Strike Tactical Solutions

Newsletter 5/2007

This month's newsletter is a little late as we are extremely busy! Just this week has seen us train five schools in six days in three different states! STRIKE Tactical Solutions ran its first NEMRT certified "Close Quarters Hangun Skills Class" and everybody that took part agreed that this is the type of training police officers in general should be exposed to. At STRIKE, we teach fighting and we disspel the myths that are being taught as gospel. Our students appreciate this fact as four of them have been in gunfights over the last eighteen months! We train as we fight ... literally!

  
Again it is with sadness that we had to witness what happened at Virginia Tech. A madman murdering 32 people because of his own life-problems. Immediately the press jumped on the "ban guns immediately" bandwagon. Of course it was the two pistols that he used to kill, that were the culprets. There was nothing wrong with this lunatic, the guns made him do it. Look at the videos released of this man. Look at the way he behaved in everyday life. Look at his lifestyle. Look at the way he dressed. Look at the stuff he wrote and handed in as assignments at Virginia Tech. A lot of people questioned the sanity of this individual and nobody DID SOMETHING about it.

He lined up innocent people, made them kneel down and shot them behind the head. Some of these kids were found in the fetal position, lying dead because a madman put bullets into them. Point is ... NOBODY DID ANYTHING! Nobody fought back, nobody rushed this madman and at least TRIED to fight back. If several students attacked their assaillant, the outcome could have been different. There comes a time when we are FORCED to fight back. The warrior is awakened and we have to REFUSE TO BE VICTIMS. Victims NO MORE! To quote my friend Jeff Chudwin "Know WHAT you can do within the law, know WHEN you can do it and be prepared to do it IMMEDIATELY!"

On gun control, I cannot say it better than Ted Nugent: 

" No one was foolish enough to debate Ryder truck regulations or ammonia nitrate restrictions or a "cult of agriculture fertilizer" following the unabashed evil of Timothy McVeigh's heinous crime against America on that fateful day in Oklahoma City.  No one faulted kitchen utensils or other hardware of choice after Jeffery Dhamer was caught drugging, mutilating, raping, murdering and cannibalizing his victims.  Nobody wanted "steak knife control" as they autopsied the dead nurses in Chicago as Richard Speck went on trial for mass murder.  Evil is as evil does and laws disarming guaranteed victims makes evil people very, very happy.  Shame on us." TED NUGENT


TRAINING - JUNE SCHEDULE

June 2007
4	Tactical Pistol Level 5	IL
9 - 10	Close Quarter Combatives / Knife Training with Kelly Worden	IL
11 - 12	Room Clearance	IL
15	Tactical Pistol Level 2	IL
18	Tactical Pistol Level 1	IL
25	Shotgun Training	IL
30	Tactical Pistol Level 2	WI

 
 PATROL RIFLE CONFERENCE FEEDBACK

We have recently returned from the National Patrol Rifle Conference in Detroit. I have to congratulate my close friend and collegue Jeff Felts for the OUTSTANDING work he and his team at Center Mass Inc put in to make this year's conference even better than the previous year. STRIKE Tactical was well represented in the one-day, patrol rifle competition and we would like to congratulate each and every one of them on their performance.

• Remembering a bygone era by Henk Iverson
• DTI Quips by John Farnam
• Shot Placement by Dr. Lawrence C. Pyzik
• National Patrol Rifle Feedback by Jeff Chudwin
• Physical Fitness Wellness by Louis P. Hayes
  

REFLECTIONS ON A BYGONE ERA - PART 1
By Henk Iverson

Dealing with warriors, both Military and Law Enforcement on a regular basis, my mind wondered back 26 years, to an era when I served my country as a soldier. As thousands of other South African males, I was drafted into the South African Military to serve my National Service of two years.The last few weeks of high school flew past and before I knew what was actually happening, I was aboard a troop train to Pretoria from my home town of Port     Elizabeth. The new found freedom was both exciting as it was scary. I was on my own, entering a new episode of my life.

Excitement and nervousness overcame some of the guys aboard the train and two decided to go AWOL (absent without leave) before we even got close to our destination! At Voortrekkerhoogte, a South African Military Base, we disembarked the train with our megre belongings.

Keenly awating the new troops were the terror of terrors ... brand new lance corporals! The screaming,  yelling and non-stop swearing started as I put my head out of the couch door. Here I was absolutely nothing!  I was told that I was lower than snake crap at the bottom of the ocean. The lance corporal that was screaming in my face was half my size and this is were I made my first mistake ... I could not stop myself from laughing at his blue/red "furious" face! Because of my "discipline problem", we were made to do hundreds of pushups and we were chased all over the base. We were sweating buckets before long in the 100 degree weather.

