This is Part 2 in my series on What Readiness Means to Me. In my last post, I talked about two different aspects of readiness that should be at the top of your mind: physical and mental. In this post I want to hit on another two critical areas of readiness: training and awareness.
Training
As you’ve probably already guessed, I’m a big believer in getting firearms training. I’ve mentioned it in the past, but I want to share more about my journey and mindset.
Shotguns and Disneyland… but Not Mixed Together!
I went way back into the AmmoSquared Blog archives and found this post: Shotguns and Disneyland… but Not Mixed Together! that I wrote in 2017. It was really just an announcement that we were going on our first vacation two years after starting AmmoSquared. I remember that vacation well. We drove our three daughters to Disneyland and then took a detour back through southern Nevada for a shotgun course. Danielle and I took a 4-Day shotgun course while the kids participated in an adventure camp type experience: shooting guns, climbing ropes, going in tunnels with flashlights, doing martial arts and a bunch of other exciting activities. I think they even shot a full auto Uzi!
After we got home they all said they had more fun doing the kids adventure camp stuff than going to Disneyland.
Looking back, that makes a lot of sense given our family culture. We’re all very independent, to the point of being contrarian, and believe in self improvement. Given the choice between going to a crowded, overpriced, theme park or shooting guns, my family chose the latter.
(BTW: If you are curious, we both shot 12 gauges: Danielle shot an 18” Mossberg 590A1 and I took my Beretta 1301, 1st gen – which functioned flawlessly! We both used velcro shotgun cards to get rounds on the guns quickly for reloading…)
Training as a Lifestyle Choice
Like I mentioned in Part 1 of this series, I’m not ex-military or a high speed SWAT guy, neither is Danielle. That said, we like to take courses like we are. We try to take one new course every quarter to help build our skills, it is basically like our hobby and a good way to blow off steam.
In the context of personal readiness, we both feel that taking courses helps us be better prepared for whatever life throws at us. Working out is another, as I mentioned in part 1. Honestly, there are a number of activities you can do that would improve your personal readiness – taking firearms or first aid courses? You bet. Stamp collecting? Not so much.
We all have limited time on this planet, so why waste it? We’ve both really adopted this position that our free time should be spent doing something useful: working out, reading, taking courses, learning a language… in other words self improvement. Don’t get me wrong we’re not “on” 100% of the time and doom scroll social media with the best of them, but for the most part we try to spend our time wisely and not waste it.
This mindset goes back pretty far for me.
My Training Mindset & Journey
I took my first firearms training course back in 1997, when I was 20, using a borrowed Glock 17 (2nd gen). It stands out in my mind because it was my first experience taking formal firearms training. It was a 4-Day “Practical Pistol” course from Frontsight – a school that later went out of business. I learned a lot from that first course. I think when you are transitioning from complete novice to “trained novice” there is just so much you don’t know. Everything is new to you. A lot of it sticks and a lot of it needed another exposure, or a third to really stick.
In terms of my firearms journey, I feel like taking a training course was one of the best things I could have done. Especially when we’re talking about firearms, something that can easily put a hole in something you don’t want, training is a good investment. I saw an immediate return on my training dollars when I competed in 3 Gun and IDPA way back then.
I also distinctly remember the rebuttal I received from a friend when I told him I was dropping $700 on a 4 day course. Keep in mind that was an astronomical amount in 1997 for a kid working as a stocking clerk at Office Depot!
He said, “Why would I want to do that when I could spend that money on ammo and go up in the hills and practice on my own?”
Some of you may even have the same thoughts about why formal training is a waste of time and money. My response then, and still today is pretty much the same: you can do that but you wouldn’t know what to practice and would be reinforcing bad habits.
Sure we have the internet and Youtube now, but there is no substitute for in person training. I have always looked at it as an investment. Still do in fact.
Ever since that first course, I became a bit of a training junky. I’ve taken dozens of courses over the years. Many of my early courses were from Frontsight but I’ve also taken courses from a myriad of other instructors. Danielle and I even belonged to a local training company that offered courses on firearms, martial arts, and mindset related topics. Heck I remember as part of that membership we took a gun cleaning class! It all goes into the knowledge bank.
This year for example, I’ve taken a 2-day Force-on-Force course from Tactical Hyve on my own and a low light pistol course from Combat Absolute with Danielle. She and our youngest daughter are also signed up to take a basic pistol course this year (her first). Later this year Danielle and I are both signed up for 5 days worth of driving courses, both on-road and rally. I’m really excited about those. Now that our marketing folks have convinced me to do social media again, I’ll try to remember to post some highlight photos. ;).
The Benefits of Training Courses
In my mind first and foremost taking courses is FUN and we use it as a form of vacation activity. We get to build skills and memories at the same time. Sure, taking these types of training courses is HARD WORK and you are usually dog tired and dirty at the end of the day. But it is a good kind of tired – the type where you know you’ve accomplished something.
