FORT KNOX, Ky. – A team of experts teaching mental strength and agility is hoping to share its specialized training not only with Soldiers, but also with the entire community.
They also do it for free.
“We are a hidden gem here on the installation,” said Readiness and Resilience project manager Sgt. 1st Class Alfonso Laparra. “[This program] is full of different options on how to cope with situations in your daily life.”
The purpose of the R2 Center, according to Center handouts, is to help Soldiers, Family members, civilian employees and retirees develop the types of mental skills needed to perform at their highest level, especially in times of stress. Classes are conducted by Master Resiliency Training performance experts like Maegan Hoffman, who said their mission is to help people consistently do their best.
“Our job is not to come in and tell you what you’re doing wrong,” said Hoffman. “It’s just about showing you how you can leverage what you’re already doing to increase your performance.”
Hoffman, along with the other performance experts at the R2 Center, uses unique types of activities that help condition the mind’s thinking process so it can make its own knowledge work for and not against it. She said they’re, “like personal trainers from the neck up.”
“Typically when you have pressure on the line and a performance that you want to do well, that’s often a time when your mind has a tactical advantage over you because it knows your fears, your insecurities, your doubts,” said Hoffman. “Where your mind goes, your body follows.”
There are many different performance skills the experts help clients develop that can be applied to virtually everything – from on the battlefield, to in the office, to home life, and even playing sports and doing school work.
Hoffman said their trainings are especially helpful with communication within Families.
“We hear stories all the time about how ‘this saved my marriage’ or ‘I’m already seeing the impact with my kids,’” said Hoffman.
Laparra echoed Hoffman, saying the R2 Center is not just a key resource for the Army: “The most important part about what we do here is the fact that it goes beyond the Soldier.”
In addition to performance training, the Center offers a multitude of other outlets to include master resilience, leadership development, specialized dependent classes and suicide intervention.
The Center is open five days a week on post, and offers tailored services to any challenge someone is facing. Laparra encouraged anyone wishing to improve their performance and resiliency to reach out to them.
“Just give us a call,” said Laparra, “and then we can actually cater to what it is they’re needing.”
For more information, call 502-624-3222, or visit the R2 Facebook page HERE.
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