Colorado Springs, CO – The National Strength and Conditioning Association is proud to announce that Jay Dawes, PhD, CSCS,*D, NSCA-CPT,*D, TSAC-F,*D, FNSCA, has been selected as the NSCA’s Tactical Strength and Conditioning Professional of the Year for 2021. Award winners are selected by a volunteer committee, the NSCA’s Awards Taskforce, who determine the winner based on their contributions to the NSCA and their community, and whose influential contributions to the field result in its advancement in a measurable way that exceeds the outcomes achieved by others.

The purpose of this article is to discuss caffeine use in tactical populations and provide recommendations for responsible consumption.

In this session from the NSCA’s 2018 TSAC Conference, Josh Hagen explains the importance of having an understanding metrics and how to implement monitoring for tactical athletes to influence training for optimal performance.

The innovative technology found in portable BFR training systems can help tactical personnel achieve greater strength and hypertrophic gains, as well as optimize training programs and overall performance.

This excerpt explains the importance of optimal nutritional strategies in conjunction with good sleep hygiene and how that can help mitigate damaging effects of deployment and shift work on performance.

This article uses relevant research and literature to provide suggestions for optimal recovery in tactical operators.

A combination of a kinesiology tape application and a progressive resistance training program for the upper extremity can potentially increase overall performance of the shooter’s arm during pistol target shooting.

HRV is thought to provide objective insight into understanding fatigue, “trainability,” and “readiness” to perform in athletic populations. Evolving access to HRV data may enhance the understanding of individualized fitness and training responses in tactical athletes.

This narrative review will focus on the research related to tactical load carriage and on a program recommendation to maximize strength and endurance adaptations in Special Operations Forces (SOF).

Tactical athletes, due to the nature of their jobs, may have sleeping problems (such as falling asleep and/or staying asleep) which is indicative of poor sleep quality. This article shares sleep hygiene strategies that can help tactical athletes achieve better rest.