Kicking down Doors
This is a technical article intended for folks who kick down doors for a living. Definitely not intended for everyone. Needless to say, the training principles are INDEED appropriate for anyone. When a bad guy is inside a house, the good guys will use various breaching techniques to gain entry. Today's article is about mechanical breaching.
The breachers are usually your powerlifting guys; they carry the ram and hit the door. Problem is, if you don't train for this type of explosive, rotational activity, you can get into serious trouble. Learn more in the guest article below, written by Coach Stephenson. ===== Developing the Core for Breaching Officers Mark D. Stephenson, CSCS,*D, ATC As a SWAT operator there are many different tasks that you may be required to perform. Being in top physical condition is not only essential but possibly a matter of life or death. One such task that requires power and agility is that of the Breach Officer. Breaching is a method of gaining forceful entry into a building. Typically this is performed under adverse conditions and relies on the element of surprise Breaching requires not only strength but also explosive power. Combining those with proper technique and execution may increase the number of successful breaches. To develop a program for the Breaching officer first a needs analysis must be performed. Needs Analysis The proper mechanics when performing a door breach utilizing a ram requires the officer to approach the door carrying a 45-pound ram as well as being fully loaded down with appropriate tactical gear. This could potentially bring the officer’s weight to an additional 110 pounds. The distance from the drop off point to the entry is also a factor. The approach is usually stealth-like and requires the officer to be agile. It is critical to successfully breach the door with one hit. It is not always possible due to confounding factors such as location and debris around the door, barricaded or strategic bracing, etc. However if one of those factors is due to lack of strength or power it is unacceptable. Use of a circular saw may also be employed to cut bars in front of the door, window, or cutting a gun port through a wall using both vertical and horizontal cuts. The saw adds another 15 pounds to the officer and when turned on and running at full speed it creates a gyroscopic effect. This becomes very apparent when making a horizontal cut. No matter which method of breaching is used, core strength and power are critical. Weakness in the core muscles may result in poor performance and possibly injury.
Training for performance is specific to the tasks that may be involved. The exercises should be dynamic and train the core in various planes of motion.
REFERENCES 1. Stephenson J, AM Swank Core Training: Designing a Program for Anyone. Strength Cond. J. 26(6):34 – 37. 2004 2. Faries MD, M Greenwood Core Training: Stabilizing the Confusion. Strength Cond. J. 29(2):10 – 25. 2007 3. Gamble P. An Integrated Approach to Training Core Stability. Strength Cond. J. 29(1):58 – 68. 2007 ##
Hope you enjoyed the article. I wrote a training program that helps develop your core in a more “functional” manner. In other words, this will help you in the event you need to kick down a door (or simply reduce back pain). If you found this breaching article helpful, please forward to your fellow tactical athletes. Train hard and stay safe, Coach Joe Joseph Arangio Tactical Workouts for Military and Law Enforcement 1. Claim Your Gift: 5 Tactical Training Videos ==>> 2. Build Tactical Strength. Over 100 Bodyweight Exercises. No Gym Required
