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Purpose

Phoenix Police Recruitment to provide team coaching for those candidates who successfully complete the physical fitness evaluation, with the exception of the wall exercise.

Those candidates may participate in the Recruitment team coaching, to aid in improving their performance.

Program

A healthy participant who is doing plyometrics according to the suggested schedule should be able to climb the wall within four coaching sessions.

If the wall has been successfully executed at or before the fourth session, the participant will continue in the hiring process.

If after four sessions the wall has not been successfully completed, the candidate will be re-evaluated:

• general fitness
• have plyometrics have been done outside of class
• upper body strength
• lower body strength
• push-ups
• sit-ups
• distance run
• injury
• other contributing factors

A continuation will be granted if inability to complete the wall is due to injury. Otherwise the participant will be asked to do physical fitness work on their own, related to other aspects of the testing process, and come back to wall coaching at a later date.

The expectation is, given all other physical agility requirements being met, a combination of technique, plyometrics and familiarity with the wall should enable the candidate to successfully complete the wall exercise after four coaching sessions.

The wall class is conducted every Thursday at 6:30am at the Arizona Law Enforcement Academy located at 10001 S 15 Ave. Officer Larry Horton will meet class participants by the wall located on the Far East side of the running track.

The Exercises

High Knees:

From a standing position, raise one knee high enough until it is about parallel to the ground, about at a 90 degree angle to the hip. At the same time move the opposite arm up in a pump motion. Put that foot down and immediately raise the opposite knee and opposite arm. The strategy is to not extend the foot in front of you for distance. The emphasis of the exercise is the height of the knees back and forth at a very rapid pace. The forward movement will be minimal but the number of repetitions in the small amount of space will be high. Go about 30 yards and stop then walk back to the start line. That is one set. Do about 3 – 5 sets every other day.

Single Leg Bounding:

Begin standing with one leg forward of the other leg. Bound up into the air launching off the back/base foot and driving the forward knee straight up into the air trying to obtain as much height on the bound as possible. It is important to use both arms also. As the one knee drives up and into the air the opposite arm also drives into the air. The arm on the same side of the driving knee, opposite of the base leg, moves slightly backwards. When youland, reset and repeat the bound using the same leg as your base leg and the same knee as the driving knee. Once you become familiar with this plyo then switch back and forth between base legs. Go about 50 yards and emphasize height then walk back to the start line. That is one set. Do about 3 – 5 sets every other day.

Double Leg Bounding:

Stand at the start bending deep at the knees, dropping your butt low and setting your arms behind you. Using both legs bound forward as far as you can driving your arms out in front of you and land on both legs. The emphasis here is not height but distance. Before actually bounding forward it is as if you are curling up a spring then letting the spring quickly expand as you bound forward. Go about 50 yards then walk back to the start line. That is one set.Do about 3 – 5 sets every other day.

Standing Squats:

Standing with legs about shoulder width apart, toes pointing forward and arms down by your sides. Try to keep your heels on the ground while bending at the knees and waist and squatting and dropping your butt low to the ground. Try and bring your butt as close to your feet as you can then come back up. As you are squatting raise your hands up to about shoulder height keeping your arms fairly straight. As you are coming back up lower your hands back down to your sides. Do these quickly with little to no rest in between each repetition. Do as many as you can in the span of a few minutes. Remember to listen to your body and stop if you feel any pain. Expect muscle soreness right away.

Box Drop Jumping:

Stand on top of a raised platform or box with your heels hanging off the edge. Drop, do not jump, from the edge to the ground then immediately jump back up onto the platform. Try to keep the time your feet are touching the ground minimal. Once you drop, explode back up to the platform. The height of the drop/jump varies but should be between one to one and a half feet high. Start off with a set of 10 and see how you feel. Work up to a few sets of ten before increasing the number of repetitions per set to about 25.