QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Combat anxiety - ANS the anticipation of danger
Survival stress - ANS deadly force threat perception that initiates the SNS discharge
Combat stress - ANS deals with the post event mental & physiological symptoms that are a
result of the SNS activation and the sudden return to the Parasympathetic Nervous System
(PNS). This is known as the PNS "blacklash", which may distort the memory.
autonomic nervous system (ANS) - ANS the organs of our body, such as the heart, stomach,
and intestines, are regulated by the autonomic nervous system (ANS).
ANS Two Branches - ANS the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) and the sympathetic
nervous system (SNS).
Motor Skill Classifications - ANS there are three basic motor skill classifications; fine,
complex, and gross.
Fine motor skills - ANS skills that require hand/eye coordination and hand dexterity.
When the heart rate reaches 115 BPM, vasoconstriction in the fingers and hands effects the
dexterity required to preform the fine motor skills. - ANS
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, Complex motor skills - ANS skills that involve a series of muscle groups in a series of
movements requiring hand/eye coordination, precision, tracking and timing.
At approximately 145 BPM, complex motor skills begin to deteriorate. - ANS
Gross motor skills - ANS skills that involve large muscle or major muscle groups. Examples of
a gross motor skill include simple actions such as a straight punch, a forward baton strike, or
the isosceles shooting stance.
What BPM range is for optimal survival and combat performance? - ANS Between 115 and
145 BPM
The Inverted U Law - ANS Performance will gradually deteriorate as stress (arousal)
increases.
Parasympathetic Nervous System "Backlash" - ANS These are called backlash triggers and
include the perception that the threat has diminished or that there has been an injury. Trauma
to a vital system or exhaustion of the aerobic and anaerobic systems can also cause this
negative backlash.
Critical Incident Amnesia - ANS This temporary amnesia will affect both the officer's memory,
and the officer's ability to write an incident report.
Timetable to memory recovery - ANS The most complete recovery of memory will occur
after the second sleep period.
Incident Reporting - ANS The first report should be verbal and titled "preliminary" report. A
"supplemental" debrief/report should not be prepared until after the first sleep period, and the
final report should be prepared until after the second sleep period has occurred.
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