to change the outcome you fear.

More here: http://www.corneredcat.com/article/psychology-and-physiology/awareness-is-important/

pax
 
It makes sense to use the Cooper system or some system of "codes" for OPSEC at home and in public. Like an atheist, they still believe something, so it makes sense to pick the system that best suits you and the protection of yourself and others. An ordered approach is better than the "I just figured it out on my own" and will be better for fluid situations.
 
I think they are a aid to living and staying alive. For "teaching" I would think it would increase safety and efficacy but I'm no teacher. Col. Cooper stated that he received many reports back from his students who were "successful" in dealing with a threat, i.e. punching a bad guy's ticket.
 
I understand that the use of a color code is an excellent reference when giving intruction, trying to box or create a ladder of mental process for easier understanding. That same method is used in all sorts of different fields where complex understanding of method and theory is necessary. But beyond the classroom, I dont really understand the need to worry about what color is what, if you already understand the subject matter.

A person can become a master in kung-fu and if at some point they forget what a specific strike is called, it doesnt mean they are any less a fighter.
 
Incidentally, I disagree with the good colonel when he says that if you are armed, you "must be in yellow." I believe that's a generality that's quite situational, not an absolute.
Click to expand...

While I agree with you, Pax, I did find out that in one instance where I felt safe being in condition white (on my Grandfather's farm, private land) I should not have been.

The only time that I have drawn my firearm on a person was after he tried to take my firearm out of my holster while I was saddling up a horse. Typically I carry a firearm out on the farm for protection from feral dogs and snakes, and I trusted this man (that I barely knew) because we had bought a horse from him (the one that I was saddling). Long story short, I learned the hard way not to trust too quickly; and to always be aware, the easiest time to be caught off guard is when you are just trying to do something relaxing.
 
Beyond the classroom...

Color = status = what you should be doing.

White = unprepared to act = nothing specific, but ideally you will be moving toward mental and physical preparedness as your time in white comes to an end.

Yellow = alert & aware = you should be looking and really seeing the world around you, and you should have a general plan for how you will deal with general, unexpected, non-specific dangers. The general plan may include a firearm; if so, you have it with you and you have prepared yourself to use it effectively if needed.

Orange = specific potential danger spotted = you should immediately begin making a specific plan to avoid or deal with the specific danger. ("Those guys look like trouble. I will cross the street so I won't have to walk past them on the sidewalk; if they follow me, I will ....")

Red = action required = you must act immediately to save your life, either carrying out the plan you just made in orange, or improvising one from scratch (struggling to catch up) if you didn't have the luxury of moving through orange by spotting the danger early.

Note that each step, from white to yellow to orange to red, is relatively small. However, the jump from white to red is huge, and a very difficult one for most people to make.

Doing what is needed at each step -- preparing, observing, planning, and finally acting -- makes the next step easier to perform. You can't act efficiently unless you have planned your moves. You can't plan your moves unless you have observed the situation. Observing the situation does no good unless you are mentally and physically prepared to change it. So each step builds on the last, and each makes the next step easier.

pax
 
After receiving training you either know and understand the subect matter or you dont. Color code, tree, ladder, bar graph, pyramid.. its all just a method of learning. Isnt it all just a base of reference so that you can use the spirit of the training to form properly measured decisions in the future.

Heck, I have learned probably a dozen different methods to tie a knot under all kinds of different circumstances and purposes but I can only remember the actual name of (1) knot (barrel knot). I use my knot tying ability regularly but for the life of he I have no idea what 99% of them are called. The fact that I have no idea what the knot is called doesnt obstruct the task at all.
 
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