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department| PHYSICAL FITNESS
78 The Tactical Edge | Winter 2010
Shooter squat
To assist the tactical athlete in becom-
ing efficient in the stressful ready posi-
tion, the use of the shooter squat and
variants are deemed necessary. Feet are
shoulder-width apart and staggered, just
like the ready position in HRT. Start themovement at the hips by pressing the hips
back into a staggered squat position at 90
degrees, focusing on keeping the weight
back on the heels. The core must remain
strong to keep the torso upright and not
hunched forward. It is important to train
the dominant shooting side as well as the
non-dominant side, which can be done by
alternating the lead foot and rear shoulder.
Traditional weights can be added for
resistance in the form of a barbell, dumb-bell, medicine ball or weighted vest. Non-
traditional implements that may be used
to substitute holding a weapon include a
fake rubber weapon, a standard curl bar
with light weights added to the far end
as needed, or a standard 18-inch bum-
per plate (starting around 5 kg). While
maintaining the ready position with the
substitute weapon, be sure not to let the
barrel of your weapon drop at the bottom
of the squat.
Strength coaches often watch sports prac-
tices to come up with training ideas or
find weaknesses that need to be developed
in strength and conditioning. The same
thing should be done with tactical athletes.
Sit back and watch tactical athletes in their
respective environments (fire rescue, law
enforcement, military, etc.). For example,
during hostage rescue training (HRT) the
tactical athlete will be in the high or low-
ready position for extended periods of time,
depending on the mission. In this position,
the operators feet will be shoulder-width
apart and staggered (no more than toe to
heel), the knees are slightly bent and the
weapon is in the firing position (high or low
depending on standard operating proce-
dures and situation). This position will put a
lot of stress on the shoulders, core, quadri-
ceps, hamstrings and calves. Thus, it is ideal
to train these areas with specificity in mind.
Learn, watch and create tactical athlete trainingBy Tyler Christiansen
Learn the past,
watch the present,
and create the future.
Jesse Conrad
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The Tactical Edge | Winter 2010 79
Shooter squat and sweep
The shooter squat and sweep will
overemphasize the ready position and
includes sweeping for hostile targets in
the tactical athletes sector of fire. With
this exercise, the same techniques from
the shooter squat will be applied but the
tactical athlete will be sweeping the room
in the down-squat position. To sweep the
room, pause in the down position and
shift the hips from a neutral position to
the left and right.
Barbells are not recommended as a
training aid in this exercise, but using a
weighted vest with substitute weaponry
can be an effective training method.
Forward and rear lunge
The purpose of this exercise is to
strengthen and reinforce the proper form
for kneeling behind cover or taking a
knee in a supported firing position dur-
ing tactical operations. A rear or forward
lunge will prepare the tactical athlete formissions during which he will have to
stand and kneel multiple times.
To do a forward lunge, the tactical
athlete will step forward with most of his
weight on the heel of the forward foot and
kneel to a double L position with toes
pointing forward at all times. The double
L refers to the front leg being at 90
degrees with the foot flat on the ground,
and the rear leg being at 90 degrees with
knee on the ground. While in the down
position, make sure that the forward knee
stays behind the toes and in front of the
heel and that the torso is upright, not
hunched forward. At this point, the athlete
can return to the starting position or
continue forward into another lunge while
utilizing the opposite leg. When stepping
forward into another lunge, it is important
not to stutter step. Once again, the athlete
will want to ensure that his weight is on
the heel of the forward foot at all times.
To do a reverse lunge, take the same
stance, except execute the first step to the
rear while the weight stays on the heel
of the forward foot. To add resistance to
this exercise, add a 40-pound weighted
vest to simulate the tactical athletes kit.
Other implements would be a barbell or
dumbbell.
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PHYSICAL FITNESS, continued
80 The Tactical Edge | Winter 2010
Shooters circuit
The purpose of the shooters circuit
is to fatigue the shoulders beforeholding
a weapon. This gives the tactical athlete
an exhausted feeling from holding and
maintaining the high-ready position
for an extended period of time. Aftercompleting ten repetitions each of a front
raise, lateral raise, upright row, scarecrow
and reverse fly, have the tactical athlete
maintain a high-ready position for 30 to
60 seconds while completing the shooter
squat with a 40-pound vest and a heavier-
than-usual substitute weapon.
This exercise can be done at the
shooting range, with the consent of the
safety personnel on the range, to have a
stress shoot experience. This would also
be a great tool for the tactical athlete to
experience a fatigued shooting sensation
and visualize where the rounds end up
downrange on the target.
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The Tactical Edge | Winter 2010 81
Summary
Training ideas are developed by watch-
ing practice and learning from observa-
tions. When weaknesses are exposed, they
must be corrected and developed so the tac-
tical athlete may continue to improve. The
exercises described in this article will assist
the tactical athlete in job-specific tasks. Take
time to learn from the past, as it will provide
the base foundation; watch the present to
make the necessary corrections; then, create
the future.7
About the author
Tyler Christiansenis the National Strength
and Conditioning Associations (NSCA) Tacti-
cal Strength and Conditioning (TSAC) Program
Coordinator. He coaches a variety of tacticalathletes in the NSCA Human Performance Cen-
ter. Tyler received his bachelors in Exercise Sport
Science from Iowa State University and served
in the Army National Guard for 6 years and is a
veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom.
