<p>Haha, yea they say alotta the gear you use at WP is practically Vietnam surplus. I think its practical, it may not be the most technologically advanced gear, but I dont think it has to be to effectively train Cadets to be Officers. I highly doubt MOLLE has made it to USMA, over the summer I saw the cadets with ALICE gear. What were you talking about btw about the MOLLE stuff breaking your back?</p>
<p>theres nothing in the regulations stating that your elbows must lock, you just have to fully extend. Also its not "cheating" by changing the width of your hands as long as your hands dont lose contact with the ground. This can work different muscle groups during your test letting you score higher.</p>
<p>sparkle: just google it, i haven't worked with women in over a year.</p>
<p>MOLLE doesn't "break your back" in my experience, but it's pretty bulky and awkward sometimes. the advantage of it is how you can take different pouches and compartments on and off to fit what you need. the new MOLLE ruck in ACU pattern attatched the sleep system compartment to the main compartment (awesome idea). It's going to be so weird goin from a unit with high speed everything and $$$ for toys, to... well m16's, lbe's ughh, canteens, kevlars (mmm the new helmets weight like half of a k-pot), iron sights??? at least i dont have to walk around with vest and plates in the field</p>
<p>I think it is best to do as many pushups as you can as quickly as you can, whatever way works best for you. But if you train with your arms closer to your body, you can do a lot more I've discovered.</p>
<p>mrgreenapple, although you'll miss your cool toys, I bet you'll love your new laptop next year.</p>
<p>mumford2009: it was part of a competition, and lemme say i wasn't cheating, rangers are just nutz with pushups. i wasn't eating enough dirt. lol. have you ever taken an actual apft? and as for the molle pack, the marine corps invented it and they realized that it places undue stress on the back and scraped it. i myself have only used alice. when i asked why we wernt using molle, the said molle had a few flaws:</p>
<p>this is just what i was told:</p>
<p>molle doesn't allow shooting from the prone position
molle messes up your back
not enough molle to go around</p>
<p>Yea sorry about the cheating comment, I was ****ed off about something else, misread your post, someone else posted before I could edit it.</p>
<p>I thought I'd put my two cents in about push-ups.</p>
<p>Being the weird child I was...erm...am, I started push-ups back before middle school. These were not "real" push-ups. However, it did strengthen my push-up muscles (because of the form). When I got a bit older, my brothers saw me doing push-ups one day and laughed. They got onto me about not touching the ground with my nose. So, I started to do that and got a bit better. One of my brothers used to wear a heavy pack (read: backpack with dictionaries and books in it) while he did his push-ups, but that was something I haven't done yet. </p>
<p>ANYWAYS, my point is, I noticed if you realize you can't do enough "real" push-ups, then just do as many "real" ones as possible (works great in competitions) and then try to pump out 25-50 more half-a**ed ones. This seemed to help me. I would then transform some of the lazy ones into real ones and add more lazy ones. Just a nice way to work up.</p>
<p>everyone's apft technique is different, but basically, you wanna go as fast as possible cuz just being in the front leaning rest tires you out. a lot of guys start narrow and go wide. but its a good thing to practice doing a lot of pushups instead of doing only a few quality ones. example</p>
<p>before the army, i would do three sets of 15 perfectiisssimo push ups. i mean arms shoulder with apart; touching the adams apple, full extension, perfect</p>
<p>then i got to the army and they would do three sets of 40. obvioulsly quality suffered. but getting your body used to doing large numbers will help for the army and the apft. when you reach muscle failure, go to your knees. we'd do nutz PT's where even the most hooah highspeed lowdrag guys were on their knees. it just is a different type of exercise.</p>
<p>One thing my daughter told me about the APFT at WP--- the pushups must be "regulation" or they won't count--she said she wished she had practiced doing "quality ones" more instead of trying to whip off a bunch real fast when she practiced---when it came to the APFT a lot won't count if you aren't carefull and haven't practiced doing them correctly.</p>
<p>momo: i'm pretty excited about the laptop since I have recently destroyed my computer in december (note to self: dont hit power cord while saving changes to BIOS)</p>
<p>8IzEnuff: You don't shoot with it on... there are quick release tabs on it just like the alice back. The MOLLE ruck has a detatchable "assault pack" that you load mission essentials in. I haven't heard of anyone here having back problems from the MOLLE ruck, but definently from the body armor. Get used to the idea of it because thats what everyone is eventually going to get it along with M4's and mitch's.</p>
<p>APFT: I hate it when people that suck at P/U and S/U are the ones grading... they always end up being the hardest.</p>
<p>mrgreenapple:
People that suck at pushups, that reminds me of a PSG I knew (thankfully not mine.)</p>
<p>This PSG would drop her entire platoon for about 25 pushups before every morning formation, just because, but she wouldn't do a single one correctly herself. Well the Top came out one day and told her in front of the entire company that she was to stop dropping them if she couldn't do them herself. Berating your subordinates in front of others usually isn't a good thing, but I guess she's a special case.</p>
<p>Another fun incident with her: Some soldiers were smoking and she comes up to bother them. One of them was an SF E-7, who had one of his hands in his pocket. She (an E6) immediately YELLS at him saying "You think because you're a Green Beret you can stick your hands in your pockets?" The E7 says "My hands are cold." The E6 won't give it up. The SF guy finally says "Why don't you **** off?" and she finally walks away.</p>
<p>She was eventually moved from being a PSG to be an instructor. More ridiculousness ensued. I guess the point of the stories is, if you're gonna do something, do it right, and be respectful to others, especially ****ed off SF guys with 75th Rgt combat scrolls.</p>