All of a sudden it stopped as quickly as it started. A sergeant with a huge mustache called a halt to the festivities.  We were lined up and roll call was called. Now the sergeant was in charge. He demanded respect with his demeanor and faded uniform, the sign of a professional soldier. His green SA Infantry beret was perfect and on his chest he wore the crossed  swords insignia, this man was a PTI, a physical training instructor. These guys were feared by each and everyone as they knew more ways to punish a human body than anybody alive! His job was overseeing the work of thrashing the new recruits into soldiers. We were assigned into platoons. Each recruit had to carry every bit of baggage he had brought from home, as we  were marched to our quarters by the lance corporals.

The days flashed by as we were issued with a new military haircut, uniforms, gear, boots, step-out dress uniform and the ultimate prize ...a FN FAL "R1" assault rifle. I have been raised with firearms and I have shot them from a very young age.  This was one of the proudest moments of my life, MY VERY OWN R1 RIFLE! Basic training consisted of three months of very little sleep, cleaning, polishing gear and quarters, marching and mostly physical exercise. We were shaped into soldiers. We were given lectures on basic infantry formations, counter ambush drills, fire and movement and we went to the range to fire our rifles on a regular basis. "Spit and polish" every nook and cranny of our barracks, washrooms, toilets and the surrounding areas.

In my three months basic training, I hardly slept, and if I did, it was not in my bed! We used to sleep UNDER our beds so that  our beds would be ready for inspection at a moments notice! The corporals were "mean"! They scattered sand over our polished floors then threw water buckets out to form mud. We were then physically punished for being filthy. All these activities normally took place in the early morning hours. We were given extremely short periods to clean up OUR mess and be ready for inspection. We never made the timings which meant that we ran around, four soldiers to a wooden telephone pole untill we nearly collapsed. These physical punishments taught us to work as a team. Everybody had to give 100% or the group would suffer.

Towards the end of basic training, a group of soldiers arrived to talk to us. These soldiers were from a unit that specialized in tracking terrorists on foot, with dogs (K9), military off-road motorcycles and horses. They wanted volenteers to train either as a horseman,  off-road motorcross type soldiers or as speciality K9 handlers. The unit intrigued me. I volenteered to the K9  section. Within days my papers came through and I was sent with a handful of other soldiers to a new remote base where I would  be trained as a an infantry soldier with K9 speciality. I handed in my kit, including my beloved R1 and was on my way.  Second phase of military training had begun.

I had been in the army for three months now and the training at Burke's Luck military base in the Eastern Transvaal kicked off with long marches with heavy packs. The trainers were ex Rhodesian soldiers that were battle hardened during the Rhodesian Bush war. These guys were really professional in each and every way. We were still run ragged, but the training was more specific. I was  placed into the K9 explosive detection detail of the operational section.

This meant that my training would revolve around finding explosives,booby traps, trip wires and mines with my assigned K9. Before specific  training commenced, the new guys were put through phase two battle training. This included learning how to operate the heavy support weapons the infantry used at the time. Everybody got to fire the 60mm patrol mortar, FN MAG 58 machine gun etc. We were  taught specific counter ambush techniques as the K9 handlers were almost always at the very front of a follow up with an  infantry unit backing us up at the rear. Our job was to follow spoor (tracks) that were fresh enough to follow and lead the infantry unit close enough so they could engage the enemy.

Our survival and bush warfare training was held near Hoedspruit in the Eastern Transvaal. This airforce base borders the famous Kruger National Park. For the next month we lived out of our rucksacks, ate dry rations, learnt about making fire out of nothing, patrolling, being a lead scout of a operational patrol, small unit tactics in regards to being in front of a fighting column. It was here that we were issued our new weapons. The K9 handlers of previous years were issued the UZI sub-machine gun. A deadly incident changed all that. A K9 handler was shot and killed at the front of a fighting column when his UZI malfunctioned. Immediate orders were given and our unit recieved the new assault rifle - the R4. The R4 is a direct copy of the Israeli Galil rifle in 5.56mm caliber. The R4 has a magazine that holds 35, 5.56mm rounds and it comes with a bipod as standard equipment. Also issued were 50 round magazines. These were so long that if you went prone, you could not hold the rifle upright! Tactics were to blast away the rounds in the 50 round magazine as you assaulted forward through the enemy position, reload with a 35 round magazine and continue fighting. We used live ammunition for all our training.I started to feel like a soldier.

