Exploring the effects of holistic performance training in tactical athletes: a pilot longitudinal study of the game...

Tactical athletes face disproportionately high rates of musculoskeletal injury, with associated mental health consequences including fear-avoidance behavior and functional decline. While holistic programs integrating physical training and psychological support have shown promise for whole-person recovery, evidence for the durability of such benefits beyond the immediate post-intervention period in tactical populations remains limited.

To quantify the physiological, psychological, and quality-of-life effects of the Game Plan program at baseline, immediately post-program, and at 90 days and 6 months follow-up.

Twenty adult participants engaged in a four-week Game Plan program. Assessments included Body Composition Analysis, Mental Health Evaluation, Quality of Life Survey (QOLS), Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK), EXOS Pillar Pre-Requisite Assessment, and a daily sleep log. Data was collected at baseline, post-program, and during remote follow-ups at 90 days and 6 months. This single-arm, observational pilot study was not designed to establish causation. Longitudinal changes were evaluated using linear mixed-effects models.

Twenty tactical athlete participants were enrolled in the study. All were white males with an average age of 41.4 (SD = 7.13) years old. A significant improvement in overall functioning was observed at 4 weeks compared with baseline (mean difference, 9.05; 95% CI: 2.20 to 15.90; p = 0.032; Cohen's d = 0.84). Kinesiophobia demonstrated a significant reduction at 90 days compared with baseline (mean difference, -4.40; 95% CI: -6.62 to -2.17; p < 0.001; Cohen's d = -1.37). Sleep duration showed a small but non-significant trend toward improvement at Week 4 compared with Week 1 (mean difference, 0.23; 95% CI: -0.03 to 0.49; Cohen's d = 0.22; p = 0.237. Larger studies are needed to confirm this observation. The Quality-of-Life domains, including Physical, Psychological, Social Health, and Environmental, showed no significant difference from baseline to 6 months.

The four-week holistic training program with tactical athletes was associated with improvement in kinesiophobia, and overall functioning, with kinesiophobia gains persisting at six-month follow-up. A trend toward improved sleep duration was observed but did not reach statistical significance. The quality-of-life domains did not reach statistical significance. These pilot findings support further investigation through controlled trials to establish causal relationships.