Calibre Press

When it comes to the long-range and complete integration of an officer's mind, body, and spirit, it isn’t just about repetition. It's about mastery. When I was a Special Agent trainee at the Drug Enforcement Administration Academy in Quantico, Va., this principle was drilled into me by the lead DEA firearms instructor. We performed thousands of draws from concealment, thousands of dry fire trigger presses, and thousands of weapon manipulation d... Full Article »

Good physical conditioning is the cornerstone of good police work. On the street, a strong, durable, resilient, and powerful body can be your greatest asset, especially in critical moments. In addition to strength, speed, and power, it's vital that officers be mobile and flexible too. It all comes down to balance: only a balanced body, mind, and spirit is up to the unknown and unknowable challenges of the law enforcement profession. As I’ve ... Full Article »

[Publisher’s Note: Fitness is the cornerstone of police work! Whatever you status, you can improve and that’s the intent of this Calibre Press video series with Greg Amundson. Remember: Before altering or beginning a new exercise routine, consult your physician.This video is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical diagnosis or care. Should you have further questions about the exercises performed, seek out a fitn... Full Article »

Good physical conditioning is the cornerstone of good police work. On the street, a strong, durable, resilient and powerful body can be your greatest asset, especially in critical moments. [caption id="attachment_6929" align="alignright" width="273"] CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE INTRODUCTORY VIDEO![/caption] Furthermore, disciplined physical training leads to mental confidence, improves command presence, and has been shown to actually decrease a... Full Article »

Authors Note: This is the third article in a series on the importance of a holistic approach to physical training, nutrition and spiritual strength. This article focuses on inner strength, referred to as spiritual strength, or warrior spirit. For background on the context of equally dividing time spent in physical training, food preparation and development of the Warrior spirit, please see this and this.  I was recently asked: “If you only h... Full Article »

[Authors Note: This is the second article in a series on the importance of a holistic approach to physical training, nutrition and spiritual strength. This article focuses on proper nutrition. For background on the context of equally dividing time spent in physical training, food preparation and development of the Warrior spirit, click here.] [caption id="attachment_6036" align="alignright" width="385"] Click here to read Coach Glassman's ar... Full Article »

During a recent podcast interview on “The Squad Room,” a law enforcement website, forum and podcast created by Garrett Teslaa, a Santa Barbara County Deputy Sheriff, I was asked the following question: “Greg, if you only had 15 minutes a day for fitness, what would you do?” I paused for a moment to reflect on my answer—after all, 15 minutes was not a lot of time and for me training is a matter of life and death. Then the answer hit m... Full Article »

Many of the early supporters and proponents for CrossFit were modern day warriors--the men and women who served and protected our nation both domestic and abroad. More often than not, it only took one CrossFit workout to realize the similarity between “fighting for one more repetition” and “fighting for your life” during a violent encounter. There are hundreds of stories of law enforcement officers, following their first CrossFit workout... Full Article »

In 2004, following three years of dedicated training in CrossFit, I decided to put my fitness to the test and compete in the United States Police and Fire Olympics “TCA” event. “TCA” in 2004 stood for “Toughest Cop Alive”—my kind of competition! (Note: The competition today is known as Toughest Competitor Alive and is open to both Police and Fire.) The TCA was a multi-event competition, of which one event was a one-repetition, ma... Full Article »

In 2001, I was fresh out of the South Bay (Calif.) Regional Police Academy with my Field Training Officer (FTO) Program behind me. I was ready to hit the street. Or so I thought ... Within one week of being a “solo deputy” with the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office, I got my ass handed to me in a fight. Good thing my former FTO arrived on scene to help subdue the suspect. I told my FTO it felt like I’d been breathing through a straw... Full Article »