Why Training in Body Armor is Crucial for Law Enforcement and Military Personnel

We all know the importance of training. Some of you may feel you spend more time training to do the job than actually doing the job. Good!

Training is what saves lives. It's why law enforcement officers (LEOs) put in countless hours at the shooting range, wrestling on a floor mat, and running scenario after scenario in their attempt to account for every possible situation. But how many hours are spent training in body armor?

Ideally, we always train how we fight — in full kit. But is it enough? Let's take a look at the importance of training in body armor in all aspects of our professional and personal lives to avoid training scars.

What is a Training Scar?

Training is how you build up muscle memory. We rely on muscle memory in highly stressful and combative situations to keep us and those we serve safe.

Training scars are unintentional bad habits picked up during training exercises. These habits might seem harmless at first, but they can actually be detrimental in a real-world situation.

For example, training to fire with your weak hand is valuable, but if your duty holster is on your dominant side, muscle memory could lead you to fumble for a non-existent weapon in a critical moment. By then it could be too late.

Effects of Wearing Ballistic Vests

Wearing body armor regularly during training can lead to the formation of training scars. The snug fit and additional weight of a ballistic vest can cause fatigue, physical strain, and decreased performance, reinforcing habits that may not be beneficial in varied conditions.

Wearing body armor can protect the wearer from life-threatening injuries from most weapons. Each armor level and type has unique strengths, protecting vital organs from catastrophic damage. However, wearing body armor also poses the following challenges: 

Dehydration

Dehydration can occur no matter the time of year, weather, or climate. Anytime you sweat or go to the bathroom, you lose fluid that must be replenished.

When wearing any type of body armor, including plate carriers, you sweat more than usual. Add to that any physical activity and you're a waterbed a porcupine rolled on top of — soaked and losing substance fast.

Dehydration becomes a significant issue due to the additional layer of clothing from wearing body armor.

The tight fit of a ballistic vest ensures that it stays in place to protect vital organs, preventing it from riding up, bouncing during running or jogging, or sagging away from the chest.

However, this snug fit also has a downside: it traps heat. As a result, you might find your uniform soaked through or at least damp, even after a light shift, due to the heat retention.

Physical Injuries

Long-term wearing of a bulletproof vest can also contribute to chronic injuries. Prolonged periods spent sitting in a patrol car, combined with engaging in high-risk physical activities, can lead to severe injuries and persistent pain.

Low back pain is a common problem for LEOs and military members who wear body armor for long periods.

Physical activities such as running and combative exercises can also cause injuries.

Such injuries usually occur due to a lack of knowledge and training about the type of body armor being worn. Not all bulletproof vests are the same, and not understanding how your vest works while you are wearing it can lead to severe injury or death.

A quick example is searching for a person in a heavily wooded area. Not knowing how your vest affects your movement can result in being off-balance, getting your gear caught in foliage and becoming stuck, or causing more noise than you want to make.

Poor Endurance and Performance

The tight fit of body armor can also hinder your physical performance. Your agility, coordination, strength, and endurance can all be negatively affected by body armor. Generally, higher the level of protection, the more difficult it will be to move.

The added weight of the body armor can also slow you down. For example, wearing a West Coast Armor MFPC (Multi Format Plate Carrier) with side plate pouches and front and back steel plates can cause excessive weight on your shoulders, restricting the movement of your arms and your overall reach. This can be detrimental in a real-world fight if you are unaware of these constraints.

Training in light and loose-fitting clothing sure is more comfortable, but unless you are learning a brand new skill or tactical concept, you should wear your gear. This will give you a better understanding of how you will be able to move while wearing body armor.

Your endurance probably takes the biggest hit when wearing body armor. No matter how you look at it, if all your cardio is done in shorts and t-shirts, your speed, lung capacity, and distance will suffer when wearing gear. And not just when running.

The constant weight and added layers while resting will cause fatigue to occur quicker. Every time you engage in physical activity in a bulletproof vest, you roughly start with half a tank or less of gas. Unfortunately, your gear protects you from harm but gives you a starting handicap in the process.

