• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Contact
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Advertise
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Subscribe
American Police Beat

American Police Beat Magazine

Law Enforcement Publication

  • Home
  • Leadership
    • A candid chat with law enforcement Explorer scouts
      Do you know your emotional intelligence?
      Addressing racism in the workplace
      Supervisory actions: Deliberate style or weak skills?
      Are performance evaluations worth the effort?
  • Topics
    • Leadership
      • A candid chat with law enforcement Explorer scouts
        Do you know your emotional intelligence?
        Addressing racism in the workplace
        Supervisory actions: Deliberate style or weak skills?
        Are performance evaluations worth the effort?
    • Editor’s Picks
      • The future is here
        A winding road
        Do you know your emotional intelligence?
        Law enforcement responds to tragic Texas flooding
        “Hold my beer”
    • On the Job
      • A winding road
        Law enforcement responds to tragic Texas flooding
        I brought home a dog
        Six Mexican cartels designated as terrorist organizations
        Police chief: Officers likely prevented further violence in Minnesota...
    • Labor
      • Building positive media relations
        LEO labor and community outreach — make the haters scoff
        Racing with a purpose
        Dallas Police Department drops college requirement for police...
        Small Texas town left without a police force after firing its last...
    • Tech
      • New Jersey school district first to adopt AI gun detection and...
        Hawaii police harness virtual reality technology to train, secure and...
        The future is here
        How local police departments can combat cybercrime
        Your website is your front desk
    • Training
      • Using critical thinking to crack the case
        Navigating cultural and language barriers
        Why you should pocket carry
        The future is here
        Training for tomorrow
    • Policy
      • Consolidation in action
        California lawmakers push mask ban for officers, raising safety...
        Proactive policing: What it is and how to do it
        California makes police misconduct records publicly available
        A bold idea for reducing homelessness in America
    • Health/Wellness
      • The warm path and the hot path
        Understanding chronic pain and depression
        Suicide and first responder retirement
        A golden key to suicide prevention
        The urgency to protect those who protect us
    • Community
      • A bold idea for reducing homelessness in America
        Operation Brain Freeze keeps community cool
        Turning over a new leaf
        Bridging the Gap Between Cops and Kids
        An unexpected reunion
    • Offbeat
      • Not eggzactly a perfect heist
        Pizza … with a side of alligator?
        Wisconsin man charged with impersonating Border Patrol agent twice in...
        Only in California?
        Durango, Colorado, police hop into action after unusual 9-1-1 call
    • We Remember
      • York County ambush leaves three officers dead, others critically...
        Honoring the Fallen Heroes of 9/11
        Team Romeo
        National Police Week 2025
        Honoring Fallen Heroes
    • HOT Mail
      • The War on Cops Continues Unabated
  • On the Job
    • A winding road
      Law enforcement responds to tragic Texas flooding
      I brought home a dog
      Six Mexican cartels designated as terrorist organizations
      Police chief: Officers likely prevented further violence in Minnesota...
  • Labor
    • Building positive media relations
      LEO labor and community outreach — make the haters scoff
      Racing with a purpose
      Dallas Police Department drops college requirement for police...
      Small Texas town left without a police force after firing its last...
  • Tech
    • New Jersey school district first to adopt AI gun detection and...
      Hawaii police harness virtual reality technology to train, secure and...
      The future is here
      How local police departments can combat cybercrime
      Your website is your front desk
  • Training
    • Using critical thinking to crack the case
      Navigating cultural and language barriers
      Why you should pocket carry
      The future is here
      Training for tomorrow
  • Policy
    • Consolidation in action
      California lawmakers push mask ban for officers, raising safety...
      Proactive policing: What it is and how to do it
      California makes police misconduct records publicly available
      A bold idea for reducing homelessness in America
  • Health/Wellness
    • The warm path and the hot path
      Understanding chronic pain and depression
      Suicide and first responder retirement
      A golden key to suicide prevention
      The urgency to protect those who protect us
  • Community
    • A bold idea for reducing homelessness in America
      Operation Brain Freeze keeps community cool
      Turning over a new leaf
      Bridging the Gap Between Cops and Kids
      An unexpected reunion
  • Offbeat
    • Not eggzactly a perfect heist
      Pizza … with a side of alligator?
      Wisconsin man charged with impersonating Border Patrol agent twice in...
      Only in California?
      Durango, Colorado, police hop into action after unusual 9-1-1 call
  • We Remember
    • York County ambush leaves three officers dead, others critically...
      Honoring the Fallen Heroes of 9/11
      Team Romeo
      National Police Week 2025
      Honoring Fallen Heroes
  • HOT Mail
    • The War on Cops Continues Unabated
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Contact
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
Search

Training

Realism and stress inoculation in training

Shaun Fleming Published March 24, 2023 @ 6:00 am PDT

iStock.com/Lorado

The state of Ohio requires approximately 80 hours of defensive tactics training for new cadets. In those 80 hours, cadets are required to learn and satisfactorily perform a multitude of techniques, including arrest and control holds, takedowns, ground manipulation, weapons retention and handcuffing. Very few departments address training in these techniques after the academy, due to either staffing issues, budget constraints, focusing on training new policy or devoting in-service training to the required firearms and EDC annual qualifications. Complacency, ego, time and the physical discomfort inherent to the training usually prevent officers from pursuing further instruction on their own time.

