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The Strike Report - February 2012
“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him...power!" ~ Abraham Lincoln
TACTICAL VISUAL SCANNING!
In the various LEO survival programs being taught around the nation as well as advanced tactical training schools, all of us have heard the terms: "Tunnel Vision" or "Visual Exclusion," and "Perceptional Narrowing." You have also been warned how dangerous it can be, especially when you are hit with a tsunami of stressors brought on by the acceleration of actual combat engagement or the potential for an immediate threat, a possible injury you have incurred, or...compounded by dangerous low light conditions!
Before we go any further, do me a favor. Go to http://www.msf-usa.org/motion.html and put yourself through this visual scan test. It is an outstanding demonstration of the importance of visual scanning and how dangerous tunnel vision can really be. You will find a black box with t rotating blue crosses. You will see three yellow dots strategically placed in the box in a triangle shape and in the very center a green focal dot. As you concentrate and center focus on the green dot, you will see that some of the yellow dots disappear or all of them disappear. Being the typical LEO's that you are, you will probably think that some internet wizard has tricked this deal up and has them rigged to periodically disappear to jack with your young mind. I know because that was exactly the way I was thinking, always skeptical and prove it to me if this is the real deal.
Now take the test again. This time, don't entirely focus on the center green dot and visually scan you eyes ten degrees to the side and up and down. What you will find is that the yellow dots remain visible and in place the entire time. It is a great illustration on how getting fixated in combat on one thing or one area, could potentially expose you to other threats that you are unaware of. When put into low light conditions then it becomes even more dangerous since reduced light automatically impairs your overall vision.
TVS (Tactical Visual Scanning) is a critical skill to learn! Why? Remember, our visual intake or visual assessment is one of our most important physical senses because it helps us to acquire and process incoming intelligence from what we are able to see. It helps us to locate potential threat areas and targets, to identify friend or foe, what they are armed with, the speed and direction which they are moving, and the point at which they become a direct threat to us. Our vision dominates our shooting process.
Understanding the negative aspects of stressors on our vision: As sudden violence begins to erupt around you or if you are suddenly experiencing the possibility of a serious threat, mounting stressors begin to inhibit and restrict those physical senses which help you to regulate your performance and response to a threat. Under deep stress the processes of visual acuity is quickly narrowed down and becomes fuzzy. The fixation can become so acute that it deteriorates any peripheral awareness and leaves the officer exposed to other potential threats that he/she might not be aware of in the area.
Under Low Light Conditions you must also deal with the "Blind Spot." The Blind Spot is a 5 to 10 degree area of the central optic disk in which the retina gets no light. To combat the effects of the Blind Spot, an officer must practice visual scanning ten degrees above, below, or to either side to offset the Blind Spot area. Visual Scanning also helps to reduce the effects of "Autokinesis," which is a loss of surrounding references that are used to stabilize the eye under low light conditions.
Offsetting your vision and practicing scanning drills are extremely important to help you shake off the effects of various conditions we have mentioned above but more importantly, is conditioning yourself so you can respond adequately when stressors mount and you begin to feel the effects of "Tunnel Vision."
Source References: Dr. Edward Godnig - Police Policy Studies Council Jack Perritt - Strike Intl. Tactical Low Light Course
By:
Jack C. Perritt Executive Director Strike International
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