The OODA Loop In Practice

In a VFTD first I'm posting a completely different post than promised in the OODA Loop series. (Yes, I've done this before--but not with this series.) For the simple reason that in thinking about how to follow up I decided I was leaving some necessary information out which will (hopefully) prove useful when I finally get around to posting, Optimizing The OODA Loop For Paintball. 
Remember what the loop represents; Observe, Orient, Decide & Act. Collect information about the game playing environment. Given the nature of the game determine what information is relevant. Choose from among the possible responses. Act on your decision. Repeat constantly. It seems simple enough but there are some common pitfalls to be aware of. First, there is never perfect information. That means that much of the time decisions still must be made on incomplete information. This is where inexperienced players get hung up initially. Not only is the available information incomplete it's always in a state of flux, it's constantly changing and the inexperienced player struggles to process the seemingly chaotic input to a decision. And in a game where seconds often matter failing to make a timely decision is a default decision--and usually not a good one. The second common pitfall is a failure to examine the personal filters we bring as individuals to the Orient (evaluation) process. The inexperienced always bring a higher level of uncertainty--they frequently aren't sure at all what constitutes a good decision in a given situation--to the process along with their personal filters. These filters can be characteristics like caution or aggression. Fear is perhaps the most common. (I don't mean fear in the sense of being afraid so much as fear of failure. And nearly every player contends with that fear to one degree or another.) It is important to have a sense of our personal filters so they don't have undue influence on our decisions.
(If you are wondering about the relevance of breaking down and understanding the decision-making process the most obvious line of separation between D1 and Pro level players is the mental pace of the game--how quick;y decisions are made.) 
On a practical level the tendency for most competitive players to scrimmage and learn a field layout instead of the game itself tends to inhibit a player's development at the decision-making level. This happens because of the player's innate fear of failure and desire to succeed--and more often than not success means doing those things the player is already comfortably doing and confident will work. And given the repetitive nature of the training process it is very easy to develop safe habits and fall into a rut; a pattern of playing it safe. (This also manifests with players "cheating" in practice.)   The best way to combat this tendency is to relentlessly encourage players to push the envelope in practice situations. (And I don't mean play the gray or commit penalties. I mean make aggressive choices and see what happens.) Take risks and ignore the consequences. Success reinforces confidence in the process and decisions made--and the value of this is almost impossible to overstate. Failure requires reevaluation of the whole process to see where, how and why a decision failed so that we learn from that mistake. In either case the focus remains positive as both outcomes, success or failure, are a learning opportunity. Without the risk the result is we play within our comfort zone and our comfort zone is making those decisions during gameplay we are already familiar with--and tend to be focused on staying alive--playing it safe. Pushing beyond those self-imposed boundaries is the beginning of experience. Experience that will carry over to competition.
Okay, next time I really will deliver 'Optimizing The OODA Loop For Paintball.'