Winter 2023 - 31

sports athlete has but they have to have it day in
and day out, every day of their profession. They
need to exhibit feats of strength, power, aerobic
and anaerobic capacity, flexibility, stability and
mobility through everyday functional movements
to aid in better human performance.
The tactical athlete needs to move their
body in all three anatomical planes of motion
confidently and precisely. Furthermore, they
must exhibit qualities of resiliency and recovery
which are both key components in safely
maximizing their career and more importantly,
longevity in life. Through this writer's 27-plus
years of dedicated Federal Service as a Drug
Enforcement Administration Special Agent and
a New Jersey State Trooper, there are clearly
cognizant concerns and issues that face tactical
athletes in their respective professions. A tactical
athlete or operator has to pass a bi-annual or
yearly physical fitness assessment that measures
their physical proficiency.
First and foremost, the tactical athlete, unlike
a sports athlete, has no off-season. This means
they do not have months and months to prepare
to be at optimal performance for a set period
based on a season's game schedule. They have
to be at peak performance every day during the
year and have to be able to make critical and lifechanging
decisions for themselves, coworkers,
and respective third parties. They are typically
afforded a working schedule for a few months
at a time. Their schedule can be either an eight,
10 or 12-hour day and may or may not include
shift work - which depending on the agency or
department may rotate every three to four weeks.
This abnormal sleep schedule disrupts the normal
body chemistry of hormone production and plays
a significant factor in the ability of the tactical
athlete, to perform optimally when called upon.
Therefore, it is incumbent upon the tactical athlete
to constantly adapt their changing schedule
based upon the aforementioned variables.
Other variables include not eating or making
the best food choices. For example, an officer may
have well intentions to have a healthy meal a few
hours into their shift but if a call for service comes
up, then that takes precedence and the officer
will miss the meal and then when free, rushes to
consume something quick to satisfy their hunger
but was not their original intended healthy choice.
It can also be the officer working undercover
in a surveillance role or special agent that begins
their day with the same intentions that believe
they may have an eight-hour day of work to
only find that their case has required them to be
there for the next 24 hours. Or worse yet, they
may be required to stay for a few days which
subsequently means living out of their car. This
same example holds true for the firefighter
battling a call for duty that extends to these
same prolonged hours. Or the military soldier
that has their mission or current deployment
extended beyond the original anticipated time
and call of duty.
So how does an individual train like a tactical
athlete?
Now that the job description and role of a
tactical athlete are clearly defined, how does an
individual train like one? Some of the variables
that need adherence when implementing a sound
program design for a tactical athlete should be
centered upon the following:
1. Conducting training based on a tactical
athlete's job description entails devising a
program design for what they do through
utilizing the three anatomical planes of human
movement. All tactical athletes need to be able
to efficiently move their bodies in the sagittal,
frontal, and transverse planes of motion. Training
this way makes the tactical operator better
tacticaltrainingandconditioning.com | 31
http://www.tacticaltrainingandconditioning.com
Winter 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Winter 2023
