Valued Physicality
Written by Nate Palin
The Army Combat Fitness Test aims to “transform the Army’s fitness culture.”
If this is not a “tail wagging the dog” type of statement, I don’t know what is…
True, the best thing a military fitness test produces is the creation of a standard - but only so long as military professionals are:
Held accountable to that standard
Provided sufficient means to achieve the standard
Communicated the value of the physicality being tested
1 and 2 are fairly straightforward and fall, in my opinion, directly on the shoulders of leadership. Leaders have both the power and, more importantly, the responsibility to ensure those under their charge are physically prepared for combat. They can incorporate human performance professionals to provide educated and experienced direction but they cannot outsource the actual responsibility of proper preparation.
The Base Value of Physical Fitness
Regardless of day to day role, everyone who wears a uniform should be able to perform basic soldiering tasks. Those with more physically demanding jobs can be held to a higher standard that is better aligned with the degree of consistent output and capacity they need to display to perform and recover sufficiently to perform again. Typically, these are combat arms professionals.
Here’s a relevant excerpt from the Army’s Soldier’s Manual of Common Tasks, Warrior Skill Level 1:
“In an operational environment, regardless of job or individual MOS, each Soldier risks exposure to hostile actions. This manual contains the warrior skills that Soldiers must be able to perform to fight, survive, and win in combat.”
Here are some summarized examples of the more physically intensive skills contained within the manual (linked here):
Light and Heavy Arms Manipulation
Casualty Evacuation
Dismounted Patrol
Land Navigation
Communication
Reaction to Direct & Indirect Fires
Hand to Hand Combat
The manual is clear that blanket proficiency of Warrior Skill Level 1 tasks is not realistic given the competing demands and specialized priorities of most units. It is up to command to prioritize these within mission essential task lists that determine the time and resources allocated to their development or maintenance. However, placing an emphasis on even one of the seven listed above reveals the importance of physical fitness to support combat readiness.
But here’s the reality… Soldiers don’t think of themselves as soldiers.
Outside of infantry, some other combat arms, and special operations forces, most members of the military identify with their primary job and forget that they’re a warfighter on the day they leave initial training. Unfortunately, the reminder can be unforgiving and arrive unexpectedly.
A Brief Anecdote
We once had a helicopter get engaged critically enough that it had to make an emergency. Everyone survived but mechanics were flown outside the wire to fix it. My unit was babysitting the bird and we received a decent amount of indirect fire during that time. While the mechanics never had to perform duties beyond turning wrenches, it could have easily escalated to a situation where their primary role became second to their need to perform as a soldier to protect the aircraft. There are plenty of similar stories where “soft skill” professionals were unable to adequately perform as soldiers because their physicality failed them.
One branch serves as the exception and stands out very clearly as the fittest - The Marines. The US Marine Corps has perpetuated a culture of physicality where “Every Marine a Rifleman.” No wonder I’ve befriended so many former Marines since leaving the Rangers!
While I do believe that every member of the armed services should value physicality because basic warfighting skills present a lowest common denominator of professional requirements, I also realize that trying to convince every military professional that they might be called on to fight cannot be the only means of attaching value to physicality.
Ways to Make Physicality Valued
What can military leaders and human performance professionals do to increase the likelihood that warfighters value physical fitness?
Protect Training Time
PT sessions too often give way to administrative BS that should not interfere with the warfighter’s right and responsibility to conduct physical training regularly. Keep in mind there’s also nothing that says PT has to occur before breakfast so look to get creative with when you fit in training time for your element. Allocating time to focus on fitness, even if it’s less than the traditional 90 minutes, is one of the best ways to give and get physicality the respect it deserves.
Emphasize Enjoyment
The military can take the fun out of damn near anything. I promise, it’s okay to enjoy physical activity, whether it’s training or recreation. Try mixing up modalities and including sports and leisure activities that your crew like to do - Leaders I had occasionally incorporated activities like hiking, climbing, skiing, biking, swimming, racquetball, tennis, soccer, basketball, frisbee, obstacle courses, and combatives. Off base activities might take a little more planning but they are especially enjoyable. Oh, and don’t be afraid to add in a little competition (Push Ball anyone?!). Just give the ER a heads up first… Lastly, let others pick the music.
