Assault course

An assault course (also called a confidence course or obstacle course) is a trail (or course) that combines running and exercising. It is often used in military training. The prime use is to evaluate progress and weaknesses of the individual or the team involved.
There are specific urban obstacle courses and night obstacles Courses. An obstacle course race (OCR) is a civilian sporting and fitness challenge event which combines obstacles and cross country running.
Running, jumping, vaulting, climbing, and crawling are basic activities required of all soldiers. They are also excellent means for developing' endurance, agility, confidence, and self-reliance. Instruction and training in these basic activities are best conducted on an obstacle course.
Assault courses are used in military training to increase fitness, to demonstrate techniques that can be used for crossing obstacles, and to increase teamwork and self-confidence.
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). The standardization means that every course will be of the same quality, though it also means that there will be certain parts that may be familiar if practiced.
Military training courses have different purposes. For example, they can be short (less than a minute) with a rifle range on the end (e.g. Junior Leaders, Folkestone), or long (five minutes) as at Thetford. This is partially because of space restraints and training objectives. The short one can be run as an individual course and a warmup for the range. The long Thetford course is more of an exercise in endurance and teamwork.
Individual obstacles can be for general fitness, or for quite specific tasks such as cargo nets that simulate soldiers climbing down nets from ships into landing craft for beachhead landings. Climbing through windows, over wall and up ladders are useful skills when operating in built-up areas. 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.
Common assault course obstacles include barbed wire or nets to crawl under, pipes or tunnels to crawl through, walls to climb over, beams, walls or planks to balance on, steps to climb up, walls with window size holes to climb through, and mazes to navigate. Overhead traverse (monkey) bars are popular.
The primary role of a military assault course is to improve fitness, they are also used for the assessment of personnel to see if they are suitable for a specific role. 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. Both of these assault courses have obstacles which provide a physical and psychological challenge to those completing them, the Trainasium has a lot of high obstacles and Bottom Field include a lot of obstacles with water.
The German Army's Einzelkampferlehrgang (Individual Battle Course), a combat survival course, uses a timed assault course as one of its entry test. For the basic Einzelkampferlehrgang course it must be completed in 2 min 15 sec, and for the Advanced Course in 1 min 50 sec. German Army Paratroopers are required to complete a standard German Army Obstacle Course in 1 min 30 sec as part of Paratrooper Selection.
The Conseil International du Sport Militaire's (CISM) Military Pentathlon has five parts: Shooting; Obstacle Swimming; Grenade Throwing; Cross Country Running and an Obstacle Course.
The Obstacle Course is the signature event of the Military Pentathlon, and is 500 metres long with 20 standard obstacles: Rope ladder; Double beam; Trip wires; Crawl; Stepping-stones; Vault; Balance beam; Sloping wall with rope; Horizontal beams; Irish table; Tunnel and twin beams; Four steps; Ramp and ditch; Low wall; 2m deep Pit; Vertical ladder; High wall; Zigzag balance beam; Chicane; Three low walls close together. The women's competition omits the rope ladder, sloping wall with rope, four steps and vertical ladder.
International Naval Obstacle Course Competitions are similar and have additional naval type task such as closing and securing hatches. These competitions are run in sports clothing, and can be individual or team events with each team member covering a section of the course. The Military Pentathalon Obstacle Course are completed in around 2 minutes. The CISM Obstacle Course design is used by many armed forces around the world.
The Chinese People's Liberation Army has a standard Assault Course Test which is 400m long and the soldier negotiates 16 obstacles. The Assault Course is 100m long with 8 obstacles. The Test starts with a 100m run along the side of the Assault Course and then turn about. Then:
The standard for under 24 year olds is 2 minutes and 35 seconds, with 2 minutes 20 seconds being good and 2 minutes 5 seconds being excellent. The 400m obstacle course is considered by Chinese soldiers to be harder than a 5 km run, or a 5 km speed march with 10 kg. Artillery NCOs Zhang Heng and Li Xiaohoi have both achieved a time of 1 minute 23 seconds.
The standard French military assault course is 500m long and has the following 20 obstacles:
Many of the obstacle are similar to those on the CISM (International Military Sports Council) obstacle course used for Military Pentathlon such as the Irish Table which is a plank 2m above the ground which requires both technique and strength to overcome. The 4m high climbing wall is particular to French assault courses and also requires good technique to climb. To be a sergeant you have to complete the course in 3'15"
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.
