Optimizing Performance: The Role of the Tactical Athletic Trainer
Optimizing Performance: The Role of the Tactical Athletic Trainer
As an athletic trainer in the tactical field, my job is to keep those who serve our communities operating at their best. Tactical athletes—firefighters, law enforcement officers, and military personnel—face unique physical and mental demands that require a proactive approach to injury prevention and performance optimization. Unlike traditional sports, there’s no off-season. Their bodies are their most valuable tools, and if they break down, it doesn’t just impact them—it affects their entire team and the people they serve.
What Does an Athletic Trainer Do in Tactical Settings?
My role is all about reducing injuries, improving movement efficiency, and ensuring that tactical professionals can perform at their highest level for the long haul. That means:
· Early Intervention & Injury Prevention: Identifying movement patterns or habits that could lead to injury and addressing them before they become a problem.
· Job-Specific Conditioning: Training tactical athletes in ways that mimic real-world scenarios—whether that’s building strength for lifting heavy gear, improving endurance for long shifts, or enhancing mobility for quick reaction times.
· Rehabilitation & Return to Duty: If an injury does occur, my job is to help them recover safely and efficiently so they can return to full duty without unnecessary setbacks.
· Education & Habit Building: Teaching tactical professionals how to take care of their bodies—nutrition, recovery, hydration, and movement strategies—so they can sustain high performance throughout their careers.
Common Challenges in Tactical Athletic Training
One of the biggest challenges in this field is changing the mindset around injury prevention. Many tactical athletes are used to pushing through pain or seeing injuries as just part of the job. My goal is to shift the culture toward proactive care—helping them understand that taking care of their body now means they’ll be able to stay in the job longer and perform at a higher level.
Another challenge is the unpredictable nature of the job. Unlike traditional athletes who have structured seasons, tactical athletes need to be prepared for anything, anytime. That means their training and recovery plans have to be adaptable to fluctuating schedules and high-pressure situations.
Why Athletic Training Matters in Tactical Professions
The work that athletic trainers do in tactical settings directly impacts safety, longevity, and job performance. A well-conditioned, pain-free tactical athlete is more effective in high-stress situations, less likely to suffer career-ending injuries, and better equipped to protect the people they serve.
By integrating injury prevention, rehabilitation, and performance strategies into tactical professions, athletic trainers help ensure that these critical workers stay strong, mobile, and mission-ready.
Delivering Services to the Tactical Community
I deliver services for the City of Wisconsin Rapids and the Stevens Point Fire and Police Departments primarily. I’m onsite at each two days a week doing a variety of things: I might be doing fitness assessments, running a variety of tests that could include ones to identify movement efficiency or deficiency. I also handle OSHA first aid, catching little things before they become big problems.
My role includes a lot of rounding, going to the different departments – streets, public works, wastewater, the airport, and of course police and fire – just checking in, seeing how people are doing, and if anyone needs anything, be it a stretching or strengthening program, some ergonomic adjustments to their workstation, etc.
No matter where I am, it’s about being available, being responsive, and getting them the answers to any questions they have, which are often about injury prevention or rehab. It might be something like, “Hey, I keep getting this pain in my shoulder, what can I do?” And we'll look at it. Maybe it's how their vest is sitting, maybe it's their lifting technique. Physically, the demands placed on their bodies are extreme – one minute they might be sitting, and the next they're chasing someone down an alley or dealing with a really intense situation. Shifts are long, so sleep is problematic, and nutrition can take a back seat.
These professionals might see more trauma in a day than many see in a lifetime, so it’s about finding that balance – building that rapport so they feel comfortable asking questions they might not want to ask, and then being in the space where they can be receptive to the honest answers they need.
Testing is another important component to the departments I serve. Tactical athletes are constantly having to move heavy objects, carry heavy loads, whether it's their gear, a fire hose, or helping someone at an accident scene. They also need to be able to sprint and change direction quickly. The fit-for-duty assessments I use with them are based on essential job functions and created with input from officers and firefighters. The assessments help us make sure they can do these things, because these aren't optional tasks for them.
At the end of the day, the services I deliver are all about making sure my teams have the ability to perform at their best. Their bodies and minds are their most important pieces of equipment. We have to train both like their lives depend on it, because they do.
Lynsey Hansen is a member of the Advanced Tactical Medicine team, working onsite at the City of Wisconsin Rapids and at Stevens Point Police & Fire Departments. She graduated from Carroll University with a Bachelor's in Athletic Training and a Minor in Sports Nutrition and worked with Division II athletes and semi-pro soccer in Missouri. Upon moving back to Wisconsin, she worked in the high school setting for Gundersen Health System out of Lacrosse. Later, she oversaw group exercise, personal training, wellness, nutrition, and chronic disease programming in her role as a non-profit Healthy Living Director before transitioning to the tactical setting. Lynsey is passionate about using a holistic approach to patient care, teaching ways to prevent injury by focusing on form and function, as well as utilizing nutrition and working to combat any mental barriers to reach goals.