Assault course
Running, jumping, vaulting, climbing, and crawling are basic activities required of all soldiers.
Military Assault Courses help develop: Often military assault courses will be standardized and will have, for example (in the UK), a six-foot and a ten-foot wall, a climbing net, some type of bar to climb over, and a high rope or net that must be crossed (these being or representing the most likely difficult terrain that a soldier will come across).
Kevin Yates, manager at Fitness First, notes that Monkey Bars are good for working: biceps; core; forearms; sholders; chests; abs and obliques.
A great exercise for building arms, grip strength and core power.
For example in the British Military potential paratroopers have to complete the British Army's Parachute Regiment's Trainasium, as one of the test, to be allowed to progress to Parachute Training, and the Royal Marine's Bottom Field Assault Course has to be completed as one of the test for the award of the Commando Green Beret.
The Chinese People's Liberation Army has a standard Assault Course Test[4] which is 400m long and the soldier negotiates 16 obstacles.
Artillery NCOs Zhang Heng and Li Xiaohoi have both achieved a time of 1 minute 23 seconds.
To be a sergeant you have to complete the course in 3'15"[6] The German Armed Forces' Obstacle Course, Hindernisbahn-Bundeswehr, is 250m long and has 12 obstacles: an 'Erdwall' an earthwall or barricade of logs about .6m high; a log on 1.3m high metal post to roll over; 7 log steps to a height of 2.5m; 6 X shapes to climb over – like the US Army's Tough Nut; 2 bar vault, the first bar .5m high, the second bar is .3m further and .8 m high; 2m high wooden wall; .5m vault, with a .5m deep ditch on the far side; balance log over a wide ditch; low wires to crawl under; trip wires to step over; a 1.8m deep and 1.8m wide trench to climb in and out of; a fox hole from which dummy grenades are then thrown at targets.
[7] The German Democratic Republic's standard Sturmbahn (storm course) was 200m long and had the following obstacles: India's National Cadet Corps is a Tri-Service Military Youth Organization with cadet units at schools, colleges and universities.
The obstacles are suitable for cadets of a wide age range and are: Course is undertaken wearing webbing, a helmet and carrying a weapon.
In 2017 there were complaints about the wall obstacle being unfair either because there was a lower level for female participants or because there was not.
Russian Federation Army Assault Courses usually have: a chicane; walls with holes to crawl through; widely spaced steps representing a broken staircase; balance beams representing a broken bridge; tunnels and often include throwing a dummy hand grenade from the final trench.
Russian Assault Courses' often have monkey bars in an inverted V shape, higher in the middle.
The new SOC has 12 obstacles: Low wall, stepping stones, rubble, tunnels, dodging panels, low rope climb, ditch, corridor, balance bridge, window, apex ladder, and terrace.
[12] The Swiss military assault course has 10 obstacles, the obstacles are similar to the CISM design: a double beam; a long crawl; a pit; stepping stones; a 3-bar vault; a zigzag balance beam; 2 sets of over under bars; 4 steps; and a 3 m high ramp with rope.
HMS Collingwood, a Royal Navy, shore establishment has an Assault Course with suitable naval themed obstacles, it has water obstacles which are crossed with ropes and pulleys, as well as a wall to climb over and pipes, on a slope, to crawl up.
They are suitable for both adults and children, and the individual stations have been scientifically designed to provide a range of exercises.
