Lord Bodak
Member
Is the "Principles of Personal Defense" book the one where Jeff Cooper explains the conditions? I've read the descriptions before, and I've heard recommendations to read the book, but I'm not sure if they're actually in the book.
Jeff Cooper "Conditions"
- Thread starter Lord Bodak
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"Principles of Personal Defense" is more of a pamphlet than a book really. He does not list or even mention the conditions by name, but he does give a pretty good description of how to practice Condition Orange in it. The pamphlet focuses on his seven priniciples.
Lord Bodak
Member
Thanks Ben.
On another forum someone said they are covered in "To Ride, Shoot Straight, and Tell the Truth," which is a book I want to read anyway.
On another forum someone said they are covered in "To Ride, Shoot Straight, and Tell the Truth," which is a book I want to read anyway.
This from http://www.sightm1911.com/Care/1911_conditions.htm:
"The legendary guru of the combat 1911, Jeff Cooper, came up with the "Condition" system to define the state of readiness of the 1911-pattern pistol. The are:
Condition 0 - A round is in the chamber, hammer is cocked, and the safety is off.
Condition 1 - Also known as "cocked and locked," means a round is in the chamber, the hammer is cocked, and the manual thumb safety on the side of the frame is applied.
Condition 2 - A round is in the chamber and the hammer is down.
Condition 3 - The chamber is empty and hammer is down with a charged magazine in the gun.
Condition 4 - The chamber is empty, hammer is down and no magazine is in the gun."
There are others, some of them dangerous.
Condition 17 - Same as Condition 0, but in the hand of your wife who has just compared notes with your girlfriend in the Ladies' room.
Condition 23 - At home in the safe when the BG knocks you down and takes your wallet.
Condition 32 - Same as Condition 1, but in the hand of your six-year old son who took it out of your holster and is running around the supermarket, yelling "Bang, bang!"
Condition 46 - In your hand, aimed at a BG, and you are pulling the trigger with the safety on because you thought you had your Glock.
Jim
"The legendary guru of the combat 1911, Jeff Cooper, came up with the "Condition" system to define the state of readiness of the 1911-pattern pistol. The are:
Condition 0 - A round is in the chamber, hammer is cocked, and the safety is off.
Condition 1 - Also known as "cocked and locked," means a round is in the chamber, the hammer is cocked, and the manual thumb safety on the side of the frame is applied.
Condition 2 - A round is in the chamber and the hammer is down.
Condition 3 - The chamber is empty and hammer is down with a charged magazine in the gun.
Condition 4 - The chamber is empty, hammer is down and no magazine is in the gun."
There are others, some of them dangerous.
Condition 17 - Same as Condition 0, but in the hand of your wife who has just compared notes with your girlfriend in the Ladies' room.
Condition 23 - At home in the safe when the BG knocks you down and takes your wallet.
Condition 32 - Same as Condition 1, but in the hand of your six-year old son who took it out of your holster and is running around the supermarket, yelling "Bang, bang!"
Condition 46 - In your hand, aimed at a BG, and you are pulling the trigger with the safety on because you thought you had your Glock.
Jim
Lord Bodak
Member
That was good Jim 
I was actually referring to the readiness color codes though... condition white, red, etc. But I have always wondered what all the 1911 conditions were, so thanks!
I was actually referring to the readiness color codes though... condition white, red, etc. But I have always wondered what all the 1911 conditions were, so thanks!
45crittergitter
Member
In my own words:
White: Warm & fuzzy, unaware, oblivious, i.e., food.
Yellow: Aware, cautious. Avoids uncomfortable people or places. Always watching for threats and exits. Constantly forming "the plan." No specific threat known.
Orange: Specific threat identified. Takes actions to avoid or dispose of.
Red: Kill or be killed. Fight/flight in progress.
Black: There is no black. It is a fig newton
of some gun teacher's imagination. See red, above.
