First responders using pro athlete skills to mentally train for their job

SANDY — Dozens of first responders from Unified Police and Fire Departments and the swat team are getting specialized training in a different kind of way, and it’s all happening at a baseball academy in Sandy.

It’s called the Level Up Performance program, and it’s all about mindset and mental resilience training. The Diamond Resilience program is taught by John Buck, who was a Major League Baseball player for 12 years and grew up in Taylorsville.

He said there are some clear similarities between what he learned as a professional athlete and what first responders must do to stay hyper-focused in their jobs and handle the mental stress of balancing work and life.

“Having pre-game routines, in-game routines, and post-game routines to deal with the stress and recovery of their mentally hard challenging job. Like what do you do with that mental stress,” Buck said.

“You strike out, how are you going to cope? You get home from a domestic violence call, how are you going to treat your family,” said Dr. Alley Dake with Level Up Performance.

Dake says learning coping strategies between work and home is critical. It’s also critical, she said, to stay super focused when at work, just like a professional athlete.

“What is similar is the mindset thinking. How to stay hyper-focused. Stay in the flow of the moment so they are hyper-aware of everything around them so they can perform,” she said. “How to rest and recover is huge for the athletes and for first responders. Their rest and recovery is imperative for their optimal performance for the next day. We are teaching them those skills so they can show up and be the best version of themselves in their personal life and at work.”

Dake says they’ve seen a 98 percent success rate in first responders understanding better ways to transition between life and work.