The Ultimate Weapons System: Training the Mind

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Sgt. Steve Odom. Steve’s bio is at the end of this article.

In my basic academy class one of the instructors related to us a story about how he had been shot on an entry during a narcotics warrant. The instructor took a handgun round in the vest as he was stepping through the front door. He stumbled backwards, then fell down “like you’re supposed to” and left his partner to deal with the suspect. The instructor was medically cleared on scene with no serious injury.

I was shocked to hear this story, especially in a class full of impressionable young recruits. As a former infantry Marine I was committed to the belief that as a warrior one should never stop fighting, even if mortally wounded, until the mission is accomplished. I realized at that point that either no had told this instructor about the combat mindset, or the training he had received was woefully inadequate. I began to notice that not all who pinned on the badge or star had the mindset to go with the calling.

Later in my career I was charged with training our department personnel in the use of the patrol rifle (AR-15). I had never forgotten how my instructor had fallen down after taking that round to his vest and taken himself out of the fight when there was no physiological reason for it, and I was determined that this would never happen to one of my students. I had seen the effect of that instructor’s “mindset training.” His mindset training consisted of seeing people get shot on television and movies, and when he got shot, he did exactly what his mindset training had programmed him to do. He stumbled backwards and fell down. In his mind, he was done. He was out of the fight. His mind told his body “Hey, buddy, you just got shot. Time to fall down!” Never mind that no bullet actually tore through his body, that he was not bleeding, not disabled, that he didn’t suffer any injury more significant than a bruise- he was out of the fight. Never mind that there was still an armed assailant intent on killing him and his partners, he was out of the fight. One moment he was running into danger with a gun in his hand, and a split second later he was lying down on the front porch while his friends and partners were left to face the threat without him. There was nothing physically wrong with him. There was nothing wrong with his gun. The bad guy had not suddenly quit fighting. The only factor that had changed in that one second was his mindset.

If I was going to avoid letting the same scenario play out with my own students, I knew that I had to train their minds, as well as their bodies, for a lethal encounter. My goal was to find out if the will to prevail and a “never quit” attitude could be taught and trained, and to see if I could learn how to instill this attitude in others. For any firearms or defensive tactics instructor, the importance of mindset training cannot be overlooked. If your students do not have the mindset that they will be victorious when called to duty, then you have set them up to fail (unless they get lucky).

Combat Mindset

The combat mindset is among the most underdeveloped aspects of law enforcement training. We instruct on deadly force policy, case law, and liability concerns related to deadly force. We teach marksmanship fundamentals and train students to hit paper targets, then carefully document the scores. But due to time, budget, training constraints, or a simple lack of understanding, the physiological and psychological aspects of use of force are often ignored. Most reputable civilian firearms training programs include mindset training and tout that as the most important element of student survival. In law enforcement, the same mindset training is often ignored, misunderstood, or worse, it is considered politically incorrect to include in a course outline. This is a grave disservice to our students. No one likes to see peace officers survive the crucible of a deadly encounter only to leave law enforcement shortly after the dust has settled. I have seen peace officers quit after being assaulted while on patrol. Some of these officers might still be working if they had received better mindset training. The purpose of this article is two fold: to help officers develop and understand the combat mindset, and to help law enforcement trainers develop the combat mindset in their students.

The first resource I found that addressed this topic was Caliber Press’s Officer Survival manuals. Col. Dave Grossman and Dr. Larry Blum have some excellent research in this field. They address some very important topics that one can use to train the mind.

Visualization

The first technique I’d like to talk about is Visualization. In visualization the officer plays out a scenario in their mind. The officer imagines every minute detail of a deadly force encounter and plays out in their mind the perfect response. If a firearm is used in the visualization then the officer visualizes moving off the line of attack, focusing on the front sight, getting a compressed surprise break, follow through, sere reset, after action drills, a tactical reload, and communication. The officer should visualize their radio transmissions and securing the suspect and crime scene. The officer trains his or her mind to react in the appropriate way to the incident. Visualization training enables the officer to have a plan and react properly when the red flag flies. This training costs nothing and can be done during those long boring hours prior to the very exciting few minutes when things get ugly. I have had several retired professional football and baseball players go through my basic academy firearms training and they reported a strong emphasis on visualization techniques in professional sports. Olympic athletes have used visualization techniques for years with great success; we should use it also.