Teaching in multiple academies for the last few years, I have noticed a disturbing trend in the rosters of the classes. In every academy class I have taught, more than half of the students have never been in a physical altercation of any kind. There occasionally is someone who wrestled in high school or studied martial arts, but a majority of the cadets have not ever been in an “actual fight.” As an instructor, not only do I have to make sure there is an adequate understanding of the technique and its application, but I have to try to instill a fundamental shift in thinking and situational awareness. Simply performing a satisfactory armbar on a nonresistant partner will not serve the students in a real and dangerous situation. There must be physical and mental stress added to the training to ensure an appropriate response and understanding. There must be stress inoculation. After the introduction and instruction in the principles and application of the techniques, students must be able to “pressure test them.”

One method to achieve this is repetition with an increasingly noncompliant partner. This will allow the student to develop a greater understanding of the application and opportunities for use of each technique, as well as instill confidence in the student. Students should routinely work with partners of different body types and familiarity to increase this understanding. Students should be placed in positions of disadvantage to add familiarity and increase problem solving.

Another method for stress inoculation is adding physical stress (strength and cardio) to the training. When the students are tired, weakened and winded, the training will force them to internalize that understanding and allow them to utilize the techniques more efficiently. This is a relatively safe way to simulate the fatigue of fighting and adrenaline usage. It also allows students to address their own deficiencies in their physical training. While a physical encounter can be exhausting regardless, students need an understanding that they must maintain physical and mental readiness as much as possible. Not being able to perform a technique in a relatively safe and structured environment will prove disastrous in dangerous and rapidly evolving encounters.

Scenario training allows for a safe, structured and practical way to induce stress and test skill. In training scenarios, I usually keep parameters limited to just their role and a desired outcome. This is to prevent the students from overthinking and to observe their genuine reaction to the situation. Use of a box or blindfold while entering the scenario disorients the student, adds anxiety and forces students to quickly react; effectively mimicking the surprise, stress and adrenaline dump of a real situation. However, for scenario training to be effective, there must be a prior understanding of the principles and application of the techniques presented, or otherwise students will regress into previous learned behaviors.

It is important to note that while I have framed this article as instructing cadets, all officers should incorporate realism and stress inoculation into their training. Shooting paper only once a year or just assuming experience will carry you through an encounter is an extreme risk. Officers literally face the risk of injury and death daily.

Every routine pat-down and arrest is a hands-on subject control situation. With the increased danger, scrutiny and liability in this profession, the importance of consistent and quality training cannot be overemphasized. Departments need to address comprehensive and realistic training regularly, in all aspects. In post-incident briefings, constructively address training and experience deficiencies with yourself and other officers. Departments need to be encouraged to conduct further training to lessen the chance of officer and suspect injuries, and to allow officers to have the confidence and skills to de-escalate and prevent greater use-of-force instances. All officers should seek advanced training routinely and maintain a state of physical fitness and readiness.

Routinely test yourself and your skills, push yourself and inspire others to do the same.

Shaun Fleming

Shaun Fleming

Shaun Fleming is an instructor for the Sinclair Criminal Justice Training Academy and the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy. He is a certified use-of-force instructor by the state of Ohio and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, teaching firearms, subject control, impact weapons, OC and officer tactics. He has 27 years of experience working in law enforcement, corrections and private security. He also has over 30 years of experience studying a multitude of martial arts and combatives programs.

View articles by Shaun Fleming

As seen in the March 2023 issue of American Police Beat magazine.
Don’t miss out on another issue today! Click below:

SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

Categories: Training

Primary Sidebar

Recent Articles

  • New Jersey school district first to adopt AI gun detection and emergency alerts
  • The warm path and the hot path
  • A candid chat with law enforcement Explorer scouts
  • National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund Announces 2025 Ambassador Impact Award Winner
  • Understanding chronic pain and depression
  • Hawaii police harness virtual reality technology to train, secure and recruit
  • Suicide and first responder retirement
  • Consolidation in action
  • National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund launches 2025 Bid for the Badge online auction
  • National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund announces “Restoring the Ranks” conference on recruitment and retention

Footer

Our Mission
To serve as a trusted voice of the nation’s law enforcement community, providing informative, entertaining and inspiring content on interesting and engaging topics affecting peace officers today.

Contact us: info@apbweb.com | (800) 234-0056.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Categories

  • Editor’s Picks
  • On the Job
  • Labor
  • Tech
  • Training
  • Policy
  • Health/Wellness
  • Community
  • Offbeat
  • We Remember
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Events

Editor’s Picks

The future is here

The future is here

August 21, 2025

A winding road

A winding road

August 20, 2025

Do you know your emotional intelligence?

Do you know your emotional intelligence?

August 17, 2025

Law enforcement responds to tragic Texas flooding

Law enforcement responds to tragic Texas flooding

August 11, 2025

Policies | Consent Preferences | Copyright © 2025 APB Media, LLC | Website design, development and maintenance by 911MEDIA

Open

Subscribe

Close

Receive the latest news and updates from American Police Beat directly to your inbox!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.