What makes a security guard proficient? What skills and traits are necessary for truly succeeding in this role? It’s easy to assume competency when viewing a fully uniformed and armed guard standing at a post, but this commanding image does not ensure a full range of required capabilities. There is certainly more involved than the minimum government standards required for licensure.

Protection, by its very definition, involves strength. The physical conditioning and bodily strength of a security guard is a meaningful component to consider. A trim physique and healthy weight ratio will certainly help to affirm the image of quality and professionalism that clients expect, but physical strength and conditioning have an impact extending far beyond the surface. Superior fitness capacity improves not only a guard‘s ability to engage in physical altercations but also their endurance in maintaining a post for many hours without sleep and keeping focus when activity is minimal for extended periods. Healthy fitness habits also improve the management of stress and other adverse environmental conditions, as well as the physical labor that certain tasks and equipment often require.

There are no physical fitness standards specified in government licensure of private security, and there are no fitness training requirements either. It falls to the management of private companies to ensure that their employees meet a satisfactory level of fitness and physical competency, so it remains crucial to review this aspect when choosing which private security firm to place your trust and confidence in.