Servicemen get to play to their strengths in new IPPT
From next April, national servicemen can play to their strengths when they take the new Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT) — scoring well in certain stations can compensate for poorer performance in another.
With the new IPPT format to comprise three stations instead of five — a 2.4km run, sit-ups and push-ups — servicemen will earn points pegged to their performance at each station.
The 2.4km run carries half the weightage with a maximum of 50 points, while the other two stations carry a maximum of 25 points each. Operationally-Ready National Servicemen (NSmen) need to accumulate at least 51 points — out of 100 — in all to pass.
As in the past, servicemen will still need to meet a minimum standard to pass. Under the current format, the pass mark for a 25-year-old NSman in the sit-up station is 30 sit-ups.
Under the new format, NSmen must earn at least one point in each station to pass, which in the case of a 25-year-old means 13 sit-ups. He can then avoid failure by pushing harder in the other two stations to accumulate the required overall number of points.
Under the new format, NSmen hoping to attain a gold, silver or pass with incentive need to accumulate more than 80, 70 and 60 points, respectively, from the three stations. Commandos, divers and guardsmen need to clock at least 85 points for the gold award.
The age bands for the test will also be changed from five-year bands to three-year bands, to better match performance to age.
New test format draws flak, support
The new Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT) format has drawn support from some quarters, but also flak from some fitness experts.
Professor John Wang, a sport and exercise psychologist at the National Institute of Education (NIE) felt the shake-up to the format is the right move and that NSmen may be more motivated to train given that they now believe it is passable.
NSmen will also maximise efforts to score under the new scoring system to compensate for their weaker stations and this extra effort will lead to fitness improvements, he said.
Fitness consultant Rick Wong, however, said the new IPPT could result in NSmen training specifically for one station and they might not necessarily be militarily fit.
However, Mr Oh Beng Soon, a former infantry commander, felt that removing the pull-up will not necessarily affect combat fitness. Noting that fitness experts had said pull-ups are crucial to the ability to scale walls or climb ropes, Mr Oh said technique and teamwork are used in performing these actions.
Dr Beryvn Lee, a member of the Army Fitness Advisory Board, conceded that the new IPPT is easier to pass, but stressed that doing well still requires training. When asked if the new test is compromising on fitness standards, Dr Lee said the answer will “come out in time”, and time is also needed for the new push-up station develop its norms and standards.
Change was to make IPPT ‘easier to train for’
Changes in combat training that target specific muscle groups that are necessary for a serviceman’s vocation — and a hope that national servicemen will be motivated to keep fit on their own — are what made the army deem it timely to introduce the biggest shake up to the IPPT in three decades, Chief of Army Perry Lim explained in a press conference on Wednesday.
Major-General Lim stressed that the intention behind the changes was not to make the test easier to pass, but easier to train for. NSmen can train for the IPPT on their own, without the need for specialised equipment.
MINDEF has said the new scoring system will encourage servicemen to do the best for each station and take ownership of how they train for IPPT.
No comments:
Post a Comment