White: Warm & fuzzy, unaware, oblivious, i.e., food.
Yellow: Aware, cautious. Avoids uncomfortable people or places. Always watching for threats and exits. Constantly forming "the plan." No specific threat known.
Orange: Specific threat identified. Takes actions to avoid or dispose of.
Red: Kill or be killed. Fight/flight in progress.
Black: There is no black. It is a fig newton
of some gun teacher's imagination. See red, above.ctdonath
Member
"White" = unaware that there could be a threat.
"Yellow" = aware of the conceivability of a threat; watching for threats.
"Orange" = threat situation developing; intuitive awareness of possible threat, or circumstances may devolve into threat.
"Red" = there is an active deadly threat present.
As for "black"...
Cooper, being a soldier, did not include "black". Being in "red" means "there is a threat present, deal with it."
Ayoob, being a cop, added "black". Being in "red" means "draw, aim, and do everything you can to stop him or escape except shoot"; "black" is "shooting in progress".
Soldiers act to destroy threats the moment they appear.
Cops act to defuse threats, preferably without harm, destroying the threat only when no other option is available.
Both have explained "red" and "black" to me personally. Their divergence on the issue plainly stems from key differences in their background (soldier vs. cop).
In addition:
"Brown" = head up butt.
"Clear" / "transparent" = unaware of blatantly obvious threat (say, deranged wierdo approaching while screaming murderous threats and waving big knife).
"Plaid" = very confused, likely drugged.
"Yellow" = aware of the conceivability of a threat; watching for threats.
"Orange" = threat situation developing; intuitive awareness of possible threat, or circumstances may devolve into threat.
"Red" = there is an active deadly threat present.
As for "black"...
Cooper, being a soldier, did not include "black". Being in "red" means "there is a threat present, deal with it."
Ayoob, being a cop, added "black". Being in "red" means "draw, aim, and do everything you can to stop him or escape except shoot"; "black" is "shooting in progress".
Soldiers act to destroy threats the moment they appear.
Cops act to defuse threats, preferably without harm, destroying the threat only when no other option is available.
Both have explained "red" and "black" to me personally. Their divergence on the issue plainly stems from key differences in their background (soldier vs. cop).
In addition:
"Brown" = head up butt.
"Clear" / "transparent" = unaware of blatantly obvious threat (say, deranged wierdo approaching while screaming murderous threats and waving big knife).
"Plaid" = very confused, likely drugged.
mhdishere
Member
While I haven't read Ayoob's comments on conditions, I have read Cooper's. One thing he stresses repeatedly is that the conditions are NOT a measure of the danger your find yourself in, but they're a method of overcoming the psychological unwillingness a normal person has to actually shoot someone. Condition White means you're completely unaware of any prospective danger,
Yellow is a basic awareness of your surroundings, no specific threat but the knowledge that you MAY have to shoot someone,
Orange means you have identified a SPECIFIC person you may have to shoot,
Red means that the person has crossed the line and it's time to shoot.
I don't think it has anything to do with the soldier vs cop issue, and the issue is clouded by thinking of the conditions as a measure of your threat level. Ayoob's "red" sounds a lot like Cooper's Orange. Ditto Ayoob's Black and Cooper's Red.
Yellow is a basic awareness of your surroundings, no specific threat but the knowledge that you MAY have to shoot someone,
Orange means you have identified a SPECIFIC person you may have to shoot,
Red means that the person has crossed the line and it's time to shoot.
I don't think it has anything to do with the soldier vs cop issue, and the issue is clouded by thinking of the conditions as a measure of your threat level. Ayoob's "red" sounds a lot like Cooper's Orange. Ditto Ayoob's Black and Cooper's Red.
Travis McGee
Member
JIm:
LMAO!!
LMAO!!
TonyB
Member
Condition pink:driving mini-van,on cell phone,children hanging out of van screaming
Condition camo:doing the "low crawl"to you mailbox..just in case...