TSAC ConferenceMarch 9 11, 2010 The M Resort Las Vegas, NV
Tactical Strength and Conditioning Conference
Discover the latest research-based physical training informationand techniques geared toward tactical operators.
sponsored byinformation / registration 800-815-6826
www.nsca-lift.org/TSAC2010
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department| EXPLOSIVES/EOD
82 The Tactical Edge | Winter 2010
One of the most difficult situations
a SWAT team can face is a hostage
rescue, which can become even more
complicated if there are multiple hostages
in a confined space, such as on a school bus.
SWAT teams train for this very scenario
and are certainly aware that if the situa-
tion cannot be negotiated to a resolution,
an entry onto the bus is the least favorable
option. A long rifleman or designated cover
officers outside the bus offer the best op-
tion, but they may not be a viable solution
in certain circumstances. In those cases, adynamic entry onto the bus may be the only
option, but may be hampered by the special
safety standards of the school bus intended
to keep our children safe.
Federal motor vehicle safety standards
require the hinged side door-locking
mechanisms on school buses to withstand
substantial loads as a safety feature to
prevent children from being thrown from
the bus and to protect against unauthorized
forced entry. Unfortunately, it stops autho-
rized forced entry tactics of SWAT teams
as well. In the past, teams have tried many
options to defeat the door-locking mecha-
nism, from pry bars to chain pulls, but the
most efficient alternative seemed to be to
force a window (front or side) to gain access
to the door control lever to open the door
from the inside. Depending on the difficulty
encountered, the team may lose the speed
and surprise element of their entry, which
could seriously impair the mission.
At a recent training, the explosive
breaching element of the Central Montgom-
ery (PA) County SWAT team attempted a
new solution to this problem. Rather thanworking on defeating the door, the team
identified and attacked the weakest com-
ponent of the system, which turned out to
be the bracket which fastened the 5/8-inch
locking bar to the door. In most models, this
bracket is fastened to the door with four #10
one-inch self-tapping bolts. The bolts are
fastened to the sheet metal on the interior
of the door. By using a push charge on the
Explosive breaching on a school bus
is it an option?By Michael McGuire, Jr.
By using a push charge on the
exterior of the door, we were
able to drive the bolts out of
the sheet metal, causing the
bracket to fall off the door and
releasing the locking bar. The
force of the explosion will most
likely cause the doors to fold
back to the open position, but
if not, they can easily be pulled
open by hand.
3Charge being placed on outside crossbar
of the bus.
6Charge detonating
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EXPLOSIVES/EOD , continued
84 The Tactical Edge | Winter 2010
exterior of the door, we were able to drive
the bolts out of the sheet metal, causing the
bracket to fall off the door and releasing the
locking bar. The force of the explosion will
most likely cause the doors to fold back to
the open position, but if not, they can easily
be pulled open by hand.
The specific type of charge we used was
a push charge, which is designed to push
force in a specific direction. In our case, the
direction of the force was focused on the
bracket holding the school bus door locking
arm. Specifically, it was intended to force
the bracket off the interior of the door so
the door could be easily opened. The charge
was constructed with a piece of -inch-
thick rubber conveyor belt, duct tape and
detonating cord as the explosive charge.Breachers tape was used to secure the
charge to the specific target location. The
charge was placed on the outside crossbar
on the main bus door (right side), which is
the opposing side of the crossbar where the
locking bar hinge is located. This charge
can be pre-staged and quickly placed on the
outside crossbar by a breacher on a stealth
approach from the front of the bus.
Having the bolts become projectiles
inside the bus is a concern. Based on our
testing, it did not appear to be a major issue.
During one test we placed 1/8-inch thick
piece of cardboard along the drivers seat,
5'5" from the inside of the door. After the
breach, one of the bolts penetrated the first
piece of cardboard, but failed to penetrate
the second one behind it. A hostage-taker
would not allow the bus driver to remain
in his or her seat with access to the controls
and the radio. If the driver were moved
away from the drivers seat, the potential
projectiles would not be an issue.
One issue that the hostage rescue team
must plan for is to clear the half door rod
from their entry path. In testing, we found
that the rod was either floating dangerously
at the eye level of the first entering operator
or had drifted across the aisle of the bus. In
either situation, it can easily be cleared by
the first operator with a simple hand swipe.
As stated in the 1991 NTOA conference
manual, No tactical solution is without
risk of failure. The decision to implement
a tactical solution is never an easy or safe
one. Training and rehearsal are a necessity.
Nowhere is this more apparent than while
conducting an explosive breach to initi-
ate a hostage rescue on a school bus full of
children. If a hostage rescue is needed, being
unable to board the bus in a timely fashionis not an option: the risk of failing to gain
entry will be greater than the risk of the ex-
plosive breach. Teams with properly trained
explosive breachers will need to conduct
testing, training and rehearsals to ensure
that their team is prepared to implement
this tactic if the situation requires it.7
About the author
Michael McGuire Jr.has been
a police officer in Montgomery
County, Penna. since 1997.
He is a member of the Central
Montgomery County SWAT
team and is certified in tactical
explosive breaching. He also served 10 years with
the U.S. Army as an infantry soldier.
Note: This breaching tactic should only
be attempted by operators who are certified
and properly trained in explosive breaching.
Explosive breaching operators will need to
conduct their own testing to determine what
charge to use for this breaching tactic.
Photos courtesy of Rick Birkenmeier1 - 55 locking door-bar used to open/closeand secure the front hinged door
2 - View of the door bracket attached to the
inside of the hinged door
3 - Results of the breach - interior
4 - Results of the breach - exterior
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