We look around, but what about UP?

[deadguy]

Since getting my CWP a few years ago my SA has improved 1000% like most others here. Head always on a swivel, using mirrors and reflective paint on cars and mirrors more often to see behind me, etc.

Walking around our public walking track the other morning I realized something. There are trees that hang over the track in certain areas. A BG could be sitting on a limb and easily jump down on a person and basically take them down with little effort. It hit me that threats can come from above just as easy, if not easier than, all around us.

Do any of you consciously look up for a potential threat?

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Rotorblade]

Good SA doesn't mean that every excursion outside your home needs to be treated like a combat mission into enemy territory.
I think that if your looking for bad guys in trees then you aren't enjoying life. Stay aware, not anxious and stressed out!

[archer51]

While I watch what is going on around me, I don't look up unless I'm going up stairs. 99.9% of bad guys are too lazy to work, let alone climb a tree.

[deadguy]

Good SA doesn't mean that every excursion outside your home needs to be treated like a combat mission into enemy territory.
I think that if your looking for bad guys in trees then you aren't enjoying life. Stay aware, not anxious and stressed out!

Not saying I am that paranoid and stressed about it. It's simply a possibility and something that could happen. Can't rule anything out.

[wmhawth]

Charley's everywhere, and he never sleeps.

[Porp]

Good SA doesn't mean that every excursion outside your home needs to be treated like a combat mission into enemy territory.
I think that if your looking for bad guys in trees then you aren't enjoying life. Stay aware, not anxious and stressed out!

Agreed 100%

[claude clay]

looking every--which--way includes up.....and down if you are in a construction area.
or hiking. but that you mention it is good. reminds people that we live in a world with 6 sides.

and concerning trees--it is yet another good reason to never give your gun to a monkey.

--->being observant is not a "stressing" manor of life.
if SA in its entirety stresses you, than you either are not doing it properly or your thresh hold
for stress may preclude your being absorbing the 'all'. find the level of awareness that suits your mental 'rhythm'
and go with it.

under the heading that some i better than none. and 80% of what is 'likely' to occur is going to come from
the easier to observe rear & sides; pretty much , you have it covered. i did not say 'front' cause your are looking that way naturally.

not all are equal taking in a situation at a glance and responding on auto--defaulting to traning.
train to your level of comfort, again--some training being better than none.
and vid's of what others do [making sure that the one doing the instructing knows what they are takling about] may be nice to aspire to,
but so is watching NASCAR and how many of us could even get that race car out of the pits?

train up to your natural skill; push it as far as you are comfortable.
but i repeat myself, so i am going to apply for a job on my loco school board.

[adric22]

Since getting my CWP a few years ago my SA has improved 1000% like most others here. Head always on a swivel, using mirrors and reflective paint on cars and mirrors more often to see behind me, etc.

Walking around our public walking track the other morning I realized something. There are trees that hang over the track in certain areas. A BG could be sitting on a limb and easily jump down on a person and basically take them down with little effort. It hit me that threats can come from above just as easy, if not easier than, all around us.

I suppose it would greatly depend on the circumstance. I've actually never heard of a case of a bad-guy jumping a random stranger from a tree. I suppose it could happen, though. I agree with Archer51, that most are too lazy. besides that, when jumping out of a tree there is no guarantee what kind of footing you might end up with. I think it is too risky of an attack method and I bet even the dumb crooks realize that unless they trained as a ninja or something.

[paaiyan]

While I watch what is going on around me, I don't look up unless I'm going up stairs. 99.9% of bad guys are too lazy to work, let alone climb a tree.

This. I check as far up the stairs as I can see. Or if I'm hiking I like to know what's above me. Otherwise no, I don't really check. I really don't think there are many BGs who would be willing to climb a tree like that, but now that it's been mentioned I'll catch myself looking up for a couple days now.

[deadguy]

I suppose it would greatly depend on the circumstance. I've actually never heard of a case of a bad-guy jumping a random stranger from a tree. I suppose it could happen, though. I agree with Archer51, that most are too lazy. besides that, when jumping out of a tree there is no guarantee what kind of footing you might end up with. I think it is too risky of an attack method and I bet even the dumb crooks realize that unless they trained as a ninja or something.

