A male Federal Law Enforcement Agent, who I will refer to as “DL”, was exposed to 20,000 rounds through two rifles chambered in 6mm ARC during two days of product testing. Of the 20,000 rounds, 2,000 were suppressed.
The rifles had muzzle breaks installed, and he stood in the middle of both rifles for almost the entire testing.
At the end of the testing period, DL felt exhausted with no ability to focus and the next day he felt weird driving home with his wife stating he was acting out of it. He reported some nausea and a feeling of being hungover.
He rested for the next 72 hours and felt as though he was back to his baseline.
DL has previously performed the foundation vestibular program which he had no problem with, stating he breezed through it easily and was training at 3 and 4 levels of the vestibular developmental pathways.
Prior to jumping back to his previous capability, DL initiated the Vestibular Foundation Program and found that his ability to hold a target in focus with movement “was toast”, with a fatigue point of 15-20 seconds regardless of the vestibular plane of movement.
He also noted his balance with the alternating lunges “went to crap real quick” and holding focus on the target at eye level while attempting to lunge was difficult, but not impossible. He noted that this stood out to him as vastly different from the last time he performed the baseline Vestibular Training Program.
DL’s experience underscores the potential impact of repeated subconcussive exposures on vestibular function, as well as the importance of a systematic approach to assessing and training key vestibular capabilities. Although an operator may subjectively feel returned to baseline, it remains essential to challenge and evaluate vestibular function, given its direct influence on operational readiness and performance.
The Vestibular Foundation Program provides a structured and accessible framework for this purpose, requiring minimal equipment while offering a progressive training pathway. This approach not only facilitates a return to prior levels of performance but also supports continued performance enhancement beyond baseline.
Breaking Down the Vestibular Components
In the video below I break down the vestibular components of the Vestibular Foundation Program and how they apply to common tactical scenarios.
Training to Raise the Floor
This video breaks down how I approach training these vestibular capabilities that have been weakened so that we can raise the performance floor.