EP 25 "Training Under Pressure" with Dr. Tim Lee

Welcome to episode 25 of the Trainer’s Bullpen. Training Under Pressure with Dr. Tim Lee. If you are interested in how to train officers for the best decision making and motor performance on the street, this interview is for you as Dr. Lee blows several training myths out of the water. In this episode, we welcome back to the bullpen, Dr. Tim Lee, professor emeritus of motor learning from McMaster University to discuss the relationship between pressure, training under pressure, and officer performance in the line of duty where it counts the most. Have paper and pen ready as Dr. Lee discusses the role of pressure in law enforcement training and the effect of pressure on officer performance in real life shooting and defensive tactics situations. We also discuss how attention and perception are affected by pressure; how skills ‘well rehearsed’ in low pressure learning environments can quickly collapse under real threat conditions. In addition, Tim discusses how pressure affects attentional processes, internal vs external attention, that can adversely affect perception and performance. Also discussed is the ‘Progression / regression’ theory of motor learning and the difference between ‘performance’ improvements and real ‘learning’ including online and offline learning. The importance of training under conditions of realistic pressure to develop the ability to perform under those same conditions in ‘the real world.’ Why ‘what we practice’ is ‘what we learn’ and therefore why skills practiced in sterile or low-pressure learning environments don’t transfer well. The importance of richly varying and contextualizing your learning environment to develop adaptable skill application in pressure conditions. And many other critical concepts and practical takeaways for trainers.