Training with Body Armor

Training with your gear involves more than just wearing your bulletproof vest or plate carrier every time you hit the gym or run drills at the range.

Firstly, it's not advisable to wear your work gear to the gym. Not only is it awkward for everyone involved, but it's also impractical and uncomfortable.

5.11 Tactical Tactec Plate Carrier

Instead, consider using a weighted vest designed to simulate the weight and distribution of an on-duty bulletproof vest or plate carrier. This can be especially effective during cardio workouts and strength training sessions, assuming your vest is suitable for discreet wear under clothing.

Moreover, it's crucial to run combat drills and training scenarios in your full kit as frequently as possible. Engaging in realistic training environments while fully equipped allows you to adjust to the physical demands and constraints of your gear.

Bulletproof Vests in Combat Training

Wearing bulletproof vests in training can greatly improve finding cover and concealment, hand-to-hand combat, and firearm proficiency.

Cover and Concealment

The first example we'll go over is cover and concealment. (Note: "cover" is what protects us from gunfire, and concealment is what keeps us out of sight of the shooter. The two work together and are NOT interchangeable).

Think about areas that you can realistically position your body behind. Telephone poles don't do much (despite what the movies suggest). However, a smaller person can hide in places a bigger person won't. 

Bulletproof vests add to the overall mass of the person wearing them. Think of when you first started (or maybe you experience this now, eh rookie?) and smacked your firearm on nearly every desk corner and door jamb until you got used to it being there. The vest is no different.

The most effective way to train for the added layer of bulletproof vests is to use simulation ammo. Similar to paintball rounds, simulation ammo is different from paintball by allowing you to use your duty weapon. The simulation rounds leave colored marks behind and can be felt even through military fatigues.

Hand-to-Hand Combat Drills

Bulletproof vests can impact agility, speed, and coordination, potentially leading to slower reaction times and issues with balance. For police officers, where quick and precise responses are critical, these limitations can mean the difference between life and death.

When learning to fight in your vest, it is best to learn new moves and commit them to initial muscle memory in loose-fitting clothing first. This will help you to better understand how the movements are conducted and to perform them correctly. You can add your gear when you have become proficient in the techniques and movements.

When wearing your gear, pay attention to the differences in how you move and feel. Are you slower? Does your leg not drop back as far? These are adjustments you will need to make in training until the new movement becomes a habit. This second round should also include wearing bulletproof vests.

Firearm Proficiency

Bulletproof vests also affect firearm proficiency. Whether you are laying prone, firing supported or unsupported, your gear will affect your weapons sights and your aim.

 

No matter how basic the drill, it should always be conducted while wearing your vest at the firing range. This practice ensures that you maintain consistent accuracy between the range and real-world situations on the streets.

Physical Fitness Training

Just as important as conditioning your body for combat situations with training drills, you also need to condition your body with strength and endurance training.

Endurance Training

To improve your endurance your workouts should be focused on your core and cardio. Situps, running, and circuit training in gear are the best exercises for this. Because you are focusing on physical fitness, you may not want to wear your full kit.

Weighted vests are great for mimicking the weight of your gear without concerned looks from neighbors during your morning run. If weighted vests aren't on the table, going on a run with a weighted rucksack is just as beneficial.

Strength Training

For strength training, you'll want to focus on your lower back, shoulders, and legs. This will help with the fatigue associated with the vest and prevent pre-exhaustion in combat situations. Exercises like push ups, pull ups, and leg presses are great options.

If you can try to perform them in your gear or as much of your gear as you can. If this is not an option, accessories like weighted workout vests, and ankle weights are great alternatives. The goal is to wear your full-duty gear throughout your shift without effort.

Wrap-Up

The examples given here are not all-inclusive. The goal is to highlight the need and benefits of police officers training in their gear. LEOs rely on their vest to protect them so they may protect the communities they serve.

Knowing the limitations of your gear, and your limitations while wearing your gear ensures you stand the best chance of going home at the end of your shift, which is all any of us can ask for.

Let us know in the comments the lessons you learned or training scars you've got from not training in a vest. Your story of what not to do may keep someone else safe.