This career series article focuses on the calling of the tactical strength and conditioning facilitator. It touches on the drive, commitment, and dedication necessary to work with tactical populations.

In this session from the 2015 NSCA TSAC Annual Training, Katie Sell discusses current research on how perceived fitness in firefighters may be related to injury prevalence (on-duty and in training) and provide recommendations on how tactical facilitators can decrease adverse repercussions of inaccurately perceived fitness levels (e.g., injury, overtraining, and job-related preparation).

Tactical facilitators need to understand the movement patterns that first responders encounter because they can have a profound effect on underlying biomechanics and may contribute to excessive tissue loads.

This article consists of five assessments that could be utilized by the tactical facilitator to measure upper- , lower- , and total-body power in law enforcement officers (LEOs). Although the focus of this article is LEOs, the assessments could also be used for other tactical populations.

A physical assessment continues to be one of the best ways to evaluate and measure physical preparedness and readiness of a military unit for job-related tasks and future missions. Tactical facilitators must consider multiple factors when developing testing protocols and programs, including leadership support, limited resources, and training cycle time constraints.

This article is part of a continuing series of tactical strength and conditioning (TSAC) research reviews. It is designed to bring awareness to new research findings of relevance to tactical strength and conditioning communities.

In this session from the 2015 NSCA TSAC Conference, Matt Wenning explains the sumo deadlift, a foundational exercise for maximal strength development and a tool that is essential to the tactical population due to its movement pattern. The ability to learn proper technique and progressions with this exercise can help to improve a tactical athlete’s performance and decrease the likelihood of injury because it trains major muscle groups and multiple joints at the same time.

John Mata writes about his experience as a Tactical Strength and Conditioning Facilitator® (TSAC-F®) and his opportunity to be part of a pilot program directed by United States Army Forces Command (FORSCOM).

This article is part of a continuing series of tactical strength and conditioning (TSAC) research reviews. It is designed to bring awareness to new research findings of relevance to tactical strength and conditioning communities.

This article gives a firsthand account of working in a few of the United States Army’s earlier human performance and injury reduction programs as a strength coach and active-duty physical therapist.