COLUMNS

The Bridge Between Awareness and Action

Feb 8, 2018 | 08:00 GMT

Consciously following the four simple steps of the OODA Loop can help a potential victim stay a step ahead of an assailant.

(da-kuk/iStock)

Highlights

  • The process of observing, orienting, deciding and acting — known as the OODA Loop — creates links between an awareness of one's surroundings in a dangerous situation and the actions necessary to escape it.
  • Following the loop's four steps helps practitioners speed up their decision-making to stay a step ahead of an opponent.
  • By not engaging in the system, people run the risk of failing to act when necessary.

 

"Oh-da," they giggled, repeating the term. "Oh-da." The Dominican human rights and nongovernmental organization workers I was instructing took delight in repeating the word, which in their Spanish-inflected pronunciation rhymed with "Yoda," rather than "Buddha," as most Americans would say it. Indeed, to the uninitiated, the term in question, "OODA," sounds strange. But regardless of its pronunciation, the acronym -- short for Observe, Orient, Decide, Act -- is a critical component of personal security. Consciously following the OODA Loop, the bridge that connects situational awareness and action, can keep you a step ahead of an assailant and help extricate you from a tricky situation, whatever it may be....

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