Condition silver:tin foil hat on,in the corner in the fetal position,sucking your thumb,waiting for "them" to find you......
Condition Cooper:1911 at the ready because any other gun or caliber is useless
Condition camo:doing the "low crawl"to you mailbox..just in case...
Condition silver:tin foil hat on,in the corner in the fetal position,sucking your thumb,waiting for "them" to find you......
Condition Cooper:1911 at the ready because any other gun or caliber is useless
pangris
Member
I believe Clint Smith added black, not Ayoob, but I could be wrong.
Fred Fuller
Moderator Emeritus
http://www.molonlabe.net/Commentaries/
Jeff Cooper's Commentaries
Previously Gunsite Gossip
Vol. 13, No. 1 January 2005
---------------------
Practice Time
---------------------
snip
I have been teaching the Color Code for about 30 years now, but I have not been teaching it well. I keep seeing something handed back to me which purports to be what I have taught, but which is not. Clearly I am not as much of a teacher as I would like to be.
I believe I can speak freely of the Color Code because as it applies to defensive pistolcraft I invented it. I cannot, of course, say that what I think is right, but only that what I have preached is just that - what I have preached. It works, and it satisfies me, but not all the time. I have scores of cases now from men I have taught and who have reported back to me that their understanding of a Color Code saved their lives. This, of course, is very satisfying, but I do wish the matter were more clearly understood.
The Color Code refers not to a condition of peril, but rather to a condition of readiness to take life. Fortunately most people are very reluctant to take lethal action against another human being. Most people are reluctant to shoot for blood on a harmless game animal, until they become used to it. To press the trigger on a human adversary calls for a wrenching effort of will which is always difficult to achieve and sometimes apparently impossible. Thus we live our days in Condition White, which may or may not have anything to do with our danger, since quite frequently we are in deadly danger and do not realize it. Any time you cross directions out on a two-lane highway you are at the mercy of that character coming towards you in the opposite direction. Usually he is okay, but when he is under some sort of chemical influence, or is psychologically upset, he may only twitch his wheel to produce a multiple fatal accident. Most of us would prefer to live in Condition White permanently, and many do, but those who are more aware of the nature of things are often in Yellow, which is a condition in which we are aware that the world is full of hazards which are human, and some of which may be obviated by our own defensive action. When one is in Condition Yellow he is aware that today may be the day. He is not in a combat mood, nor is he aware of any specific situation which may call for action on his part. There is a vital difference between White and Yellow, and it has to do not with any specific enemy or a set of circumstances, but rather with your awareness that you individually may have to take decisive action on this very day. If you are attacked in Condition White, you will probably die, or at least need a stretcher. If you are attacked in Condition Yellow, you will probably win, assuming that you are armed, awake and aware. The difference does not lie in the deadliness of the hazard facing you, but rather in your willingness to take a very unusual action.
If in the course of events you become aware of the possible existence in your presence of a lethal adversary, you switch from Yellow to Orange. The difference lies in the specific nature of your presumed antagonist, not in his evident competence or attitude. In Yellow you say to yourself, "I may have to shoot today." I may actually have to press my trigger on a human adversary, but I don't know who or where.
When you detect the presence of a target who may be the one you will have to engage, you shift from Yellow to Orange. In Yellow your mind-set is "I may have to shoot today." In Orange it is "I may have to shoot him today." At this point your normal reluctance becomes easier to overcome. Legal and moral aspects of the conflict are lowered and have been dismissed from your mind. Your attitude is dictated by the presence of that enemy standing there. You may have to shoot him, now, today. What is needed is a trigger. The trigger is the act establishing that the situation is indeed a matter of lethal conflict. This is Condition Red, and in Red you have solved the psychological problem and have no further concerns beyond the technical. In Red you are go, and your mind is concerned only with front-sight and surprise.
