In a violent lifestyle where law enforcement personnel see more than our share of violence, there is one skill which is absolutely vital to develop. Awareness Jeff Cooper, the leading authority ness the overwhelming priority for self preservation. As practitioners of martial arts, we often use the term zanshin, which refers to a lingering spirit, or a constant state of situational awareness. We have just thrown our training partner and our attention remains on their position to monitor the possibility of additional attacks. This is an excellent example of awareness training.
Awareness is the ability to recognize an environ- ment or circumstance as potentially threatening.
It is the skill of placing oneself in a continual position of readiness, both mentally, physically, and environmentally. Training officers beach young recruits that the best place to sit is towards the rear of the restaurant, with one's back to a wall with a clear view of the front door. If something unexpected does happen, such as a robbery, while the officer is in the restaurant forethought has given the officer at least a positional chance to react. Good fighters are often very careful individuals. Other examples of daily survival habits include never traveling to work or home from work along the same route, and never carrying objects in your weapon hand.