From tactical strength and conditioning to developing the skills to train a specialized group of football kickers, Catherine Wallace shares how growing up in a military family inspired her into coaching. In this episode, Wallace connects with NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, Eric McMahon, on how to pursue a tactical coaching career in different branches of the military and public safety. She discusses how earning the Tactical Strength and Conditioning Facilitator® (TSAC-F®) certification led her to pursue the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist® (CSCS®), and more ways that involvement with the NSCA has positioned her for career growth. There is also a discussion about “holistic programs” within strength and conditioning, an area that has been popularized, but is perhaps still misunderstood. Listen and learn about the rapidly growing tactical strength and conditioning area of the field, and the mindset needed to thrive as an impactful coach. Connect with Catherine on Instagram at: @tac.coach.cath or by email: catherine.university@hp.com | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs

The purpose of this article is to discuss caffeine use in tactical populations and provide recommendations for responsible consumption.

This article provides methods used by tactical facilitators, related research articles, and professional interviews to demonstrate how physical conditioning facilitates the transition from practice to duty for service members, including law enforcement and fire and rescue personnel.

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.

Military and law enforcement needs analyses are not specifically matched to firefighting, but those training styles are better than basic fitness regimens or no regimen at all. For firefighters who are attracted to other styles of training not specific to firefighting, there are ways to train for all the demands of firefighting without making the firefighter use training modalities that they dislike or are not comfortable using.

The path to actual integration of mental and physical training for the tactical athlete is paved with growing empiricism. The current challenge is to sustain creative development of functional approaches and demonstrate that integration can deliver potential benefits.

This article is part of a continuing series on practical, evidence-based approaches to reducing the risk of injury while developing tactical strength and conditioning.

This article is from the perspective of the Battalion Commander, 1st Tank Battalion, in an effort to share with other TSAC-F what did and did not work while implementing the Marine Corps’ Force Fitness program.

To apply performance enhancement and injury prevention practices employed by today’s professional and collegiate athletics to the Army, a restructuring of training paradigms needs to be implemented across the force.