Summer 2022 - 18

POLICE
Tips for Mental Preparedness in the Field
By Wesley Sykes, managing editor
D
r. Jen Schumacher, currently the assistant
director of the performance psychology
program at the United States Military
Academy working with cadets and teams on
psychological aspects of elite performance,
grew up in a swimming family. Large family
gatherings were spent on the beach and taking
part in open water swim races. She later
gravitated toward the pool to earn a collegiate
scholarship.
She'd perform well in preparation, setting
personal records in practice, and yet during
meets, she suffered from low confidence,
high self-doubt, performance anxiety, and
comparison to others. You name it, she
struggled with it in the mental domain. She
devoted her academic career to solving that
problem, not only for herself but for those in the
athletic and tactical performance fields.
" I needed to develop confidence. It was a
skill I knew I lacked from an early stage, " she
18 | Tactical Training & Conditioning | Summer 2022
said. " We're often caught up with the output.
What will be my evaluation at the end of the
year? Will I pass my physical exam? Will I get
that promotion at the end of the year? And
sometimes we fail to focus on the input. "
There are skills that can be acquired through
practice, time, and effort - much like physically
training a muscle - to help people mentally
prepare for tasks that may incite some form of
fear, stress, or trauma. Dr. Schumacher sought
out some of the best specialists in the country
to help equip her mentally for her return to
competitive open-water marathon swimming.
In addition to devoting countless hours to her
physical training, sleep schedule, fueling habits
and recovery methods, she needed to focus on
her mental preparedness in advance of her return.
Below are the four skills Dr. Schumacher
incorporated into her own training as well as
advising West Point cadets to do the same in
her profession.
Summer 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Summer 2022