Next we were assigned K9's. My dog's name was Spikkels, which means "spotted one" in Afrikaans. Typical military thinking as my K9 was pitch black with NO spots! Spikkels was a labrador cross with a witch of a nose for explosives. On exercises, the trackers were out in front with me behind and Spikkels would indicate the presence of explosives long before we were close enough to be blown up.Now we were trained patrolling techniques with the K9's. We carried 6 waterbottles each just for the dog. Dog food, ammunition, grenades, extra mortar bombs for the patrol mortar and extra belted ammunition for the MAG 58, human rations and water made up our  packs.We went to the shooting range a lot. We fired our R4 rifles so much that the colouring on the barrels changed!

Before long my orders arrived. Three of us would leave and join up with K9 handlers in the operational area in South West Africa. We were selected to become members of SWASPES. SWASPES is short for South West African Specialist Unit. We were flown with all our gear, including our K9's from Hoedspruit Airforce base to Grootfontein, South West Africa, in the operational area.

The Hercules C130 bounced us around for hours. We checked our dogs frequently, making sure they were hydrated etc. All of a sudden, the pilot announced that we were going in low and fast. I looked out of a smalll window and saw that were were at treetop level. We were going into the operational area.

Not long ago, I attended the demonstration of a pneumatic target system designed for pistol training. A crowd of police officers also gathered to see this new device. We all watched as pneumatically-actuated steel plates popped up and down from behind a steel sill. As you might imagine, this system allowed the operator to pop targets up and down in sequence, and for adjustable amounts of exposure time.

"Why is that important?" I asked. "Well, don't you want to be able to shoot fast?" was his exasperated reply. He went on by pointing out that his hired pretty-boy could consistently shoot plates which were exposed for a mere three-quarters of a second, from a range of eight meters, all from the ready position.

Lesson: SLOW DOWN AND HIT! Don't be mesmerized, or even particularly impressed, by pajama-wearing trick/exhibition shooters. They are entertainers, not fighters. They know nothing about fighting and don't even carry guns.

 
I will not rest until people listen! Shot placement is crucial in our training. I have been preaching the high chest shot for years. I have stated over and over that you only have ONE shot in a gunfight. Where would you want to place that ONE shot? Click on the link below and watch the COMPLETE video. This proves yet again why low shots to the stomach can be dertimental to your health! http://www.break.com/index/cop_owned_by_boxer.html

I purchased my first gun in August 1969. It wasn’t until after a cold Friday evening in January 1994 that I realized I needed to become much more intimate with firearms. I almost walked into a mass murder at a local fast food restaurant where 7 employees were killed with a gun.   Coincidentally, a local group was forming that would import many well-known top instructors to teach attendees about personal protection. I decided that I needed to attend! IDPA targets were used. Over time I was able to hit the “A” zone – I even had a few good groups as I learned sight alignment, target acquisition, and trigger control. As I got better, I began to mentally question why I was using the “A” zone of the IDPA target as my Center Of Mass as the area to place my front sight on. You see, I am a licensed physician and radiologist for more than 30 years now. My background in anatomy and physiology got me thinking that there must be a better “sweet spot”.

I had been trained to double tap to the chest and if there is a failure to stop, to transition to the cranio-ocular cavity (Mozambique Drill). If the threat continues to advance, shoot to the pelvis and break the foundation of posture causing the " Vicious Armed Attacker" to drop to the ground and be taken out of the fight.

In speaking to fellow attendees over the years who are Law Enforcement Officers and involved in shootings, I found out that the attacker usually remained in the fight for 5-10 seconds or longer even with 7 hits to the chest Center Of Mass. 5, 10, or 15 seconds is a long time! How many loaded magazines can you fire in 15 seconds? How fast can you run for cover?   A “head” shot? That’s a small dense body area that has a round or circular contour in which  bullets frequently ricochet off of, having only two smaller areas that will be effective at stopping the threat.   And lastly, the shot to the pelvis to “anchor” your threat.