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. It has a standard Obstacle Course pattern consisting of 10 obstacles about 30 foot apart. The obstacles are suitable for cadets of a wide age range and are:
Course is undertaken wearing webbing, a helmet and carrying a weapon. The course consists of a 500m dash, then 14 obstacles:
and a final sprint. The course is to be completed in under 10min 30 sec.
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.
As well as using the CISM course design, The Netherland’s Armed Forces have the Standaardhindernisbaan (Koninklijke Landmacht), Standard Obstacle Course (Royal Netherlands Army), which has 15 obstacles over 250 metres:
The Standards Obstacle Course have up to 4 lanes, and are adjusted to fit available space. Females and Males over age 51 do not have to undertake obstacle 9 and 10. Females can use a step 60 – 80 cm high for obstacles 7 and 14.
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 basic ‘All Arms’ Obstacle Course is 100m long and consist of 7 obstacles
Motorized Rifle Unit obstacle courses are 200m long and have additional obstacles, before the Basic Course they have:
After the basic course there are 3 more obstacles.
The obstacle course used by the Strategic Rocket Force units is 100m long, and is the Basic Obstacle Course with the addition of a simulated Rocket section and a catwalk.
The Republic of Singapore Army's Standard Obstacle Course (SOC) dates from 1967, in 2010, the SOC was redesigned to provide realistic obstacles which may be found in either the jungle or urban battlefield. 6 old obstacles were removed (including the Monkey Bars which were known on the SOC as the Swing Trainer) and 7 new obstacles added. 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.
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. Whilst ideally 250m long, the course can be between 150m and 300m long dependent on available space.
The United States Army has two classifications of Obstacle Course: Confidence Obstacle Course and Conditioning Course. The Confidence Obstacle Course has 22 standard obstacle designs which give soldiers confidence in their abilities and are not to be run against time. Conditioning Courses have low obstacles, are 300 to 450 yards long, contain 15 to 25 obstacles, 20 to 30 yards apart and are run against time, and are used to maintain and improve fitness.
Noteworthy US Army Obstacle Courses are:
The USMC standard course has 14 obstacles and is 300 foot long. It starts with a low log hurdle 2 ½ to 3 foot high, then an 8 ft bar to be climbed over, another low hurdle, the combination which consist of traversing 12 foot long 2-inch diameter metal pipes, then walking a 12-foot log to a high roll over log. Then another low hurdle, a wall, another low hurdle, a 5 ½ foot high log, another low hurdle, four logs 4 feet apart and 4 1/2 foot high, another low hurdle, double pull over bar, the lower bar is 8 feet above the ground the second a foot higher, then another low hurdle. The course finishes with a 20-foot-high rope climb. The course is also used by non-USMC military units. The USMC also used other Assault Courses designs, including a CISM obstacle course at Parris Island.
The Taiwan Army’s standard obstacle course is 500m long, the maximum time allowed is 4min 30, 2min 30 achieves a maximum score. Women are not required to complete the pole climb and high wall. It has the following obstacles:
The British Army has two standard designs. Type A, for trained soldiers and Type B, for training establishments.
Both British designs are adjusted to fit the available space and terrain features, obstacles are built between 5 and 10 yards apart, not all obstacles are always used, and obstacles from Type A (Trained soldiers) may be used in a course at a Training Camp, for example the Assault Course used by British Army recruits at Pirbright has 10 obstacles, including a maze, 2 dry ditches and a cargo net, whilst the Assault Course at Worthy Down Camp has only 8 obstacles. The Royal Air Force uses the British Army designs, and has Assault Courses at RAF Honington, RAF Halton, and the Royal Air Force College at RAF Cranwell. 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. HMS Raleigh (another RN shore establishment) also has an Assault Course.
The term "trim trail" has also been applied to a series of wooden exercise stations, scattered in parkland or other locations beside a jogging or walking trail, which can be used to develop balance, strength and coordination. They are suitable for both adults and children, and the individual stations have been scientifically designed to provide a range of exercises. A key difference between a Trim Trail and an Assault Course is that on a Trim Trail at each exercise station the exercise is usually repeated multiple times as an exercise set, on an Assault Course the obstacle is only crossed once.