"We feel great, thanks for helping us get in shape to pass the fitness tests in our academy!

What do we do now?"

That was the question rookies asked after TFT helped a group of 32 recruits pass their exit fitness standards for their academy. "What do we do now?" Recruits leave the academy in better shape than when they entered. Is officer wellness less critical after a rookie joins an agency? At TFT, we believe an officer's mental and physical wellness is essential for entering the academy, but even more critical after leaving the academy. Officers develop a habit of fitness training while in the academy. TFT's purpose is to help officers maintain their fitness as active-duty officers. After years of training police officers, Scott Michel founded the TFT program.

The TFT program shows officers how and why they must train and continue as a fitness and nutrition resource that officers use throughout their careers. TFT demonstrates movements officers use to reduce the common injuries seen in shoulders, low back, hips, and ankles. TFT also helps officers navigate the challenges of maintaining their nutrition while juggling dynamic work schedules and connect with officers across the country who have stayed physically and mentally healthy throughout their careers. TFT delivers this content in a six-day per week program via short videos accessed through the TFT mobile app. Now, officers can have immediate access to the vital resources needed to have a successful and healthy career in law enforcement.

The Problem:

Law enforcement professionals are plagued by injuries and diseases due to the high stress and physical demands of their profession.

Our Solution:

Tactical Functional Training is a law enforcement fitness and wellness system designed to reduce job-related injuries and provide departments a reduction in lost time injuries and insurance claims. TFT gives individual officers control over their fitness and nutrition regime through the TFT mobile application. The aim of TFT is to help officers become their best physical selves and be more productive in their professional and personal lives.

How it works

The TFT system identifies exposure points (areas of the body) that are especially susceptible to injury and targets them through a multi-level mobility and fitness building process. The TFT 8-Week program has six-day per week video vignettes that guide officers through mobility exercises, nutrition insights, and fitness perspectives from veteran police officers. Users of the app can communicate directly through the app with an exercise specialist to ask questions about specific fitness issues.

Train Right Get home at Night™

Our Team:

Scott Michel

Founder

Scott Michel founded Tactical Functional Training in the summer of 2007 when he was asked to train the Madison Police Department's recruit class. This first class of 32 recruits opened Scott's eyes to the physical and mental demands that a career in law enforcement poses for its officers. After this first recruit class...

Scott Michel founded Tactical Functional Training in the summer of 2007 when he was asked to train the Madison Police Department's recruit class. This first class of 32 recruits opened Scott's eyes to the physical and mental demands that a career in law enforcement poses for its officers. After this first recruit class, Scott began to immerse himself into the life of an officer. Whether it was doing ride-alongs, volunteering to be tazed by the local sheriff's office, or spending a week observing SWAT training, Scott wanted to learn first-hand what some of the physical stressors were for the law enforcement community.

In 2011 Scott, and the TFT program, partnered with Wisconsin's Department of Justice to create an officer-wellness program that can be accessed by officers regardless of department size/budgets. When Scott is not working with law enforcement agencies he oversees 10 fitness training studios throughout Madison, Milwaukee, and Chicago. In his "downtime," Scott enjoys creating new experiences with his four kids and wife.

Katie Michel

Managing Partner

With a fitness business career that has stretched over 17 years, including 13 years in the franchise and entrepreneurial environments, Katie has a unique and aggressive perspective for what it takes to build successful fitness systems. She has led major franchise growth and rebuilding efforts in 10 franchises. Katie was...

With a fitness business career that has stretched over 17 years, including 13 years in the franchise and entrepreneurial environments, Katie has a unique and aggressive perspective for what it takes to build successful fitness systems. She has led major franchise growth and rebuilding efforts in 10 franchises. Katie was awarded the InBusiness Magazine 40 under 40 class of 2020.

Katie has spoken at several colleges on fitness and business including UW Madison, UW Platteville, and UW La Crosse; where she earned her Bachelors's degree in Exercise Sports Sciences. Katie has taught fitness in 7 different countries. Katie has been on Radio with iheart media, seen on Milwaukee's news channel 6, Madison channel 15, and Madison Magazine. Supporting officer wellness is a true passion, she sees herself as a "second responder", supplying officers with the tools they need to protect their wellness with TFT.

Michael Aguilar

Managing Partner

Michael Aguilar started his entrepreneurial career in 1996 when he founded Innocorp, Ltd., makers of the Fatal Vision impaired driving prevention educational tools and software. Aguilar led Innocorp’s transition from a startup company to an internationally recognized enterprise, developing and selling an entire line...

Michael Aguilar started his entrepreneurial career in 1996 when he founded Innocorp, Ltd., makers of the Fatal Vision impaired driving prevention educational tools and software. Aguilar led Innocorp’s transition from a startup company to an internationally recognized enterprise, developing and selling an entire line of proprietary and innovative products to more than 100 countries. Law enforcement is a primary market for Innocorp. It has allowed Aguilar to apply his extensive network and experience working with police agencies into promoting TFT.

Aguilar earned his Bachelor of Science degree in computer science from the Missouri University of Science & Technology in Rolla, Missouri. He then earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in marketing from St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa. Aguilar is currently enrolled in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, pursuing a Ph.D. in Mass Communication.

Deb Kusmec

Managing Partner

Deb Kusmec is COO at Innocorp, Ltd. Deb has extensive experience engaging customers and consumers in program and product development. Her goal is to ensure that products meet the diverse needs of customers. She works to continuously evolve products through testing and by working with customers in a process of...

Deb Kusmec is COO at Innocorp, Ltd. Deb has extensive experience engaging customers and consumers in program and product development. Her goal is to ensure that products meet the diverse needs of customers. She works to continuously evolve products through testing and by working with customers in a process of continuous product improvement.

A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Kusmec received a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science from the Missouri University of Science & Technology. She began her career in engineering information technology support for John Deere & Company, transitioned into a training career, which eventually led her to Innocorp and Tactical Functional Training.

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