Right now, stop what you are doing, stand up, and using your index finger, touch the exact spot on the front of your pelvis that you would aim for on your next shot. Invariably, a hit there would NOT anchor your threat. I contend that you would have to fire 4 - 7 rounds or more to penetrate the heavy musculature, high density tissues present in this area to penetrate deep enough to strike a bone, let alone hit one of the two spots that would most likely break the base of posture and drop the attacker.   I often hear that most pistol bullets do not have enough energy to penetrate deeply enough to be effective so firing many bullets are necessary – besides bullets are cheap, so use many when the need arises. We hear this often from military veterans using 9mm or 5.56mm rounds. They are in the know and have proven this to be fact more often than not.

Let’s review:  - pistol bullets are underpowered and body thickness precludes sufficient depth to produce immediate deanimation,    - chest Center Of Mass may not quickly stop violent attackers because of many reasons including soft body armor, - head shots are difficult because that area moves a lot and it is small in size, and - those that have shot to the pelvis discovered that the attacker does not drop.

Is there another area that will stop the threat that we need to be aware of or at least consider? This may be a new concept for you – knowledge is power. If you do not practice something difficult, you will not perform it when you need it. If you are a serious intermediate or advanced practitioner understand this. There is an area that is thinner than the chest Center Of Mass, contains both important blood vessels and nerves that will prevent the  attacker from holding a pistol and/or bending the trigger finger so that the gun will become inert. This thinner body part is above the top of the level of soft body armor, is the same size as the cranio-ocular cavity, contains vital blood vessels to the brain and nerves that control the arms, hands, thumb and index finger.   While taking a class with Tom Givens of Rangemaster several years ago, we spoke of this concept. He challenged me to create a PowerPoint presentation on this subject based on my knowledge of anatomy and neurology and allowed me to present this concept to the attendees of The Polite Society annual meeting.

It has been argued that this area is:  - too small of a target,   - difficult to hit because the hands/gun may be in line of the bullets, and - the bones that protect this area have a rounded contour and the bullets will not penetrate and only ricochet.   Intermediate and advanced practitioners should be able to hit an area of this size if they practice head shots as part of their routine. If the attacker's hands/gun is in line with our return bullet fire is that bad? How many accounts have we been told of where the parties had been shot in the hands because that is where the eyes focus! When you practice FOF, do you wear gloves to soften the frequent hits to the knuckles/hands? If some of the vital blood vessels or nerves in the neck region are disrupted and/or destroyed will that stop the action? Ever hit your “crazy bone” in your elbow – did you stop what you were doing? Were you able to feel your arm/hand for the next several moments?

So, where is this area? It is along the midline of the body, in the area from the “Adams apple” to the notch at the top of the breastbone (feel that notch with your index finger tip at the top of the breastbone?). Imagine the horizontal area of the cranio-ocular cavity and turn it vertically over the neck region described above.

Deep to that region are the blood vessels and one of the many nerves in the lower neck that controls the muscles of the thumb and index finger commonly referred to as the C8 nerve. Am I saying that this is the one-shot stop area with pistol rounds? Of course not! It is however, more anatomically and/or neurologically correct in accomplishing immediate deanimation than the chest Center Of Mass and awaiting for enough blood loss to cause the threat to loose consciousness. It is as good, if not better than the other areas discussed in this article because of the immediate results. Ever see a deer shot in the neck drop in its track?

I have it on good authority that a well-known former LEO responding to a “stop and rob” call actually produced immediate deanimation when one pellet from 00 buck ricocheted off the top of soft body armor worn by the attacker and struck the C8 nerve! I also understand that the late great Jeff Cooper described in one of his books that during a Mozambique Drill, the head shot struck low (in the neck) and ended the encounter. Now you know a vital area that may be considered that produces immediate deanimation.

THE LIBRARY
Suggested Reading For Professionals

Chosen Soldier: The Making of a Special Forces Warrior By Dick Couch

In combating terror, America can no longer depend on its conventional military superiority and the use of sophisticated technology. We are fighting guerrilla wars, against insurgents  hidden in remote regions, often deep among the local population. In battles such as these,  squadrons of billion-dollar bombers and naval fleets mean much less than on-the-ground intelligence and the ability to organize local forces. That’s why, more than ever before, we need men like those of the Army Special Forces—the legendary Green Berets.   

In Chosen Soldier, Dick Couch—a former Navy SEAL widely admired for his books about SEAL training and operations—offers an unprecedented view of the training of the Army Special Forces warrior. Each year, several thousand enlisted men and several hundred officers volunteer for Special Forces training; less than a quarter of those who apply will complete the course.

Chosen Soldier spells out in fascinating detail the arduous regimen these men undergo—the demanding selection process and grueling field exercises, the high-level technical training and intensive language courses, and the simulated battle problems that test everything from how well they gather operational intelligence to their skills at negotiating with volatile, often hostile, local leaders.  

