Copperas Cove SWAT continues resiliency training

Photo By Sgt. Juana Nesbitt | Members of the Copperas Cove SWAT team conduct weapon drills, the same that are taught during Army basic marksmanship training, following TRX training circuit Dec. 16 at the Applied Functional Fitness Center.  

FORT HOOD, TX, UNITED STATES

01.07.2016

Story by Sgt. Juana Nesbitt 

7th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

FORT HOOD, Texas - Under bright skies and a cool breeze, the Copperas Cove Special Weapons and Tactics team returned to the Great Place for the second iteration of their three-part resiliency training at the Fort Hood Resiliency Campus, Dec. 16.

“What we are attempting to do is give them some mental skills that will enable them to act more efficiently in the strenuous environment in which they find themselves,” said Capt. Jason Norwood, commandant of the Fort Hood Resiliency Campus.

The Copperas Cove SWAT team is a volunteer force comprised of police officers, which take on the role as an additional duty, he said.

“So, unfortunately for them, they can receive a call and be back on duty right after working a 10-to-12 hour shift – that gives them an immense amount of physical stress,” Norwood said.

The day began with two iterations of the TRX workout circuit at the Applied Functional Fitness Center followed by a tactical weapon exercise used in Army basic marksmanship training.

The TRX training circuit served to simulate the same physiological state they would be in during a tactical situation, he continued.

“Some of the mental skills that we are giving them run in line with the same skills we teach in the master resilience trainer course and the resilience skills that are taught throughout each company in the Army by MRTs,” Norwood said.

As a prior service member, Les Nace, team leader with the Copperas Cove SWAT team, noted the similarities between both work environments.

“As both police officers and Soldiers, a lot of times we are placed in really high-stress situations and it has effects on your body,” Nace said. “You may know how you practice when everything is calm; but in real life, it’s a lot different when you have the adrenaline pumping and the emotions going.”

After a short break, the training moved into the Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness center where they learned to use deliberate breathing, visualization and emotional priming to help them prepare for and recover from strenuous activity.

Emotional priming is the process of choosing an emotion that helps one mentally prepare for a given situation, said Erik Leslie, an MRT performance expert.

This training teaches the SWAT team how to focus energies both physically and mentally and function more efficiently when operating in dangerous situations, stated Nace.

For Nace, it would mean the difference between having tunnel vision and clouded thinking to remembering their training and doing things instinctively. As the training came to an end, Nace stated he was glad his team has a new set of tools the next time duty.

• Date Taken: 01.07.2016
• Date Posted: 02.01.2016 14:09
• Story ID: 185751
• Location: FORT HOOD, TX, US