The Mistake That Gets People Jumped

Hey Warrior,

You trained the Rear Naked Choke…

You drilled the takedown…

You ran the simulation under pressure…

…But today, we step back.

Because if your mind wasn’t in the right place before the fight, everything you practiced could fall apart in the opening seconds.

Let’s talk about the Cooper Color Code.

It’s not new. It’s not flashy.

But it is one of the most useful mental models you’ll ever apply to self-defense.

The idea is simple. It breaks down your state of awareness into four color-coded levels:

• White: You’re switched off. Unaware. Distracted.

• Yellow: You’re relaxed, but alert. You’re paying attention.

• Orange: You’ve noticed something specific that feels off. You’re watching it.

• Red: You’ve made the decision to act. The threat is real. You’re in the fight.

Most people live in White.

Some martial artists train in Red, but walk around in White and pretend they’ll just “flip the switch” when needed.

It doesn’t work like that.

You can’t respond to a threat you didn’t see coming.

In this week’s scenario—the Barista Beatdown—we saw a clear breakdown.

The old man didn’t realize he was in danger until the canister of mace was already in his face…

…If it even registered at all!

He kept fighting for his bag seemingly oblivious to the mace can.

Real situational awareness isn’t about being paranoid.

It’s about staying in Yellow, learning to recognize when you’ve stepped into Orange, and understanding how to shift into Red with intention—not panic.

So here’s your takeaway today…

Think about where you usually live.

Not just in training, but in the real world.

Are you Yellow when you're walking through a parking lot?

Do you notice when someone’s watching you a second too long?

Or are you stuck in White, trusting your technique to save you after it’s too late?

Next week, we’ll drop into a scenario where a man draws a knife on a shop employee and she…

…well, handles it interestingly.

Until then, stay in Yellow. Stay dangerous.

Paul Simoes

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