Green Berets are expected to be deadly in combat, yes, but their responsibilities go far beyond those of other Special Operations fighters; they’re taught to operate in foreign cultures, often behind enemy lines; to recruit, train, and lead local forces; to gather intelligence in hostile territory; to forge bonds across languages and cultures. They must not only be experts in such fields as explosives, communications, engineering, and field medicine, but also be able to teach those skills to others. Each and every Green Beret must function as tactical combat leader, negotiator, teacher, drill sergeant, and diplomat.  

These tasks require more than just physical prowess; they require a unique mix of character,  intelligence, language skills, and—most of all—adaptability. It’s no wonder that the Green Berets’ training regimen is known as the hardest in the world. Drawing on his unprecedented access to the closed world of Army Special Forces training, Dick Couch paints a vivid, intimate portrait of these extraordinary men and the process that forges America’s smartest, most versatile, and most valuable fighting force.

We have just returned from the Centermass National Patrol Rifle Conference in Detroit..

A crew of Marines were present to lend their skills to the building and running of the ranges; muscle and sharp minds...our MARINES.

The biggest test involved the use of the EoTech 557 military model holographic sight with an option 4 power optical expander and the trial use of a very tiny LaserMax laser unit.

There are still some bugs to work out as the 4X unit would shift and the reticle (a verticle four dot ranging design) would be at the center of view, then at the left side of the optic.

AimPoint has their system as does Elcan and Leupold. Likely more out there. It's a buyers market and I encourage all who would consider purchasing this type of system (or any other) to test it first and seek out various models.

I do own an Aimpoint Comp M2 and other Leupold scopes so I am not fixed only on Eotech. That said, on my everyday carry patrol carbine I use an Eotech 553 on top of a Rock River carbine.

Is the person holding a weapon, a cell phone, or just pointing...? The enhanced optical capability allows you to better make that recognition. In the active shooter environment or other deadly force incidents involving distance, threat identification is vital.

I would like to see an iron sight only division next year. Many arrived with iron sight only and that it the state of most of the patrol rifles on the street.

Stag Arms donated a rifle to be auctioned for the Michigan Officer's Memorial.

many others I am forgetting...but will get the full list.

As to the match requirement...No trigger less than four pounds. I took off the 2 stage trigger I was testing on the Smith carbine before the match to keep things realistic as I do not recommend these triggers for street use. My opinion only...The S&W did not come with the trigger, it was one I was testing.

However, the real test is what you do. My good friend Officer Jim Malloy of Orland Hills IL P.D. caravanned with me to the shoot. Talking on the radio he asked me if I knew "who my competition is".  I told him I knew my competition best of all....I have known him for over 50 years. It is me and only me. I test myself against my capabilities. If all other are superior. good for them. It is what I do that counts.

Get out and learn. Ego left behind. I have won at times and been trounced others. I learned more from losing than winning. It drives me to practice and hard work. For all reading...make plans to attend the National Patrol Rifle Competition next May.

This is part of the Mind-Body-Spirit series that began in the January 2007 edition. Click on those links to access previous columns.

One thing first: While I am not a physical trainer, I do oversee my police department’s fitness program. I can only share information in this column though first-hand experiences, and from what I’ve learned from experts in the field.  I have taken much of what I’ve studied and seen drastic changes in myself and others.

Looking at the short lists in this paragraph, it’s easy to see how there are entire books written about this single leg of the tripod: the human BODY.  It’s completely impossible to distinguish all the topics, but diet and exercise are the main two that most others fall under.  Under diet, we see issues such as: type of foods we eat, frequency of meals, portion control, genetics, metabolism, body composition, tobacco/alcohol/drug use, and medical concerns.  Under exercise, we see topics like: power, strength, speed, endurance, flexibility, aerobic and anaerobic workouts, agility, interval training, weight lifting, genetics (yes again), injuries, and rest/sleeping.  For this article, we will focus on a short list of fitness components: Muscular Strength, Muscular Endurance, Aerobic Fitness, Anaerobic Capacity, Flexibility, and Muscular Power. These are all equally important.

