Summer 2023 - 35

DEVELOPING THE MILITARY ATHLETE
As the Director of Sports Performance, I
provide team-oriented performance training,
including analytics, strength, speed-agility,
and sports nutrition for our cadet-athletes, and
provide programming for our military to meet
Ranger, Special Forces, and Delta qualification for
candidacy selection. Our athletes will incorporate
strength training as one of the major components
of their development. Just like military personnel
are focused on specific job requirements, our
athletes are recruited to play a specific sport and
position and training must be programmed to
improve their fitness levels and athletic ability.
Whereas powerlifters and weightlifters train to
compete in the exercises they train.
PROGRAM
* Train movements rather than body parts:
by developing movement patterns that will
enhance mobility and function in their sport
or discipline.
* A training program should mostly consist of
ground-based movements. These movements
will continue to work on producing force into
the ground which improves the athletes'
speed, jumping, explosiveness, and ability
to change direction. These attributes are
important for the athlete and soldier.
* Multi-joint movements are exercises that will
get the athlete the largest gains. We focus
on the squat and its variations and the clean
and its variations. We also focus on singleleg
movements. Rarely do athletes perform in
competition on both feet. Single-leg strength
becomes critical to developing balance
and stabilization. Additionally, single-leg
movements work the kinetic chain like running.
* Train the whole body: on a court, on a field, or
" in the field " for the military, most situations
require the whole body to be active. We break
down the body into three categories, total
body, upper body, and lower body.
* 3x/week training allows for recovery and the
ability to program our speed and agility work
alongside their sport-specific practices.
* 4x/week training allows for additional
recovery between workouts when training an
upper/lower split.
ANNUAL PLAN
The annual plan for a sport is easily
programmed because of the consistency in the
playing season vs. the annual plan for a soldier's
deployment can vary based on when the unit is
activated. But the annual plan can have the same
outline. Periodization programming will play
an important role in the success of individuals.
Exercise selection, exercise order, volume,
intensity, and frequency all must be factored into
the periodization plan for strength development.
Aerobic conditioning, anaerobic conditioning,
acceleration, linear speed development, multidirectional
training, and plyometrics are factors
that must be accounted for in the conditioning
part of the periodization plan. The third area is
the mobility that is programmed. Combining
these three areas gives you a complete program.
The plan begins after the last day of
competition or deployment. There are
three seasons to the annual plan, Reload,
Developmental, and Competitive.
* The Reload phase will last 2-4 weeks for our
athletes and up to eight weeks for soldiers
coming off deployment. This block of the
program should consist of movements that
are not normally in the developmental block,
focusing on rehabilitation, mobility, and
prehabilitation. The goal should be close as
close to fully healthy as you can.
tacticaltrainingandconditioning.com | 35
http://www.tacticaltrainingandconditioning.com
Summer 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Summer 2023
