TYLER CHRISTIANSEN, CSCS,*D, USAW, RSCC AND MIKE ASKEN, PHD
optimize the tactical athlete’s chance of success. The mind and
the body are very much integrated and we need to train that way.
Incorporating the five mental toughness skills of arousal control,
concentration, goal setting, performance imagery, and self-talk
is essential to this success. Developing the five mental toughness
skills proposed by Asken within a human performance system may
assist the tactical athlete with the selection and post-selection
process (1).
Retired Army Ranger Lieutenant Colonel Dave Grossman is correct
in emphasizing that in high stress and critical situations “we don’t
rise to the occasion; we sink to our level of training,” (3). Tactical
facilitators have an obligation and need to ensure that the training
they provide is not just mindless or rationalized bullying, but it is a
comprehensive, integrated, and scientifically sound methodology.
Part two of this series will discuss the actual implementation of
Asken’s five mental toughness skills, and where they can be placed
within a human performance system.
REFERENCES
1. Asken, M, Grossman, D, and Christensen, L. Warrior Mindset.
Millstadt, IL: Human Factor Research Group; 94-214, 2010.
2. Asken, M. MindSighting: Mental Toughness Skills for Police
Officers in High Stress Situations. Camp Hill, PA: MindSighting,
2005.
3. Grossman, D. On Combat. Retrieved October 11, 2013 from
http://www.killology.com/on_combat_ch2.htm.
4. Gruber, K., Kilcullen, R, and Iso-Ahola, S. Effects of
psychosocial resources on elite soldiers’ completion of a
demanding military selection program. Military Psychology 21: 427444, 2009.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Tyler Christiansen is a veteran soldier currently working as a Human
Performance Specialist with the U.S. Army 7th Special Forces
Group. Christiansen has worked with various tactical athletes as
a Human Performance Specialist for Athletes’ Performance in the
Special Operations Forces community, as the Tactical Strength
and Conditioning (TSAC) Coordinator at the National Strength and
Conditioning Association (NSCA), as an Exercise Physiologist at
the Army Physical Fitness Research Institute, and as a contractor
in Baghdad, Iraq. Additionally, he has worked with sport athletes
at Iowa State University, Illinois State University, and the Colorado
Rockies Major League Baseball (MLB) organization.
Mike Asken is a psychologist for the Pennsylvania State Police
(PSP). In that capacity he works with the PSP’s Special Emergency
Response Team (SERT) and Tactical and Negotiation Teams.
In addition to providing psychological evaluations for cadet
candidates and troopers, Asken teaches at the Pennsylvania
State Police Academy and works with performance issues. He has
presented training strategies to various organizations including
the National Tactical Officers Association (NTOA), the New
England Crisis Negotiator’s Association (NECNA), the Memphis
Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation
(FBI), to name a few. Asken has written several articles that have
appeared in esteemed journals and has authored the books
“MindSighting: Mental Toughness Skills for Police Officers in High
Stress Situations,” and “Emotional Intel: Mental Toughness Skills for
Optimal Response in High Stress Crisis Negotiations.” He was also a
co-author for the books “Going Deep: Psychoemotional Stress and
Survival in Undercover Policing,” and “Warrior MindSet.”
5. Machowicz, R. Unleash the Warrior Within. New York, NY:
Marlowe; 15, 2002.
6. Siff, M, and Verkhoshansky, Y. Supertraining. (6th ed.) Denver,
CO: Supertraining International; 1999.
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NSCA’S TSAC REPORT | ISSUE 32