You can line up a professional athlete, military member, and a variety of fitness enthusiasts that follow different disciplines in a row and see several differences, but they all have one common bond. They want to be better.
J.D. Mata is passionate about how to do just that and has committed his professional life to both learning and educating others on just that. He currently works as an Exercise Physiologist for the United States Air Force’s Special Warfare Training Wing in San Antonio, Texas, but his passion for what he does goes back many years.
“I was really interested to see how we can be holistic. That is the pinnacle of human performance. How can we get our team to be greater than the sum of the parts?”
Mata was an athlete throughout his childhood and even played college baseball. His father passed away when he was 19, and that served as the catalyst for him to change course and enter military life.
“He had told me that if I wasn’t going to stay in school, then I should join the military,” he recalled. “So, I joined the Air Force at 19 years old.
Mata worked in security forces, which he described as the Air Force’s version of the Military Police. Throughout his decade of service, he deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, and other places throughout the world. He did not come out of that service unscathed. He ruptured his posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) and injured his ACL and meniscus during a field training exercise. He also suffered ankle injuries in other incidents. The process he had to go through to get the tests he needed to confirm his injuries and the limited rehab he was given to do made him realize that change was necessary.
“Back then, we had no embedded support like they do now. I was left to the knowledge I learned during the couple of years I was in school.”
After 10 years in the Air Force, Mata opted to return to school and shift his focus on human performance. He used his G.I. Bill to get a Master’s degree at Texas Christian University. His time there doing research and taking in knowledge like a sponge was what he called the greatest time of his life.
“I also got to intern with the strength and conditioning staff at the same time. So, I was really busy. It was really an eye-opening experience to work on both sides.”
Mata noticed something strange while working on both sides of the fence. The others on either side didn’t communicate with the other. This was similar to what he noticed during his time in the Air Force. Despite doing his best to bridge the gap, his efforts were limited when it came to working with an established Division I team.
Working to Be a Solution
Mata could see that change was necessary, but he chose to arm himself with as much knowledge and experience as possible first. He served as a paid intern with the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) in 2017 before joining the Army’s FORSCOM as a strength and conditioning coach.
The Army has since instituted a newer program called Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F). He had little support and guidance in the beginning, which he understood, but he was able to bridge that gap and made a positive difference in the three-plus years he was there. Mata stated, “We found more success in optimizing cross communication.”
Beyond the Body
The physical requirements for service are the most obvious to many people that think of military service, but Mata sees that other components need to be address as well, including mental health. He is currently in another Master’s program for Clinical Mental Health Counseling. His focus when working with others – and his advice to others that lead and work with those in the military – is to look at the person through a whole lens, including from mental and spiritual aspects, not just as a physical performer.
“Your physiology exists within your psychology, and your psychology exists within your physiology,” he proclaimed. ”Once you get them all together speaking the same language and jive in that setting, then you can make up a whole lot of ground. They will be more motivated if they like you.”
Now that he is working in the Special Warfare Training Wing, Mata gets to not only help make the individuals serving better directly, but he can play a role in institutionalizing the culture he prefers to see and feels will make the Air Force better. While he is appreciative of that, he also knows that it will require the support of leaders to make it happen.
“I think the holistic component, the teamwork component, is going to be paramount everywhere. Once we can nail down the message from the top down, I think that is when things will shift in the right direction.”
Better People For a Better Country
Mata’s message and efforts are making a direct difference, and he can see the changes that he felt were needed during his time in service are coming, which can and will result in a better military that will be better prepared to protect the nation. He is optimistic about the potential that young Americans can fulfill if they opt to see what they can do for their country, but he sees that there are unique challenges they face, including limited exposure to physical activity. As they consider service or what they will do in their lives as adults, he suggests that they pay more attention to their health and wellness for themselves.
“The focus for them is definitely on shoring up those healthy lifestyle habits more than trying to improve high performance habits.”
Mata feels that those that do enter the military should make sure to get everything they can out of it, including education. Aside from the benefits that they can receive along the way, the feels that the selfless act of service is a reward in itself. Whether they choose to serve of not, Mata wants to see the next generation enter adult life with a yearning to help others.
“If you are doing the most amount of good for the most amount of people, that is one of the most important things we can do overall. If they do to join the military, then the satisfaction comes from what they put into service.”
Learn more about the Special Warfare Training Wing at their website.
You can follow Mata on LinkedIn.
M&F Military Editor Rob Wilkins contributed to this article.
