I feel like I am a fading breed in the military field, that being a GS, full-time strength and conditioning coach or in my case an Exercise Physiologist embedded within the military. Unfortunately, most of the similar positions are contractors and really come and go based on availability of funding. I guess I am just very fortunate, but I really enjoy doing what I do and get a chance in my position to train and work with almost all of the branches of service and a variety of levels of operational fitness needs.
I gotta say, though, right now it seems we are heading way, way off track with tactical strength and conditioning. With the involvement of contractors especially those that on the outside cater to high-priced athletes, the TSAC philosophy that is being pushed from the outside-in is in my opinion simply incorrect. For one, I question the tactical knowledge placed on the training programs being installed. Second, the contracted coaching community has not been vetted for military/tactical experience, rather, the collegiate athletic setting is the training ground for most tactical strength coaches and to say that training is the same in both environments is seriously wrong. Lastly, understanding the needs of tactical operators takes a lot of time, experience, and understanding. In this regard, it is likely possible that influx of a college strength coach into a tactical community could probably in the long run actually do more harm than good. I don't say this to be negative, I say this because we actually need coaches, physiologists, and clinicians who actually have experience working with the military long enough to identify if training programs actually work rather than experimenting to see the outcomes. Military lives and the health of these men and women are too valuable. Simply, our military deserves the very best exercise physiologists and coaches working with them rather than a strength and conditioning "drive-by." All of this is the reason why we have extreme conditioning programs with high injury rates emerging in the military.
Train hard, certainly, but you gotta train smart. Training smart will always prevail over training hard in the long-run, so will training correctly. Have an idea about what the actual goal and intended outcomes of your training are. This should relate directly to tactical, job performance. However, if it is a certain WOD performance record, then your probably headed in the wrong direction. Find some knowledgeable coaches with in-the field experience to talk with about how to train and then move forward. Stay strong, stay healthy!
I gotta say, though, right now it seems we are heading way, way off track with tactical strength and conditioning. With the involvement of contractors especially those that on the outside cater to high-priced athletes, the TSAC philosophy that is being pushed from the outside-in is in my opinion simply incorrect. For one, I question the tactical knowledge placed on the training programs being installed. Second, the contracted coaching community has not been vetted for military/tactical experience, rather, the collegiate athletic setting is the training ground for most tactical strength coaches and to say that training is the same in both environments is seriously wrong. Lastly, understanding the needs of tactical operators takes a lot of time, experience, and understanding. In this regard, it is likely possible that influx of a college strength coach into a tactical community could probably in the long run actually do more harm than good. I don't say this to be negative, I say this because we actually need coaches, physiologists, and clinicians who actually have experience working with the military long enough to identify if training programs actually work rather than experimenting to see the outcomes. Military lives and the health of these men and women are too valuable. Simply, our military deserves the very best exercise physiologists and coaches working with them rather than a strength and conditioning "drive-by." All of this is the reason why we have extreme conditioning programs with high injury rates emerging in the military.
Train hard, certainly, but you gotta train smart. Training smart will always prevail over training hard in the long-run, so will training correctly. Have an idea about what the actual goal and intended outcomes of your training are. This should relate directly to tactical, job performance. However, if it is a certain WOD performance record, then your probably headed in the wrong direction. Find some knowledgeable coaches with in-the field experience to talk with about how to train and then move forward. Stay strong, stay healthy!