Let’s examine two ends of the spectrum. Genetically and generally speaking, Kenyans are long distance runners.  They have strong aerobic fitness levels which give them the edge in marathons, but they’re not reputed sprinters.  Their weaknesses are anaerobic capacity and muscular strength.  Conversely, Samoans have muscular strength and power, but not aerobic fitness.  These are two stereotypical unbalances in physical fitness. In the domain of total health, what good is a muscle-bound man bench pressing 400 pounds who cannot run two miles?  Or an ultra-marathon runner who never does resistance or weight training?  My personal competitive nature understands that certain aspects of fitness can be isolated to reach a specific goal or excel in a specific sporting event.  But most of us are not professional athletes with pinpointed goals or fulltime training regiments. We need a sort of equilibrium in our fitness. The unbalanced body is a breeding ground for injury.

Our genes hold the plans to our bodies, and outlay which of our components are above average, average, and below average.  For me, my biggest weakness has always been flexibility.  I force myself to spend extra time targeting my flexibility by stretching.  For others, a weakness might be anaerobic capacity, where more speed or interval training is needed.  More time needs to be spent enriching those components of fitness in which we struggle, yet all too often, we spend our time and efforts continuing the exercises we are good at!  Why?  We like to succeed, and doing something we’re not good at reminds us of failure.  Is this practice enabling an unbalanced workout?

Whether it is due to a lack of knowledge or a dislike or discomfort in doing it, we avoid certain aspects of fitness…sometimes ignoring them altogether.  When analyzed under the template of Mind-Body-Spirit: a breakdown of the mental (knowledge) or spirit (desire or enjoyment) causes the neglect of physical health (body).  Training workouts must include components of the mind and spirit. The Cooper Institute maintains an excellent database for one to compare their fitness components against age and gender adjusted norms.  If you score in the 90^th percentile in all tests, except one or two at the 60^th ….what can you do to bring up those low scores? And what exercises SHOULD you be doing?

In my past, no matter how many miles I ran in a given week, I could not see results.  My times did not go down like I expected.  I researched the relationship between intensity and workout duration. I learned how to effectively gauge and pace my runs with a heart rate monitor. It allowed me to see gains in my aerobic levels. I admitted ignorance, and studied how to develop a serious cardiovascular program to help my running.  I turned to mental studies to help a physical weakness…not just more running.

I also studied proper stretching techniques.  There’s much more to flexibility than touching toes, and I acknowledged I knew very little.  I still don’t enjoy stretching, but it has become less of a burden now that I’m seeing results.  In this regard, I have taken the spiritual approach…sacrificing my personal comfort for what was needed.

Our ultimate goal should be complete fitness.  Those who take a holistic approach to physical training tend to be more athletic: with endurance, flexibility, strength, and speed.  I stand firm in my belief that the single greatest obstacle standing in the way for any one person to take a well-rounded attitude towards health is vanity.  It becomes more important to LOOK healthy than to BE healthy.  Bulging pectorals and biceps are more desirable than obtaining total fitness…because it’s something that can be seen with the eyes.  This short-sighted system of working out can barely be considered complete.

One of the most popular resistance activities is weight training.  There are so many different routines and methods depending on your goals.  Unique workouts lead to power, or toning, or muscle-building.  Circuit training compromises muscle size or pure strength for endurance. Clean-and-jerks (and Olympic power lifts) sacrifice muscular endurance for power. Traditional body building routines build pure strength at the cost of power. Changing your routine from time to time is healthy, and keeps your body from adapting (essentially losing effectiveness of your efforts).  CrossFit and SuperSlow are two regiments that are becoming more mainstream. Whole-body workouts such as the Russian kettlebell are regaining popularity because they benefit the components of power, endurance, and strength…all in a single session. 

It, like circuit training, fatigues the entire body and many muscle groups. Not a single component (such as muscular strength) is targeted, but rather balanced among the other facets.  Military and police obstacle courses test most every component of fitness.  If you can simulate job-related tasks such as scaling a wall or dragging a rescue dummy, you can evaluate life-like fitness.

We all have parts of physical fitness we enjoy more than others.  Spend time developing those that need the help.  If you’re strong yet slow, give up the weight room every now and then for interval sprint runs.  If you’re toned and can run ten miles, try some power lifts.  Address the needs at the cost of the wants.  And in doing so, you will likely see cross-over benefits to those areas you were good at already.

Educate yourself in all the realms of physical fitness.  Sincerely evaluate your own workout sessions and dissect what exercises and drills you have been avoiding or overlooking. They may be the ones you need most. As police officers, it is important to keep a well-balanced approach to fitness.  Look up some of the above named workouts to see if you can include them in your programs. Learn what you can do to develop increases in each component.  Force yourself to train outside your comfort zone.