Positive Self Talk

The second technique I utilize is positive self talk. This involves giving yourself positive messages to reinforce your skills. Some examples would be “I can handle any threat that I come up against”,” I am skilled with my firearm and I have excellent personal tactics”, “I will keep on fighting no matter what”,”even if I am wounded, I will win,” “I might have to use my firearm to save my life or a citizen’s life today. I might get shot, but I am going to win.” The idea is to convince your subconscious that you are a significant person who will react with decisiveness and violence of action if warranted. This is another form of cheap, easy training you can do on your own. This technique must be utilized in conjunction with a hardcore training regiment to be effective.

Autogenic Breathing

A third tool for mindset training is autogenic breathing. This is a technique that implements breathing in through the nose for a four count, holding the breath for a four count, and then slowly exhaling through the mouth for a four count. This process is repeated for ten repetitions. The idea is to calm yourself in a stressful situation by concentrating on your breathing. Autogenic breathing will calm you down and enable you to start planning your response to the situation. This technique is excellent when driving code three to a high risk call or sitting in an armored S.W.A.T. vehicle driving to the scene of a high risk warrant service.

Awareness

One of the best ways to avoid a critical incident is to be aware of your surroundings; this is a key component to most mindset programs. The most common way that this can be conveyed to students is through (U.S.M.C.) Colonel Jeff Cooper’s Color Code of Awareness. The color code breaks down different levels of personal awareness: condition white, condition yellow, condition orange, and condition red. The first level is condition white; witch is relaxed, unaware, and unprepared. This is not a good place to be if you care about your safety and are armed. The second level of awareness is condition yellow. This is a general awareness of your surroundings and potential dangers. You don’t need to be slicing the pie around every corner like some paranoid freak show but you should be alert to potential threats or danger areas. Condition orange is the next level of awareness. This level of awareness is used when you are observing a specific threat, such as a suspicious subject approaching you in a parking structure late at night. While in condition orange you should be coming up with a plan and drawing a mental line in the sand. One example of this would be on high risk traffic stop. You decide to order the suspect from the vehicle. You decide that if the suspect comes out with his hands up and complies with your commands, you will arrest him. If the suspect jumps out and reaches for a weapon in his waist band you will shoot him. The final level in spectrum is condition red. Condition red is the actual fight .At that point the decision making process has ended and you are acting. You training should take over at this point and you should be focusing on your sight and pressing the trigger. The main point of the color code is that you will make much better tactical decisions if you move from condition yellow, to orange, then red. If you go from condition white to condition red your decision making process will be hampered. This is a similar experience to a friend jumping out of a dark hallway to scare the crap out of you. Unless you train in a startle response system or have great reactions you will feel vulnerable and shocked. Shocked and scared is not a good way to start a fight. Strive to have good situational awareness at all times. If you have time to process information and ramp up to a critical incident then you will perform much better than if you are caught flat-footed.

OODA Loop

We must understand how the human mind works in an attack. The O.O.D.A. loop was developed to describe this process by Colonel John Boyd (U.S.A.F.). The O.O.D.A. loop describes the cycle of air combat as Colonel Boyd understood it. The steps are to Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act. The officer must first observe the threat. That’s where Condition yellow comes into play. Next you must orient. Orientation is a big component of this acronym. In this stage the threat is filtered by your assessment of the situation. This will be based on your past experience, training and back ground. Next you must decide what to do. This is when all your use of force options or tactical responses should be considered. After you have observed, oriented, and decided, you must act. All of this activity takes place in seconds and we are usually reacting to a suspect’s attack. Once the suspect has initiated the O.O.D.A. loop we must disrupt it to have the best chance of survival. This can be done with movement, diversions, distraction, or (my personal favorite)violence of action. The O.O.D.A. loop will continue throughout the conflict. The ability to correctly interpret the data, quickly, then decide on an appropriate course of action and act decisively will save the day.

