Multidisciplinary Approach to Improve Marksmanship and Lethality by Synchronizing Breath Control and Heart Rate
Date: Wed 01 May
Time: 1400-1420
Location: Room 108-109 / 1st Floor
Speakers: MAJ Laura Dy, 3BCT 10MTN DIV Patriot H2F; Ms. Rebecca Lawler, CMPC; Mr. John Herger, CSCS
Description:
Infantry Soldiers protect our Country at the ground level. They have the greatest need to be not just proficient in their weapons skills, but experts. Soldiers are taught, and continually train the physical, tactical, and technical skills required for their jobs but often neglect training the psychological skills needed to stay focused and make decisions under stress. Managing stress and learning to use it appropriately for positive outcomes is a critical skill. “Breath control should be a mandatory component of survival stress management” Asken, Grossman, and Christensen, 2009.
The multidisciplinary team of Strength and Conditioning coach (SCC), Cognitive Performance Specialist (CPS), and Occupational Therapist (OT) at Fort Johnson, Louisiana are working together to improve readiness, situational awareness, and marksmanship accuracy. The team is using the DART weapons simulation system to measure marksmanship through realistic scenarios and Inner Balance Software technology to measure coherence, synchronizing breath control and heart rate. The Soldiers receive psychoeducation and practice on imagery, pre-performance routines, and heart rate variability (HRV) from the CPS and OT team. Soldiers participate in physical exercise to increase heart rate and respiration rate to mimic increased stress levels. Soldiers transition to the DART range and are given 1 minute to execute their newly developed skills prior to shooting. Our goal is for Soldiers to enhance psychological hardiness by learning arousal control leading to a more lethal Soldier.
