Last weekend (Saturday 12th October 2019) osteopath Heath Williams attended the 1 day Tactical Strength and Conditioning Course (Level 1) that was hosted by the Australian Strength and Conditioning Association at Integrate Personal Training in Caulfield.

The course was taught by Jase who has a wealth of experience working as a researcher with tactical workers and his insight along with those other attendees brought additional context to the various demands and considerations one must take when working with the tactical worker.

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So what is a tactical worker or athlete? The tactical worker is usually an individual working in the military, police or emergency services. I would also look to extend this definition to those workers where they are required to be both physically capable but also have job roles and tasks that demand great physical demands on their body.

The course was very well developed and comprehensive and included the following topics:

Module 1 –
Introduction to ASCA/TSACA and Course Overview
Explain the ASCA/TSACA’s role as the peak body for S&C Coaching in Australia and understand the philosophy behind the TSACA Level 1 Course.

Module 2 –
Screening and Assessment
Define, implement and interpret specific functional measures for assessing tactical personnel.  

Module 3 –
Advanced Concepts
Apply advanced movement orientated conditioning to improve the occupational fitness and resilience in tactical personnel.  

Module 4 -Introduction to Climatic Conditions and Acclimatisation
Comprehend the effect of a number of environmental issues that can effect tactical personnel in training and deployment.  

Module 5 –
Load Carriage
Comprehend the physiology of load carriage in relation to historical and current requirements.
Outline the decrements in performance associated with load carriage.
Design, implement and review a conditioning program to minimise physical responses to load carriages
Identify the risks associated with load carriage and load carriage conditioning.  

Module 6 -Alternate Training Methods
Implement a variety of alternate training methods that aim to decrease fatigue and avoid over-training, whilst increasing or maintaining physical conditioning in the tactical operator.  

Module 7 -Periodisation
Apply advanced movement orientated conditioning to improve the occupational fitness and resilience in tactical personnel.  

Module 8 -Fatigue and Recovery
Develop strategies to minimise fatigue and improved recovery from the effects of training and/or on the job daily work for the tactical operator.  

Module 9 -Conducting Group and Exercise Training Sessions in a Tactical Environment
Develop communication strategies to effectively manage a training session in a tactical environment
Develop and implement a structured sequence for teaching an exercise to the tactical operator  

Module 10 -Health and Wellbeing
Define the concepts of health and poor health.
Explain the risk factor influencing health.

This course has definitely opened my eyes with regards to screening, risk assessment and conditioning approaches for the tactical worker. At Principle Four Osteopathy we commonly have workers attending for the treatment of musculoskeletal complaints where they work in the emergency services (fire fighting, ambulance, police) and completing this course will inform any work I do with these clients moving forward.

Heath Williams is a registered osteopath who has a keen interest in strength and conditioning and occupational health and safety with a specific focus on risk assessment and assessing the physical aspects relating to work roles. If you would like to book an appointment with Heath, please click here.

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Principle Four Osteopathy is located on Level 4 at 178 Collins St Melbourne City CBD. Find out more at www.principlefourosteopathy.com.