Author: Dani Fennerty

Training Situational Awareness with Specificity

Training situational awareness should be done with specificity. Our sensory systems are highly adaptable, meaning they can get stronger given the right stimulus. But they get stronger with specificity so training must be intentional. The challenge with training situational awareness capabilities in tactical athletes is the unpredictable conditions you must prepare for. To train with… Continue reading Training Situational Awareness with Specificity

Amyloid Beta

Levels of Aβ-40 and -42 peptides were at least 50 times higher in healthy, cleared for duty, active-duty military and law enforcement breachers, snipers, and grenade throwers, as compared with controls. [1] Aβ (amyloid beta) peptides are the main component of amyloid plaques, the plaques found in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease. References:… Continue reading Amyloid Beta

Published

Target Vulnerabilities

We know subconcussions can change the way the brain communicates. We also know the specific areas that appear most vulnerable to these exposures – emotion, memory, sleep, sensory systems for situational awareness. [1-3] But the brain remains plastic, meaning roadways aren’t permanent. Even in stroke patients and those with multiple sclerosis, neuroplasticity remains possible. [4-5]… Continue reading Target Vulnerabilities

Anytime. Anywhere.

The reality of your job is that you must be ready anytime, anywhere. You won’t always know what your operational tempo will be, what you’ll be sleeping under, or what training equipment you’ll have access to. This requires your training programs to be adaptable to anytime, and anywhere. I’ve worked as a Physical Therapist on… Continue reading Anytime. Anywhere.

Train Angular and Linear Acceleration/Deceleration

We move in both angular and linear planes. Angular planes are Yaw (like shaking your head “no”) Pitch (like shaking your head “yes”) Roll (like moving your ear down to your shoulder) Linear planes are Moving up/down Moving side/side Moving forward/back As a tactical athlete you want to ensure that your training program incorporates all… Continue reading Train Angular and Linear Acceleration/Deceleration

Train Sensory Chaos

As a tactical athlete you want to train for sensory chaos, this is called habituation training. Habituation is desensitizing your brain to sensory inputs so that your performance isn’t negatively impacted under conditions of sensory chaos. Because you perform in the most extreme and unpredictable conditions, training this skill is vital. I strip habituation training… Continue reading Train Sensory Chaos

Maximizing Time Between Subconcussive Exposures

One strategy for decreasing the impacts of subconcussions on performance is to maximize the time between exposures. Subconcussions cause subtle neurotrauma. Maximizing time between exposures gives the brain time to heal and decrease the neuro-inflammation caused by the subconcussive hits. In combat situations this is often uncontrollable but should be optimized in training structure. Leaders… Continue reading Maximizing Time Between Subconcussive Exposures

Visual Motion Sensitivity

Visual motion sensitivity is common post-concussion. [1-2] Visual motion sensitivity is hypersensitivity to visual stimuli. It can trigger headaches, dizziness, and imbalance. It is common for someone post-concussion to be overstimulated by walking through a grocery store or down a crowded hallway. These individuals often need to undergo physical therapy to desensitize them to visual… Continue reading Visual Motion Sensitivity

Asking “So What?”

Anytime I read a research paper I constantly am asking myself “So what?” This isn’t in a dismissive way. It’s so my brain sees the information given to me and finds a way to make it meaningful to the people I serve. This article, Evidence of Dynamic Visual Acuity Impairments in Asymptomatic Mixed Martial Arts… Continue reading Asking “So What?”