<p>Now onto the APFT: Your body remembers things like pushups through 'muscle memory.' If you practice them wrong, your body will remember and you may end up doing them incorrectly when it counts. Concentrate on your form when you practice. For me, it helped a lot to basically just get my body used to constantly doing them. At one point in time, I could almost max out the APFT, but I would get about 90 pts on the pushups (63 reps.) I was going through an Army school that had 10 minute breaks every hour. I would use that break to do 50 push ups, everytime. On the next day I'd do 25 each for an easy day. At first I could day 50 on the first break, and by the end of the day I could barely do a set of 15. Over time, I could consistantly do sets of 50. It had a side benefit of waking me up, as the school was boring as hell.</p>
<p>Regardless of how you practice, it's my opinion that correct form is essential. 15 good ones are better than 50 bad ones.</p>
<p>two sf guys in the px, pc's on, hands in pocket. A e-7 female walks up and tells them to take their caps off and hands out of their pockets... One looks down at his long tab, then continues his conversation with his friend.</p>
<p>Don't ever try and correct an SF guy, they are in an entirely different world than us</p>
<p>Hey, by the way, you WILL get Flak Jackets. I'm not sure if you guys get it during Beast, but the whole Corps was just issued them earlier this year.</p>
<p>And get used to the idea of sleeping with a rifle. You'll be sleeping with one for three weeks 2nd Detail. (even in Garrison)</p>
<p>You will NOT be able to wear your Jump boots or whatever, not even during the Academic year. Everyone will be issued Camelbaks and all that jazz. And just so you know, no one will really care whether you're Prior Service or not. In fact, a lot of the biggest jerks I met during Beast were Prior Service. Just help your buddies out, don't think you're better than them just because you already know most of the stuff. The same people you'll help out during Beast will be helping you with other stuff during the Academic year.</p>
<p>marines4me it's not that I would ever think that I'm better than other people, its just that most ps are probably annoyed during beast because we've already gone thru all that bull****. Having upperclassmen teach you how the army functions is like having a grade school kid teach a high schooler. maybe i'm wrong but I'mpretty sure thats whats going through the minds of some during beast</p>
<p>Nah, that's not what I'm saying. I'm not trying to point fingers. I'm just telling you how it is in general.</p>
<p>And while your point has merit, the Cadre DO know more than you about some things. Granted, most haven't been to combat (though there are many prior service just like you), but they are here for a reason. If you were ready to be an Officer there'd be no need for you to go to West Point. The whole point is to teach leadership, and for most people, they need to learn the fundamental skills before they can begin to even approach learning leadership. Besides, Beast is a leadership experience in itself. You'll begin to pick up what you do and don't like in a leader, and start refining your own leadership philosophy. Though I don't like it here very much, I can most definitely say that West Point teaches leadership better than probably anyone in the United States.</p>
<p>*I haven't been to combat...</p>
<p>I really liked your reply. That one paragraph has changed my view of this summer. Thanks</p>
<p>It's ok for anyone to make an on the spot correction, on anyone (even a private to a general,) as long as they do it with respect, and make sure they are squared away themselves. A good leader would probably just thank you for the correction, fix it, and drive on. SF guys are in the Army too, and those guys you described probably weren't setting a very good example for the young troops that see them. However, I'd be willing to bet that the E7 wasn't very tactful in her correction. "Take off your hats and get your hands out of your pockets now!" instead of something more reasonable. </p>
<p>Unfortunately some guys do have a I'm the shiznitz attitude, that does breed resentment. I was sent to a SOQ board and said my long term goal was to be in SF. After the board, a 1SG came up to me and said "You know you gotta grow your hair out and wrinkle up your uniform when you go into SF..." That kinda made me mad, but I just smiled like I didn't get the hidden meaning and said hooah First Sergeant.</p>
<p>:) Well, I'm glad I can help. A lot of it you won't see until afterwards. Just like now--I'm in the middle of Plebe year, and I can only see glimmers of how it's effecting me. </p>
<p>Though you might not have been to combat, there will be classmates of yours that have. One guy who was supposed to be my classmate had a Silver Star, but he cheated in Prep School and got kicked out. I have friends who have Purple Hearts, were within 3 weeks of finishing SF school (all he had was three more weeks of his language), guys that have done combat jumps. I've found that the guys who have really done things, really gone into bad places, don't broadcast it. The ones you hear flaunting all their credentials are those that haven't really done anything.</p>
<p>You're gonna meet people from everywhere. One thing you'll hear is that once you get here, you'll become a small fish in a big sea. I refuse to believe that, and have found that it's not necessarily true. If you work hard, or are a natural leader, not much will change. There are many people here who are not natural leaders. One of my roommate's isn't, but she's learning a lot. Whatever you want and work for from this place is exactly what you'll get from it. I love to learn, and have sought out tons of opportunities. Since coming here, I've become RSO (Range Safety Officer) qualified, CLS (Combat Lifesaver) qualified, and have gotten my Humvee license. I've worked with all manner of weapons, ranging from Anti-Tank Rockets to Claymores to M9s. You'll have access to a HUGE range of information. You can find out about just about anything when you're here.</p>
<p>yomtvraps: sf guys are the ****. Theyre allowed to have their hands in their pockets, pc's on anywhere, long hair, no weight standard, call eachother by first name, and have beer in their Iraq chow halls because of who they are and what they do. Unless theyre breaking the law or beating the crap out of someone I wouldnt suggest correcting them.</p>