Page 56 - JSOM Spring 2026

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Urban Rush (RUSH) was proposed for Australian PTGs. reliable. Body mass was measured on a Tanita BC82Fitplus
This assessment has undergone several studies to investigate (Tanita Corporation, Tokyo, Japan) scale by the unit’s head
15
the relationship between the assessment, measures of fitness, strength and conditioning coach, with participants both in
and PTG candidate selection success, along with other se- athletic clothing (body mass) and with their full PPE. The offi-
16
lection outcome measures. The RUSH represents a short- cer’s measurements were recorded in kilograms to the nearest
duration, explosive task involving rapid movement between 100g. The BMI of the officers was calculated using the stan-
2
cover zones and recovery of injured personnel, while ensuring dard equation (BMI=weight (kg)/[height (m)] ).
tactical protection (e.g., weapon raised and aligned to target
14
when stopped). This assessment is conducted in full personal RUSH Protocol
protective equipment (PPE; inclusive of primary and second- The RUSH has been described previously. 15,16 The RUSH was
ary weapon systems, ammunition, body armor, helmet, com- conducted on a dry, non-slip rubber gym flooring surface, with
munications systems, etc.) to replicate the demands placed on 10- and 20-meter distances marked with a tape measure and
the officer while on the job. three cones (see Figure 1).
While several considerations are yet to be explored as part of FIGURE 1 Schematic of the RUSH assessment.
the implementation of RUSH, one factor that requires consid-
eration is the generally older age of PTG officers compared to 80kg Dummy
general duties officers. Fitness declines with age 17,18 and years
of police service. 17,19,20 As PTG officers are drawn from the
pool of general duties officers with some occupational experi-
ence, the mean age of operational officers is typically slightly
older than that of general duties officers; with the mean age of
21
general duties officers increasing, the impact of age on RUSH
performance requires consideration. As this test has already 10m
been developed, 14–16 this research investigated the relationship
between age and performance of officers completing an occu-
pationally relevant physical assessment, the RUSH.
20m
Methods

Participants
Data were collected from 52 male police officers (age 35.9 [SD 10m
6.7] y; height 182.3 [SD 6.4] cm; body mass 90.1 [SD 10.1]
kg). Of these, 34 officers were current serving PTG officers
(age 37.8 [SD 6.5] y; height 181.6 [SD 6.7] cm; body mass
91.5 [SD 10.9] kg) and 18 were specialist police candidates
who were serving general police officers completing their PTG
selection course (age 32.1 [SD 5.0] y; height 183.7 [SD 5.8]
cm; weight 89.4 [SD 8.6] kg).
The test began with officers positioned behind the 20m start-
The 18 specialist police candidates from an Australian federal ing line, rifles (typically M4s) raised and aligned with a 10cm
policing agency were evaluated on the RUSH at the beginning circular target at a height of 185cm and approximately 30m
of their 5-day selection course as part of their initial fitness away. For every instance in which the officers were required to
assessment; however, the result was not used to inform their align their weapon system with a target, they had to wait for
selection. The 34 current PTG officers (from the same federal confirmation from the assessor that the weapon’s laser desig-
police agency) voluntarily completed the RUSH assessment as nator was aligned with the target.
part of their general operational training within their units.
At the whistle, officers sprinted to the 10m line, dropped to
The inclusion criterion for the study was that the officer must the prone position, and tactically crawled forward 10m to the
have been either a current serving PTG member or a candidate 20m line. There, the officers slung their weapons, lifted the
attending the PTG specialist selection. The exclusion criterion upper body of an 80kg mannequin, and dragged it backwards
was any officers on a medical restriction or presenting with a to the 10m line. After lowering the mannequin, they kneeled,
‘yet to report’ injury. re-aligned their weapon with the target, repeated the casualty
drag back to the start line, then again acquired the target with
The Bond University Human Research Ethics Committee ap- their weapon from the kneeling position.
proved this study (protocol #1541). Research activities were
carried out in accordance with the ethical principles of the The officers then sprinted to the 10m line, completed another
Declaration of Helsinki Protocol. kneeling target alignment, and sprinted to the 20m line, where
they pivoted 180° to align with the target from the kneeling
Data captured included body mass, height, worn equipment position. An additional sprint back to the 10m line was fol-
mass, BMI, and RUSH completion time in minutes (min) and lowed by another kneeling target acquisition before returning
seconds (s). Prior to the RUSH, officers self-reported their age to the start line, where the mannequin was last left. Picking
in years and height in centimeters. Self-report of these met- up the mannequin, it was dragged backwards the entire 20m
rics is common in this population and has been found to be without stopping. On lowering the mannequin, a kneeling

54 | JSOM Volume 26, Edition 1 / Spring 2026