How To Teach the Color Code of Mental Awareness
Now that we have learned the Color Code, we have the responsibility to
teach it to others. Youth groups, scouts, loved ones, son-in-laws, our
children and grandchildren can all benefit from this training. In varying
degrees, some have this awareness built in and others have zero
awareness to what is happening around them. As protectors and those in
charge of the safety of others we must realize that we cannot be by their
side to provide protection for them at all times. They will need to be given
the tools to provide for their own safety. Ultimately, we will not be around
forever, and this information needs to be transferred to them. This script
provides one way to teach the Color Code to others. It is a script that has
been used many times to teach youth groups. Use it as an outline. Adapt
it and customize it to fit the needs of your audience. Ideas, examples and
a sequence are given but it is up to you to teach it in your own way with
examples from your own life. Refer to the previous articles regarding each
color in the code.
Set up before class: Volunteer to demonstrate the Tueller Drill or the 21-
foot rule. Google Tueller Drill and learn it well enough to teach it.
Classroom prep: chalk board or dry erase board, table. Bring items (that
will be explained later): mace, bat, sword, knife, plastic gun, fake bomb,
hockey stick. Bring/use any or all of these or your own ideas.
Discuss crime rates in your area. Low rate means kids don’t have it built-in
and need learn the Color Code and high rates mean they need to learn the
Color Code. The percentage of violent crime doesn’t matter, if it happens
to you it’s 100%. What I’m going to teach you has to do with asocial
criminal attacks not school bully stuff. We’ll talk about bad guys that only
want to assault, injure or kill you. They will not warn you before pushing
and then hitting you. They will attempt to not have you even see them
before their attack.
Let’s talk about what can help you to survive or counter the attack.
Show weapons listed above and discuss their effectiveness. The fake
bomb is to maintain interest and add a laugh along the way. Then have
the previously set up volunteers show the Tueller Drill. Have one, the good
guy, put the plastic gun or mace or other weapon in their pocket and have
the other volunteer, the bad guy, have the plastic knife. Start the bad guy
35 feet away and have them start walking toward the good guy, waving
the knife and saying “I’m going to kill you” over and over as they continue
walking. Ask the audience shout out when the good guy should use their
weapon. You want to get them to thinking about distance and time. Have
the scenario finish out and then explain the Tueller Drill. If time, then
demonstrate a girl, armed with a weapon, acting like she is texting and
have the bad guy easily walk up behind her and act like he is stabbing her
because she never knew the attack was coming. Ask how much distance
would she need? A mile would not help her because she was unaware.
Tell them that they will learn the Color Code of Mental Awareness during
this class and stress the importance of it. You can’t teach them to be a
black belt in martial arts during the class, but you can have them be a
black belt in being aware which is more important.
Explain that in nature the victims that lions attack are the old, young and
sickly. It is no different with human predators and the unaware make
great victims. Have them offer their ideas on who would make good
victims of violent attack and discuss.
Establish that being aware is critically important.
Go into Condition White. Give examples of those completely unaware of
their surroundings. When attacked their mind freezes, unable to think or
move.
Condition Yellow. Emphasize alertness, not paranoia or worry. Use
examples of situations that they become aware of. A person in yellow
walks head up and scanning and makes mental notes of what is going on
around them.
Condition Orange. Describe scenarios that conditions that they were aware
of by being in Yellow, have a twist or change to them that now warrants
more detailed attention.
Condition Red. Be sure they understand a couple of important points;
make a ‘line-in-the-sand’ decision, give examples of escape, engage,
screaming “STOP” or fight, never compromise or give extra time or
distance “to be sure”. Have no hesitation, if this happens, I do this.
Condition Black. Teach them not to show mercy. They will never receive it
from the bad guy. Bad guys will not hesitate to use violence. Though they
might have been taught not to use violence, if they hesitate, they might
give the bad guy time and distance and they need to be unwilling to do so.
Teach them the combat mindset. Learn it yourself and teach it in your
own way. The Miami FBI shootout story has been used here. That story
contains an account of someone that despite being shot several times,
wounds that proved to be fatal, yet before dying, killed three other people.
If you must fight for your life, you have to go all in. Complete resolve.
Tell them that simple pain compliance might not work. Rage, dedication,
drugs and other factors can make an attacker not feel pain. The goal has
to be to injure them so they physically cannot continue the fight. An injury
must be caused so their conscious mind cannot control it, it must be an
injury that causes an uncontrollable reaction. Gouge eyes, knee the groin,
elbow to crush the windpipe, a kick to a knee, a choke – these are the type
of injury that have a physical result and don’t rely on pain to stop an
attack.
Tell a personal story or use this one. It is a true story of an event that
happened to a young lady in my neighborhood. Whatever the story, hand
out colored paddles with the Color Code colors on them. Have the holders
of the paddles raise them when the color of the Color Code matches the
storyline.
Young lady standing against a wall in the subway in NYC late at night sees
two guys approach her walking down the aisle (yellow paddle), after seeing
her, they split up and approach her from different sides. (orange) She
makes a plan, if they continue directly to her, and get within kicking
distance, she is going to pick one and kick them as hard as she can in the
knee and run. (Red) Her plan included not letting them get to her at the
same time and not to let them lay hands on her. They did come closer to
attack her and she put her plan into action. (Black) She kicked one of the
attackers and ran away from them as fast as she could run. Meanwhile,
the security cameras were being watched and police had already started
toward the incident. Later, they let her know that the bad guy she had
kicked required knee surgery. Needless to say this story ended well. Had
she not used the Color Code to perfection, it could’ve ended much
differently.
Close by reiterating the importance of staying alert, making a plan and
executing that plan.