Walk the Walk
It’s unlikely that any of these other approaches will influence warfighters to value physicality if their leadership doesn’t lead by example. You do not need to be the best but you do need to do your best. I could beat some of my leaders in some events but all of them challenged me to perform better without having to say a word. They simply walked the walk quietly while carrying the big stick of superior physical fitness.
This goes for coaches and other HP professionals too.
“You’re not an expert without an invitation.”
You won’t be invited to sit at the table of warrior culture if you don’t act the part.
Meet Them Where They Are
This is where coaches excel and leaders struggle. Meeting someone where he or she is does not imply accepting the current status as the status quo. It means giving them a chance to advance progressively instead of needlessly beating them into submission. Keep them on the edge of their ability.
Admittedly, as a leader, I sucked at this. I adopted the step up or step out culture of the unit and failed to accept and adapt when someone was struggling. Fittingly, as a coach, I’ve saved others from the same fate by protecting them from punishment so I could develop them intelligently from where they were. I guarantee their relationship with fitness is different (and positive) because of the intervention.
Don’t get me wrong - You can’t save everyone, especially when you’re in a testing environment. But too often we never stop testing in favor of investing.
Connect Physical Fitness to Longevity
Coaches came into special operations and brought an athletic approach to training that emphasized movement competency, strength, and power. While these are still points of emphasis, some of the rationale has evolved alongside an increased emphasis on steady state conditioning and lifestyle considerations like sleep, nutrition, and stress management.
One of the reasons for the shift to a more holistic approach is the realization that many operators mature and start to think more about quality of life outside of and beyond the time spent in their units. They want to sustain their health and apply it to other endeavors like playing with their children, making friends through social recreation, and maintaining the energy needed for a second career.
Associate Physical Fitness with Mental Fitness
Many military roles are more mental than physical. Whether a warfighter values maintaining mental health or enhancing mental performance, physical activity positively affects both.
If a guardian sits inside a SCIF all day and plays video games all night, physical fitness might not seem relevant to supporting their profession nor their passion. However, that same guardian might want a competitive edge or to better handle financial and familial stressors. Investing some time and energy in his physical fitness can help achieve the desired mental fitness. This is also an effective point of emphasis when working with senior leaders who are in more cerebral roles than they were earlier in their careers.
Discover What the Warfighter Values
Ask questions and get to know your people. Find something you can connect physical fitness to within their existing list of values.
You might also discover why they’ve devalued physicality. Maybe they had an awful coach or a parent who shamed them. Maybe they suffered an injury or endured an extremely embarrassing situation. Knowledge and understanding can be extremely powerful. You might find an opportunity to help them rebuild a relationship with physical fitness, even if it’s outside the rigidity of a structured PT session.
Offer Autonomy
To this day, I receive occasional requests from operators asking for one specific program from my days coaching at their unit - the program that used a “choose your own adventure” approach.
Though limited, the autonomy offered within the program made participants value it more. I’m currently creating ways to weave in more options and autonomy into the Warfighter training team’s program. As a coach, my goal is not to prescribe and control x’s and o’s. My goal is to facilitate consistent and passionate execution of physical endeavors within a virtual community setting. I am just a guide.
Endex
I just learned - Thanks, Google - that it’s “end-ex” for “end of exercise” and not “index” like the list in the back of a book. I wonder how many other military-isms I’ve been screwing up over the years. I guess it’s obvious I wasn’t an officer!
No physical fitness test alone can evolve the culture of military physicality without leadership holding warfighters accountable, providing warfighters the means to be successful, and creatively communicating value that warfighters eventually internalize.
Yes, being a member of a fighting force should be reason enough to stay physically fit but reality of human nature often runs contrary to rationality.
Keep in mind that “leadership” is not a position or rank. Leadership is an approach to influencing others and it can performed in any direction, not just from the top down. Lead your peers, lead your leaders, lead those under your charge, and, most importantly, lead yourself.
AGD Communications
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