Defining Tactical Populations and Tactical Athletes

Summary

We recognise that the terminology that entitles this text may not be widely known in Europe. This article delves into the evolving definitions of athletes and the emergence of occupational athletes within physically demanding professions. It introduces the concept of the tactical athlete and highlights distinctions between traditional athletes and their tactical counterparts. Finally, we explore the term functional training in tactical populations physical trainer.

Our aim is to foster a deeper understanding of the concepts surrounding tactical athletes and tactical populations.

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1. Defining Tactical Athletes and Tactical Populations

Throughout history, various societies have recognised the significance of physical preparedness for warfare. The evolution of physical preparation for combat spans from the Greeks and Romans civilisations to the 21st century. However, it’s worth noting that the beginning of the 2nd millennium witnessed a remarkable expansion in this field (1).

Before delving into tactical terminology, it’s essential to clarify certain terms related to athletes. Oxford Dictionaries define an athlete as someone who has the traits required for proficiency in sports and other forms of physical exercise (2). Palareti and his colleagues, on the other and, view an athlete as an active participant in sports training, with the primary motivation or goal being the enhancement of sport-specific skills, performance, or competitive outcomes (including technical, physical or tactical aspects) (3). Nonetheless, the definition of an athlete isn’t straightforward within the sports science community. Typically, the term, is preceded by various characterising terms, which may relate to the level of the activity, age of the athletes, type of activity, and more (Examples include master athletes, young athletes, senior athletes, elite athletes, recreational athletes, and so on) (4).

In the 20th century, the sports science community recognised that certain professions place substantial physical and physiological demands on individuals. Consequently, they advocated for applying training and exercise principles and methodologies to enhance the performance and reduce the risk of injuries in these occupations (1). This perspective led to the emergence of athlete subcategories associated with professions, such as industrial athletes, occupational athletes, athlete warriors, and soldier athletes. Some of these terms are still in use. For example, occupational athletes encompasses all physical-physiological demanding jobs (1, 4).

The term tactical athlete gained prominence in the early 21st century. It is employed within the strength and conditioning community to describe professionals in tactical roles who require specialised physical training to enhance job performance and prevent injuries. In essence, the tactical populations should prepare for their role similarly to how an traditional athlete prepares for competition. But who exactly are these tactical populations? This term encompasses all professionals within the military, law enforcement and security, firefighting, and emergency response sectors (6–8).

While the sports science community embraces this ideology, it acknowledges that there are substantial differences between traditional and tactical athletes. The National Strength and Conditioning Association has summarised some of these differences in a concise table (Illustration 1) (6).

Illustration 1. Comparisons Between Tactical Athletes and Professional Sport Athletes (6).

This list highlights differences to consider when applying sports sciences to tactical populations. It’s important to note that within tactical populations, there are numerous and heterogeneous job roles. Typically, these roles can be categorised into two major groups: operational and logistical-administrative. Like sports, physical preparation should vary based on the specific roles of the operators. However, it’s widely recognised that certain tasks, often referred to as critical tasks, are central to each tactical profession. Therefore, all operators must possess the physical conditioning required to perform these tasks effectively (6,9).

In this post, we aim to reiterate two key points from the list presented earlier: the outcome event and the scope of training. In both tactical professions and sports, it’s crucial to acknowledge the risk of injuries as a reality. However, in tactical populations, the stakes include not just injuries but also fatalities. Every strength and conditioning or performance coach working in the tactical context must fully grasp this reality. Their role is to enhance the likelihood of successful mission completion while minimising injuries or casualties. To achieve this, operators must be equipped with a diverse range of skills and motor abilities, assessed from a functional perspective (6). It’s important to note that when we use the term functional, we are referring to the concept advocated by Gary Gray, Vern Gambetta, and Mike Boyle. Their argument underscores that functional training is intended to ready the athlete for their specific sport, rather than using one sport to train for another (10). In other words, operators don't need to train to sprint 100 meters in under 10 seconds, complete a marathon in two hours, or snatch 200kg. Depending on their specific group or role, they need to train to have the capacity to accomplish their duties efficiently. For example, some of them require the strength to carry equipment, the speed to pursue suspects, or the strength and endurance to evacuate casualties, all while wearing their protective gear.

If this is your first introduction to the concept of the tactical athlete, there’s no need to feel overwhelmed. As mentioned at the beginning of this post, this is just an introductory overview of the concept. We will delve deeper into this theme in future posts.

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