My goal is to provide training strategies that enable tactical athletes to maximize key sensorimotor capabilities and maintain that skill at the highest level over time. Most sensorimotor training falls into the clinical categories, which are shown in the yellow and red in the graph below. There is a significant gap in targeted and measured… Continue reading Proficiencies, Gaps, and Obstacles
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New DOD Requirements for Blast Overpressure Exposures
A recently published memorandum by the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense expresses the new policy of the DoD to mitigate and track blast overpressure (BOP) exposures. [1] This is an important step in both the recognition of the adverse effects repeated blast overpressure exposure can have on brain health, but also on performance. The memorandum… Continue reading New DOD Requirements for Blast Overpressure Exposures
Breaking Down Threshold Assessment: The Sensorimotor Components
Slicing the Pie Slicing the Pie involves a slight head tilt and re-orienting the head upright. The ability to perform this skill quickly while maintaining visual clarity requires the vestibular system. Specifically, the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) in the roll plane. Kettlebell oblique sidebending is performed in this same plane, and through the addition of a… Continue reading Breaking Down Threshold Assessment: The Sensorimotor Components
Sensorimotor Skills
Blasts have been used in war for centuries. In fact, there is evidence of gunpowder bombs that date back to the Tang dynasty (circa 618-907 AD). [1] Though warfare and weapons have evolved since the Tang dynasty, blasts have remained a consistent variable of war. Sensorimotor skills are also a consistent variable of war, the… Continue reading Sensorimotor Skills
Mitigating Blast Overpressure
A study by Wiri, S. et al. (2024) evaluated blast exposure data from the US Military CONQUER program, specifically the variance in blast overpressure at different positions with det linear breaching charges, explosive breaching water charges, shoulder-fired weapons (Carl Gustaf), and 120-mm mortars. They compared the blast overpressure of initial positioning during the blast to… Continue reading Mitigating Blast Overpressure
5 Years of Brain Scans in Breachers
A recently published study by Glikstein et al. 2024 that conducted serial brain scans on Canadian Special Operations Forces (CANSOF) breachers over five years found significant volume loss, white matter lesions, and enlargement of VR spaces. [1] This study included 92 subjects with an average of 9.4 years of blast exposure. The study includes many… Continue reading 5 Years of Brain Scans in Breachers
Mortars
A study done on U.S. Army Ranger mortarmen found that in 3 days of firing 81 and 120 mm mortar systems, the Rangers experienced cumulative blast impulses ranging from 115 psi-ms to 1,033 psi-ms. [1] A cumulative impulse greater than 25 psi-ms in 24 hours has been associated with slower reactions times. [2] These exposures… Continue reading Mortars
Repeated Blast Exposures in U.S. Special Operations
A recently published study on the impact of repeated blast exposures in active-duty U.S. Special Operations Forces demonstrated changes to the way the brain communicates, particularly in areas for responsible for cognition, decision making, impulse control, and emotion. [1] The findings of this study are consistent with other studies in this area, including those on… Continue reading Repeated Blast Exposures in U.S. Special Operations
Training for Nighttime Air Assault Landings
Air assaults commonly occur during nighttime. While this offers a strategic advantage from an operational standpoint, it is well documented that night jumps, or landings with vision reduced, increases risk for musculoskeletal injury. [1-3] When vision is limited, or completely removed, an individual must increase reliance on their somatosensory and vestibular inputs for knowing where… Continue reading Training for Nighttime Air Assault Landings
Astronaut Training for Mars: What Tactical Teams can Learn
Astronauts undergo rigorous training in preparation for spaceflight. One challenge that astronauts face in preparation for mission to Mars is what is called sensorimotor dysfunction. During spaceflight, astronauts experience prolonged zero gravity conditions, so the sensory systems responsible for movement – vestibular, visual, and proprioception – are sending altered information to the brain than when… Continue reading Astronaut Training for Mars: What Tactical Teams can Learn