Another benefit is that we are investing in our own personal readiness. We are building our skillset and our capabilities so that we can use them when the situation calls for them – whether that is solving a problem with a firearm, using a tourniquet to stop life threatening bleeding, or using advanced driving skills to avoid a crash – after every course you will be better trained in that skill then you were before you walked in the door. That is worth a lot.
The saying of, “If you don’t use it, you lose it.” applies in just about every area of life. You can go out on the range and work drills on your own but if you don’t have someone who is looking over your shoulder correcting your mistakes you might be building the wrong habits. For me, it just makes sense to take a course every now and then to fine tune those skills.
As you can probably tell it is something I’m passionate about. Which is why we’ve rolled out two training related perks at my company that I think are pretty neat.
Employee Training Perks at AmmoSquared
First, we give our full-time employees a $500 training credit that can be used for firearms related training. It is our way of encouraging our people to get out there and get the skills they need to use a firearm effectively. The second perk we offer our employees is an “Employee Ammo Savings Account”. Similar to how a company contributes to employee’s Health Savings Accounts (HSA’s), we contribute to our employees ammo account at AmmoSquared. This way they have no excuse not to go out and get training. In fact many employees that are novice gun owners have recently gone out and received professional training using these perks.
With these two perks we’re putting our money where our values are: encouraging our employees to improve their firearms skills and become card carrying members of America’s Freedom Culture.
Awareness
The next topic I’ll hit on as it relates to readiness, is mental awareness.
In my mind, firearms training and mental awareness are connected because I learned about Jeff Cooper and the Color Code of Mental Awareness in my very first pistol course I took back in 1997. Ever since then I’ve tried to practice situational awareness religiously. I have no doubt it has helped keep me out of trouble. 😉
Jeff Cooper’s Color Code of Mental Awareness
If you are a gun guy (or gal) and you haven’t heard of Jeff Cooper, then you have some reading up to do! Saying Jeff Cooper was just a firearms instructor is like saying Leonardo da Vinci was just a painter – in other words a massive understatement. Cooper was a firearm renaissance man that gave the gun world many gifts such as the “Modern Technique for Pistols”, the scout rifle concept, and of course, the Color Code of Mental Awareness.
Let’s dive in.
The purpose of the color code is to put a name (color) on the various mental states you can be in. It is easy to remember and easy to implement. It just takes a little bit of practice to correct yourself when you find you are in “Condition White”.
What is “Condition White”? Glad you asked…
White: Unaware and Unprepared
This is the state of where you are completely oblivious to the environment around you. Think of someone walking down the street with headphones on, head down texting, in other words a victim in the making. Cooper had a good quote about Condition White:
“If you are attacked in Condition White, you will probably die—unless your adversary is totally inept.” – Jeff Cooper
Cooper emphasized that Condition White is where the average person lives most of the time. But not you… not if you want to be prepared for anything. Next up is condition yellow where you’ll begin to live mentally all of the time, yes even at home because you never know when something will happen.
Yellow: Relaxed Awareness
This is the baseline for prepared individuals. You’re not paranoid or tense, just alert and aware of your surroundings. You notice people, exits, odd behavior—anything out of place.
You’re not expecting trouble, but you know it’s possible. You are more of an observer at this point. Quietly taking it all in and analyzing possible dangerous scenarios: Is there someone hiding in that alley? Is that car going to careen off the street and run into me…
The jump from Yellow to Orange is seamless if something draws your attention.
Orange: Alert
In this state, something or someone has caught your attention—a specific potential threat, but not a confirmed threat, yet. You’re analyzing a specific individual or situation and considering your options. This doesn’t mean you’ve decided to act, only that you’re evaluating. You go from a general awareness to focusing on a specific possible threat.
For example, you do see someone crouching in the alley as you walk by, the driver of the car is swerving erratically.
Your body prepares to respond, and your mind starts running through scenarios. If the threat turns out to be nothing, you go back down to yellow, if it becomes a real threat you move up to Condition Red.
Red: Specific Threat
Here the threat is real and imminent. You’ve also likely already committed to a course of action in Orange—whether it’s to escape, confront, or defend. Condition Red isn’t panic; it’s controlled action. You know what you’re going to do, and you’re doing it.
Condition Red is when all of your preparations and training comes to fruition. They say you don’t rise to the occasion but instead fall to the level of your training. There is no “do over” or “reset” button when you are faced with a real threat to your life. This is where training, physical fitness, and mental toughness all come into play.
Final Thoughts
Jeff Cooper died in 2006 but left us more than shooting techniques, he left a lifesaving mental framework. His Color Code of Mental Awareness reminds us that self-defense begins not with a weapon, but with a mindset. It’s a call to wake up, be present, and live deliberately. In other words, to be ready for anything that comes your way.
“Safety is something that happens between your ears, not something you hold in your hands.” – Jeff Cooper
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