Intestinal Fortitude

If you have tools for developing the proper responses, controlling stress, and having good situational awareness, the next step is to develop intestinal fortitude. In today’s society it is easy to shun the hard work, discipline, and discomfort needed to develop the warrior mindset. This hard work will be rewarded when you find yourself in a struggle for your life and you are physically and mentally prepared for battle. One of the best ways I have found to develop mental toughness is through difficult physical training. The best way to inoculate yourself to stress is to force your body into stressful situations. Arduous circuit training with bodyweight exercises can tax a person beyond belief. I recommend the book Infinite Intensity by Ross Enamait if you want a warrior routine that will yield combat fitness. If you push through the pain every day while training, then you can do it in the real world. Again this is free training that does not require an expensive facility or state of the art equipment. All you need is a little time and a lot of heart. Try to avoid excuses such as “I just got of a graveyard shift and I am spent, I just want to lie down”. This is exactly when you need to force yourself to work out. Force yourself to be hard and guess what? You will be hard. Pay now or pay later. No one ever drowned in sweat.

Combative Training

Once you are in good physical condition I would highly recommend a combative component to your training. The best way to learn how to perform when you are physically drained and bleeding is to get into a fight gym and test yourself. This requires conditioning, training on fundamentals, and a responsible trainer or coach. Through sparring or ground fighting you can get in great shape, make some friends outside of the job, while building your confidence and mental toughness. Learning to perform, stay calm and implement strategy, while facing danger is the name of the game on patrol. Sparring (under supervision of a trainer) is a great way to practice this skill. I have also found that a trained fighter is much less prone to over react in a fight and use to much force because of the fight or flight adrenaline rush. This type of training will cost you some money, requires a facility and equipment. The investment is well worth it.

Confidence

Confidence in your ability is a cornerstone of the combat mindset. How do I gain the confidence to face a dedicated adversary and know that I will win? That confidence comes from training and preparation. You must take responsibility for your own training. Your agency will not be killed in the line of duty due to inadequate training, you will be. Your significant other might have a great case against your agency for failure to train, but that will not comfort you when fighting for your life in some back alley. The onus is on you, my friend. Seek training from such credible firearms schools as Front sight, Gun sight, F.F.K.G., or Thunder ranch. Train in some form of combatives that includes sparring. Conduct force on force training with air soft or Simunitions. Learn and follow safety protocol for any force on force training so you don’t kill yourself or someone else in your quest to become warrior. Dry practice is a HUGE component of skill at arms that can build your confidence. Again, follow dry practice protocol so you don’t shoot any thing or anyone by accident (this can actually decrease your self confidence).If you train smart and hard you will reap the rewards of confidence.

Commitment

The final component of developing the combat mindset is to make a commitment to yourself, your loved ones and the community that you protect, that you will win when called to duty. Make a vow that you will never, never, never give up. Train to manipulate your weapon with one hand (wounded drills) and visualize that you have actually been shot. Get your mind wrapped around the fact that you can’t be stopped. Realize that even in combat that about 85% of those who get shot live. If you don’t get killed instantly by a head shot you have a great chance of survival. If you have the right mindset. If you have done the hard work of preparing your body and your mind for combat.

Spartans

We are modern Spartans. We answer the call. When someone shoots up a school or a crowded business, we step in to stop the threat. Just like the 300 at Thermopylae, we must fight until a larger force is gathered. We wear our shield on the left side, just as the Spartans once did. We no longer fight with swords and spears, but we share one important weapon that warriors throughout time have utilized- the most powerful weapon we own- the human mind.

Train your mind so that you will come back with your shield, not on it.

About the Author: Sergeant Steve Odom

Sergeant Steve Odom is a former infantry Marine and sixteen year veteran of the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department. Sergeant Odom is currently a Patrol Station Sergeant. He has been worked Bike Patrol, Boat Patrol, Dive Team, and S.W.A.T.( Entry Team Leader). He is the Senior Range Master for the Sheriff’s Department and Lead Firearms Instructor for the Allan Hancock Law Enforcement Academy. Sgt. Odom is P.O.S.T. certified to teach all Law Enforcement Weapons Systems, Arrest and Control, Less Lethal Munitions, and Impact Weapons.

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