Winning Mind Training

  • Home
  • About
    • About Winning Mind
    • Testimonials
  • Store
  • Blog
  • Courses Listing / Calendar
    • Training Schedule
    • Course Descriptions
      • Dare to Be Great: Strategies for Creating a Culture of Leading
      • The Heroes Path to Excellence in Law Enforcement
      • Excellence In Training
      • Performance Enhancement Imagery
      • The Pursuit of Personal Excellence
      • Lessons From Life’s Most Powerful Question
      • Ground Fighting and A.C.E. Edged Weapons Defense Instructor Course
      • PPCT Defensive Tactics / HFRG Use of Force Instructor Course
  • Resources
  • Contact Us

May 5, 2020 By Brian Willis

They may not know, so teach them.

It is easy to tell prospective recruits to make sure they eat healthy and get in shape before they come to the Academy, but what does that mean?

If I do a google search for, “Eating Healthy” I get 4,700,000,000 results in 0.74 seconds. Not much help.

If I simply type in, “How do I get in shape?” into a google search I get 1,640,000,000 results in 0.66 seconds. Not much help.

If I search, “How do I get in shape for a police academy?” I get 41,600,000 results in 0.61 seconds. Not much help.

Since they have never been through your academy, and may not know anyone else who has, they have no idea of the fitness requirements or regime at your academy.

Do you do lots of long runs at your academy? (If you do then why? What is the transference of that training to the field?) Is your fitness training based on Crossfit or some other form of high intensity fitness program? (If so, do you have a solid on ramp program and knowledgeable coaches?)

Is your fitness training program delivered multiple times a week in a progressive, building block format over the course of the entire Academy? Is there transference from the type of fitness training you do to the actual job requirements?

Fitness is subjective. Functional / Practical / Tactical fitness is subjective. Those standards are based on the task or tasks you need to be fit enough to perform. Is strength most important or is power more important? Is speed most important or is endurance more important? Is power more important ant than endurance? How critical is flexibility? Are they all important? Are you performing in controlled environments or in dynamic and unpredictable environments? Are you going to be allowed to perform wearing specially designed, custom fit clothing to enhance performance or required to perform wearing boots and 20 to 30 pounds of extra gear?

Fitness programs in many academies are also subjective and are often based on the biases and preferences of the current cadre of fitness instructors or on how fitness training has been done historically.

“Make sure you are in good shape when you come into the Academy.”, is of very little value to the prospective recruit. You might say that you have a pre-academy fitness test they need to be able to pass. Great. Will training specifically to pass that test guarantee they have the appropriate level of fitness required for your academy, or will it simply help them to pass that test?

What if you provided a video to explain to prospective recruits the type of fitness training you do at the Academy and the “why” behind the type of training you do? What if, in addition to that video, you provided access to a series of instructional videos on types of exercises and sample training programs, which would be helpful in preparing for them for the Academy, and the job they will do once they graduate (provided your fitness training is transferable to the street). The value of videos is that the candidates can access them anytime from anywhere. (Make sure the videos can be played on smartphones and tablets.)

While you are at it how about if you developed a series of videos for your in-service officers to help show them how to work out effectively in 20 minutes a day, with minimal or no equipment and limited space.

You can complain about the fitness level of the people coming into your academy, or you can do something positive about it.

Take care.

Brian Willis 

Winning Mind Training – Dedicated to helping good trainers become great trainers and great trainers to deliver awesome training.  

The Excellence in Training Academy – Where trainers come to grow. Join the Community of trainers committed to the pursuit of excellence in and through training.  Use the code eitblog to get the first month’s membership (individual or training unit) free. 

Interested in hosting an Excellence in Training Presentation, Seminar or Course? Contact to me at winningmind@mac.com and we can work together to determine what will best suit your needs. 

EXCELLENCE in Training Academy Black

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit

Related

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Subscribe To Our Blog

Sign up to the Winning Mind Training blog to receive new articles, tips and posts directly to your email inbox.

Excellence In Training Blog

  • Training Myths – Part 2 April 13, 2021
  • Training Myths – Part 1 April 6, 2021
  • Pay attention to your video content. March 30, 2021
  • Certification is just a start. March 23, 2021
  • Do you want a professional agency? Invest in your trainers and training. March 16, 2021

Contact Winning Mind Training

Address:
246 Stewart Green S.W., Suite #2486
Calgary AB. Canada. T3H 3C8

Phone: 403-279-5954

Email: winningmind@mac.com

Connect With Us

  • Email
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Winning Mind Training is a proud member of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce. To get more information and to find out how you can become a member of the Chamber of Commerce go to www.calgarychamber.com

Events

  • Leadership Lessons from Life's Most Powerful Question - 26th Annual FCJEIA Graduates Training Session
    • Tuesday, Apr 27, 2021 - Wednesday, Apr 28, 2021
  • Excellence in Training Course - Denton, Texas
    • Monday, May 03, 2021 - Friday, May 07, 2021
    • Denton
  • Excellence in Training Course - Okotoks, Alberta
    • Monday, May 31, 2021 - Friday, Jun 04, 2021
    • Okotoks

Copyright © 2021 · Winning Mind Training