The O.O.D.A. Loop.

The O.O.D.A. Loop is a process that we all go through while processing stress in real time.

First we OBSERVE a stimulus or threat. That stimulus might be a punch comming at our head, a car approching us from the rear, a yellow light, a nasty look from someone, et al. We interpret the danger.

Second we ORIENT it to ourselves. How close is it? How fast is it going to get to me? Is it coming for me at all? Am I even in danger?

Third we DECIDE what we are going to do about it. Nothing? Move? Say something? Run? We decide the best course of action.

Finally we ACT. We make the best decision that we can based on our experience, training, and information allows.

This may sound complex but if you drive, you do this daily. Think about it like this. You are going to work and you pull up to the road in your car. You look both ways and decide that you are clear. You pull out onto the road and soon you see a car quickley coming up behind you. It's coming fast (observe and orient). Do you pull over, move to the other lane, slam on your breaks, speed up, or stay consistent? You are deciding. As your drive goes on, more cars join the road, stop lights are working, people are crossing the street. Everyone of these things act on your O.O.D.A loop. The reason that this is easy for you is because you have been through it so much that you already know the answer to these situations.

That is point of self-defense/martial arts training. You are put through the same scenarios so many times that if it ever happens in real life, you will already know the answer and you can go straight to ACT without having to decide what to do. You will get this out of almost all martial arts schools.

At Spherical Martial Arts we take it two steps further. First we teach on principles and tie as much together as we. Second we teach you how to get your attacker on the Observation stage and how to keep them there.

We would love to help you on your mastery of self-defense. Give us a call at 405-566-2244