I will never depend on the BG being too dumb to think about jumping from a tree or too lazy to actually climb one.

Most BG's are opportunists and if the opportunity is there to jump from above and land on the back of your head or shoulders and immediately incapacitate you they will do it. Never count on all of them being dumb or lazy.

[Yankeejib]

Do any of you consciously look up for a potential threat?

Is that why all my friends greet each other with "WAZZZZZUP"?

[claude clay]

not just for bad guys in a tree (hee-hee) but what else you may see.....colorful birds ( which you do not want to walk under as they poop every 15 minutes
and have a sense of humor). life is interesting--look around, its not all about SA though that happens also; but it is in the background of your mind. it takes something out of place
for your sub-conscious to flag your thinking self.

walking with friends it seems i am the one pointing things out (photographer also) and their comments, besides, wow, is often , "i never noticed that."

you know what your feet look like--now try looking around at where they are taking you.

[Thunder71]

First and foremost, I carry a gun to protect myself and my loved ones. That doesn't mean that I'm going to be looking under cars, behind every tree, or on top of every roof.

It means that I'm aware of my surroundings, and try to act accordingly. I feel like we all take chances any time we get in our vehicle and head down the highway, I'm 100% certain that I've driven by thousands of deer without even knowing they were there. Does that make me unaware? Sure. Does that make me at higher risk of hitting one? Probably. Do I stress myself out about how many deer are there that I didn't see? Not a chance.

Sometimes 'stuff' is just going to happen, regardless of how much attention you pay to your surroundings. I think half the battle is running through scenarios so you at least have an idea of what you would do in as many situations as possible. Doesn't mean you'll follow through or that it will play out like you hoped.

There's awareness, then there's phobia... I personally choose not to let it run my life, only make me more aware and pay attention to my instincts rather than ignore them.

If you wish to look in every tree, or feel it's necessary in your situation, more power to you.

[limatunes]

We used to have raccoon for a pet and three apple trees. My father used to have us throw all of the fallen apples into the field before mowing the lawn so they wouldn't hurt the lawn mower.

The darned raccoon would very sneakily climb the apple tree you were working under and throw apples down on your head OR jump on you himself if he thought you were close enough.

He didn't do the latter often because the surprise of being jumped on usually made the person he jumped on so surprised they end up throwing him across the yard in natural self-defense or there were times when he would miss his mark and end up flattened for a few minutes on the ground. He found that throwing apples was far more fun and a lot less dangerous to himself... that is, until we started throwing apples back at him.

The moral of the story is that jumping out of a tree is a dangerous game and usually reserved for kids who think they are having fun on stupid dares, trying to fly or on Halloween to scare the beejeezers out of someone. More than likely, if a criminal is in a tree they are trying to gain access to a second story window or are peeping Toms.

Another thing to consider is whether or not a particular tree is even climbable.

Most people (especially Americans) are overweight, stiff and couldn't do a single pull-up if their life depended on it. They are far more likely to hide behind a bush than attempt to climb a tree.

Of course there are always exceptions but your average trees around your average walk-ways are trimmed in such a way as to allow plenty of space for walking traffic. The limbs are trimmed far too high for your average individual to climb them easily. Instead of searching the tree for an occupant (which could be hard), search the tree for its ease of being climbed. If it has relatively low branches that look easy to access just walk around the tree instead of directly under it.

I love trees. I love looking at them. When I was a child I loved climbing them. I actually did used to climb trees and watch people. I've slept in trees. I've jumped out of trees. I've made forts in trees. Admiring trees is something I do. I have already carefully considered all of the trees on my average walking routes and know that short of being a monkey there are very very few that would even be able to be easily climbed.

You're far more likely to be hit by a falling branch (or a thrown apple by a rogue raccoon) than by a criminal meaning to do you harm.

[ArkhmAsylm]

Of course. You don't have to be paranoid or on a "mission" to simply pay attention to your surroundings.

Plus, I've watched enough Schwarzenegger movies to know better than to ignore the trees!