Think you're tough? Here's how elite SWAT team members train for ultra-high-performance law enforcement.
Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) units train in all sorts of conditions; some are highly physical, some are emotionally demanding.
There's a lot of variety, to simulate real-life situations. They practice various shooting drills out on a range or in a shoot house. The SWAT team also practices entries into buildings and room-clearing drills using safe weapons, or force-on-force training using "simunitions" (paintball on steroids.)
Sometimes the team will use a building scheduled to be torn down as the target of a high-risk search warrant. They'll then go through the entire process of planning and executing the mission.
A TYPICAL SWAT TRAINING DAY
The typical team-training day generally starts off with some calisthenics and stretching. A typical team likes to form a big circle with the instructor in the middle. They then go for a team run that starts out slow, with someone calling cadence, and conclude with sprints or hill runs. If they have access to a tall building, we might run the stairs. After PT theye'll jump right into the day's main focus of training.
Sometimes they go through self-defense drills in full SWAT gear. This is unique training because they practice blocks and throw strikes encumbered by heavy tactical vests and ballistic helmets, all while holding a handgun or longarm. They do this because they often encounter an unarmed individual who is assaultive or noncompliant. They then need to set aside deadly force to physically deal with him.
As part of their training, the SWAT team combines physical exercise with shooting drills to simulate possible real-world SWAT situations. Shooting drills are always done in full gear. Most guys are carrying about 50 pounds of equipment.
Anytime they're geared up, everything is a little more laborious, but they train as they fight. During training is the time to discover and resolve any problems related to operating in their equipment. You wouldn't want to discover an operational problem during an actual mission. Even in cool weather, it doesn't take much effort before they start sweating. During the summer months theye sweat so profusely that, after the day is done, they need to set their heavy vests aside so they can dry out.
BOYS WILL BE BOYS
On a SWAT team full of type-A personalities, it should come as no surprise that everyone is competitive. They'll use this in some of their shooting drills by creating various competitions. They may form a line where each man is shooting up close on his own target. Anyone who misses steps out of the line. They then step back 5 yards and shoot again. They continue moving back until there's only one man standing. They might also form small relay teams where each man must complete a physical task, like a sprint and pushups, before scoring the required number of hits on a target. He then runs back and tags the next man on his relay team. The team that finishes first owns bragging rights.
When preparing for a SWAT competition, the training really intensifies. About 10 of them meet each week and concentrate on the challenging PT and shooting drills. Their PT is designed to be functional in the sense that it prepares them for what they may face on a SWAT mission. The SWAT competition events are also designed this way. They work with unbalanced loads such as sandbags, logs, heavy chains, and truck tires. They might use heavy drag dummies or carry each other in various manners. They practice climbing walls and fences of various heights.
Climbing ropes are also a great test of grip and upper-body strength. They run over uneven ground, in full gear, carrying their weapons or heavy objects. Sometimes they'll train wearing our gasmasks because it makes it more difficult to breathe, and competitions often require masks at various stages.
TEAM TRYOUTS
The SWAT tryout is one of the most difficult of any team I know. They hold tryouts once a year, and the entire team is involved in this important day. Every candidate is closely monitored; above all else, they're looking for any sign of weakness or quitting. If a candidate gives up during the tryout, the team can't depend on him when it really matters.
Undoubtedly, they've lost some good candidates because they fell just short on one of our standards, but they refuse to lower the bar for anyone. There was one time one candidate who was just a couple of feet short of climbing to the top of the high rope. He was spent and couldn't pull himself up any further. His response to yells of encouragement was to yell back, "I can't." He had shown his true colors, and at that moment the entire team disregarded him as a viable candidate.
The tryout consists of a series of calisthenics, a timed run, an obstacle course, and two stress-shooting courses. They generally have about a 50 percent failure rate. If a candidate fails but the team believes he has the right stuff, we encourage him to come back and try out again.
EARNING YOUR PLACE
The national SWAT team standards dictate that a team must have a formal tryout process and train 16 hours per month, plus a full 40-hour week each year of advanced SWAT team training.
Unfortunately, not all SWAT teams are created equal, and not all conform to these standards.
Special Ops teams like the Navy SEALs are elite for good reason; likewise, I believe a SWAT patch should be earned and not just handed out like they would in some good ol' boy network. There are still teams out there with no real tryout process or physical standards, and this creates a recipe for disaster.
It's imperative that SWAT operators maintain a high level of physical fitness. It's essential they possess a combination of strength, speed, and agility.
They carry a lot of extra weight and may be called upon to run down the block, climb over a fence, ascend three flights of stairs, ram a door, and then possibly make a precision shot. Such men also need the endurance to maintain a high level of combat readiness during extended missions.
I'm a sort of fan of the 2003 movie "SWAT" with Samuel L. Jackson, but one of his lines rings true: "When the citizens are in trouble they call the police, but when the police are in trouble they call SWAT."
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