Moving from the various Conditions into each other is easy to accomplish once it is understood. If you are attacked in White you will lose the fight. In Yellow you will have the advantage of initiative response over your antagonist. In Orange you are pretty safe, provided you are armed, alert and aware. In Red you win. Simple, isn't it? Clearly you cannot go any further than Red because in Red you have already made the lethal decision. Complications are unproductive.
========================
Jeff Cooper's Commentaries
Previously Gunsite Gossip
Vol. 13, No. 1 January 2005
---------------------
Practice Time
---------------------
snip
I have been teaching the Color Code for about 30 years now, but I have not been teaching it well. I keep seeing something handed back to me which purports to be what I have taught, but which is not. Clearly I am not as much of a teacher as I would like to be.
I believe I can speak freely of the Color Code because as it applies to defensive pistolcraft I invented it. I cannot, of course, say that what I think is right, but only that what I have preached is just that - what I have preached. It works, and it satisfies me, but not all the time. I have scores of cases now from men I have taught and who have reported back to me that their understanding of a Color Code saved their lives. This, of course, is very satisfying, but I do wish the matter were more clearly understood.
The Color Code refers not to a condition of peril, but rather to a condition of readiness to take life. Fortunately most people are very reluctant to take lethal action against another human being. Most people are reluctant to shoot for blood on a harmless game animal, until they become used to it. To press the trigger on a human adversary calls for a wrenching effort of will which is always difficult to achieve and sometimes apparently impossible. Thus we live our days in Condition White, which may or may not have anything to do with our danger, since quite frequently we are in deadly danger and do not realize it. Any time you cross directions out on a two-lane highway you are at the mercy of that character coming towards you in the opposite direction. Usually he is okay, but when he is under some sort of chemical influence, or is psychologically upset, he may only twitch his wheel to produce a multiple fatal accident. Most of us would prefer to live in Condition White permanently, and many do, but those who are more aware of the nature of things are often in Yellow, which is a condition in which we are aware that the world is full of hazards which are human, and some of which may be obviated by our own defensive action. When one is in Condition Yellow he is aware that today may be the day. He is not in a combat mood, nor is he aware of any specific situation which may call for action on his part. There is a vital difference between White and Yellow, and it has to do not with any specific enemy or a set of circumstances, but rather with your awareness that you individually may have to take decisive action on this very day. If you are attacked in Condition White, you will probably die, or at least need a stretcher. If you are attacked in Condition Yellow, you will probably win, assuming that you are armed, awake and aware. The difference does not lie in the deadliness of the hazard facing you, but rather in your willingness to take a very unusual action.
If in the course of events you become aware of the possible existence in your presence of a lethal adversary, you switch from Yellow to Orange. The difference lies in the specific nature of your presumed antagonist, not in his evident competence or attitude. In Yellow you say to yourself, "I may have to shoot today." I may actually have to press my trigger on a human adversary, but I don't know who or where.
When you detect the presence of a target who may be the one you will have to engage, you shift from Yellow to Orange. In Yellow your mind-set is "I may have to shoot today." In Orange it is "I may have to shoot him today." At this point your normal reluctance becomes easier to overcome. Legal and moral aspects of the conflict are lowered and have been dismissed from your mind. Your attitude is dictated by the presence of that enemy standing there. You may have to shoot him, now, today. What is needed is a trigger. The trigger is the act establishing that the situation is indeed a matter of lethal conflict. This is Condition Red, and in Red you have solved the psychological problem and have no further concerns beyond the technical. In Red you are go, and your mind is concerned only with front-sight and surprise.
Moving from the various Conditions into each other is easy to accomplish once it is understood. If you are attacked in White you will lose the fight. In Yellow you will have the advantage of initiative response over your antagonist. In Orange you are pretty safe, provided you are armed, alert and aware. In Red you win. Simple, isn't it? Clearly you cannot go any further than Red because in Red you have already made the lethal decision. Complications are unproductive.
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