Board Member Profile: Dr. Ryan Erbe

Assistant Professor/Socio-emotional Wellness Advisor, West Point

Dr. Ryan G. Erbe earned his PhD in Health Behavior and Human Development from Indiana University and is currently an Assistant Professor at the United States Military Academy as part of the Character Integration Advisory Group. He teaches performance and character focused courses and conducts research on mental training tools such as meditation.

We sat down with Ryan to hear a little more about his perspective on the Tactical Athlete. Here is what he had to say:

(TA-LB): The themes of the Tactical Athlete Leadership Board are Readiness, Resilience, and Recovery. From your perspective, why are these themes important, and what about them resonates with your experience in the human performance industry? 

(Ryan): Readiness, Resilience, and Recovery are 3 critical elements for the Tactical Athlete to be the best they can be.  If you remove any of these from the equation, the Tactical Athlete is not able to perform. Combine these three and it's a recipe for success.  Readiness, Resilience, and Recovery are often neglected or underestimated, but when utilized correctly, they become a key weapon in the Tactical Athlete's arsenal.

(TA-LB): Looking to the future, what technological innovation do you think will have the most significant impact on tactical athletes?
(Ryan): Virtual Reality has made a big impact on tactical athletes already and holds great promise for the future.

(TA-LB): The spirit of the TALB is to bring a diverse set of perspectives to the table aligned toward a singular purpose: to sustain the tactical athlete of today and prepare for the tactical athlete of tomorrow. Why is it essential for the broader human performance industry to work together towards this end? 

(Ryan): Innovation is happening more rapidly than ever. To be ahead of change requires diverse perspectives collaborating with a shared purpose.

(TA-LB): What is the greatest challenge to innovation in the human performance sector?

(Ryan): Staying creative in an ever evolving industry.