OODA Loop

[Woodsman]

Just happened to be reading a short article this morning and it brought back some memories of a topic covered in some of the training classes I've attended. Here's a link to that article which was written by Ernest Emerson of Emerson knives fame. Extreme Violence Part I - HUMAN EVENTS

Side note: He has had some very interesting articles published on the Human Events website lately, in case you would be interested in reading those.

The current article deals with the OODA loop formulated by the late Lt. Col John Boyd USAF, who was a fighter pilot.

The principles expressed by Lt. Col John Boyd were mentioned in the context of gun fight, in my training sessions. So I thought it might be useful to search out some reference material for those who might be unfamiliar with the term, as well as a refresher for myself. I'm sure there other links, however, the one posted below seemed to be a good starting point.

http://ccjatraining.com/articles/OODALoop.pdf

In larger scale conflicts, you might think of this principle as a way of getting in the aggressor's head too.

Here's a short one for a modification of the same, but from the British: New Meaning for ‘OODA Loop’.

Anyway, for those that have not heard of this I hope the above provides some insight.

 

[esrice]

Thanks for the links. I know the OODA Loop concept really opened up my eyes when it came to personal defense.

 

[Woodsman]

Thanks for the links. I know the OODA Loop concept really opened up my eyes when it came to personal defense.

You're welcome. I had something like this decision making process grilled into me before in a different context, but the distinction to the levels or color codes had not been a part of that. It sure helped to expand my awareness though, which is always the best part of defense.

 

[Blackhawk2001]

I've been aware of the OODA loop for a number of years, but it's always been associated with dogfighting or pre-operations intelligence strategies. Interesting to see where Emerson is going with this.

 

[rhino]

My brother usually incorporates the idea of the OODA loop during the classroom portion of our DP101 pistol class.

 

[MattYagPD01]

The Upside of Turbulence by Donald Sull brings in the OODA loop in the book. It is an outstanding formula... thanks for the link.

Read the book. It is a good book.

 

[cburnworth]

i read that article also, it was really good. There are other good articles wit the guns & patriots newsletters.

 

[60Driver]

Well I am Glad to hear ""40 second Boyd's" concepts are being taught at the tactical small arms level, he is truly revered as a legend and father of modern air combat tactics. The OODA loop theory is HIGHLY applicable to to many scenarios and environmets, but particularly applicable to combative situations.

For those not familiar with his legend I will add this:

"During the 1950s, John Boyd dominated fighter aviation in the U.S. Air Force. His fame came on the wings of the quirky and treacherous F-100; the infamous "Hun." Boyd was known throughout the Air Force as "Forty-Second Boyd," because he had a standing offer to all pilots that if they could defeat them in simulated air-to-air combat in under 40 seconds, he would pay them $40. Like any gunslinger with a name and a reputation, he was called out many times. As an instructor at the Fighter Weapons School (FWS) at Nellis AFB, he fought students, cadre pilots, Marine and Navy pilots, and pilots from a dozen countries, who were attending the FWS as part of the Mutual Defense Assistance Pact.

He never lost."

 

[Woodsman]

One thing I find very interesting is what you can learn from another disciplines and then apply it to your own unique situation. While cross-training is something human resource people like to talk about, there are obvious benefits to other scenarios too. The application of fighter pilot thought processes is one.

People spend a lifetime becoming masters at a specific topic or skill, for others the jack-of-all-trades route where you know something about a lot of different techniques or skills can be equally useful.

After having read the comments so far, it seems most of the posters have been pilots which makes sense since the topic originated from a flight based theory.