Situational awareness is one of the most essential elements to combat and martial arts. This was actually the first thing I learned about 8 years ago. In fact, at the time I wasn't even interested in martial arts, it was just a skill my friends showed me through walking around the city and being safe. We did things like walk around at night and have hypothetical conversations and scenarios to make ourselves aware of dangers. I learned that anything can be a weapon and to always be attentive to where people are. This went on for approximately 4 years before ever throwing a punch. This mindfulness is also the first step into other areas of martial arts such a meditation, like when you are focusing on a certain part of your body or being aware of sensations and emotions. Awareness is something that's important in all aspects of life, fighter or not.
So what does it mean to be "situationally aware?" Put simply, it means being aware of your surroundings. Since that's fairly vague I'm going to break those two words down, aware and surroundings. Your surroundings are just where you are, whether you're in a professional or street setting. Even those can be broken down into more specific instances. Such how a MMA octagon is different from a TKD tournament ring, and being in a bar is different than being in a field or a parking lot. An aware fighter is one that acknowledges these differences and makes use of it. The most immediate and obvious difference, one that doesn't require any training whatsoever to understand, is the total absence of rules and referees outside of the ring. This changes the type of techniques you use and the escalation of force - aka weapons and intent. Many people carry knives, some carry guns, and anyone can hit you over the head with a bottle, so being aware that those options are available to your hypothetical attackers (and to youself) is critical for survival in real life scenarios.
How do you become "situationally aware?" Practice and knowledge. Just reading this post opens your mind to the differences. I'm sure most martial artists are already aware that context of where you fight matters and that this awareness will change how you fight, but this is a mental change more than it is a physical one. Your mind has to adapt to the different possibilities that are available when you are fighting someone in places such as a forest or in a bar. Do you think the traditional karate sport fighter or BJJ practitioner is going to think to pick up a rock or stick and beat someone with it? Probably not. Not unless they've been made aware of those options. When training martial arts your mind is purposefully molded to think and perform in a certain way and this is accomplished through practice. But only the techniques that are practiced sufficiently are translated into muscle memory or reflex and happen automatically during a fight. So if someone doesn't train their mind in being situationally aware they probably won't pick up the rock because it isn't a possibility that their mind is accustomed to. This is a common theme that I will discuss later, which is how you are trained determines the type of fighter you are -- TKD gyms typically train people for competition, so they will be adequate at sport fighting, but not necessarily any other kind, because their training is designed to make them good at competing -- not survival.
The other aspect of being situationally aware is knowing what techniques to do depending on the context of your fight. This is when knowing multiple martial arts is crucial. If you are walking to your car and 3 or 4 guys approach you and instigate a fight and all you know is BJJ then your chances of survival are slim to none. Sure you might break that first guys' arm, but rest assured as you are on the ground executing that arm-bar that his friends will be attacking you as well. But if you know BJJ, Western Boxing, and a few solid disarm techniques, you will probably be just fine because you are well-rounded and aren't relying on just one thing. It all depends on the specific situation though, if only one guy comes after you and you only know BJJ, you will almost certainly be fine because that's a situation where BJJ excels, which is why it's almost necessary in the UFC. Some things only work in the ring, and some things only work in the streets, you have to be open and aware of both to fully take advantage during a fight.
One of the most useful things that I learned from situational awareness was how to avoid encounters. We will go more in depth on how to not get into a fight in a future post, but the skills learned from being able to do that are also relevant here. This involves watching the people around you, whether your walking down the street and looking several blocks away to see the body language of everyone, or being in a bar and paying attention to how much someone is drinking and how it is affecting him/her. But all of this requires being situationally aware and knowing of these real world variables. Things like being attentive to a persons tone on a certain topic or body language will tell you all sorts of information about them. You can tell by the way a person stands, walks, and carries their self in a conversation whether or not they are likely to fight you or what kind of training they have had, if any. You have to be aware of what state you are in and what city within because everyone has a different culture and way of handling things. Something that could be normal in D.C. might be seen as disrespectful somewhere else. You also have to be aware especially when you are in a different country. How does that country view Americans, if you're American, or forigners in general? Their laws and customs are almost guaranteed to be very different to what you are used to, and that is something you would be wise to keep in mind.
All of these things MUST be taken into account at all times, because it is the first step in every altercation. Where you are, who you are, who you are with, how many opponents, the time of day, and much more, is always a part of combat. This matters more than just in the street though. Professional fighters and trainers are fully aware of this. That's why if a fighter is training in Miami and has a fight in Denver, they will most likely leave a few weeks before the fight so the fighter can get acclimated. Part of training a fighter psychologically is making him/her comfortable and able to perform in a huge stadium on national TV with thousands watching.
Your surroundings determine everything about the fight, and it is a critical aspect that everyone needs to be aware of all the time. These differences can be devastating in the ring and can be the difference between life and death in the street. Being situationally aware is the first step in being a great fighter. Like Darwin said: "It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change."
--Zach
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