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BASIC TRAINING
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EIGHT
sun and they never let any recruit off the hook. But, there was no doubt about their passionate
professionalism. At the time, there were 11 stations in the obstacle course: six-foot wall,
window, swinging bridge, low vault, ‘Tarzan’ swing (over a pit), low rope, parallel bars, high
rope, high balance, ‘Jacobs’ ladder and the ramp. A steel girder tower was installed later, used
initially for the ‘omega’ slide (called ‘flying fox’ at the Outward Bound School) and later, for the
canvas jump as well. The biggest bugbear appeared to be the six-foot wall which required the
individual to sprint towards it and leap with sufficient momentum to leverage the greater part
of his torso over the top and swing up one knee to seek a supporting purchase to roll over to
the other side. The obstacle course was always done in skeleton battle order with steel helmet.
For the wall, the rifle was slung across the back. This added to the problem for those who
found the whole proposition difficult. While it is true that the strength of the arm, relative to
the weight of the body, is a factor, the wall could also be cleared with the right technique. Some
took the trouble to practise, since there was to be a test at some point. The PTIs were very
supportive, but Section Instructors would also stay back to coach those who had difficulties.
Of the other obstacles, the 20-foot high ropes tended to present a problem for essentially the
same reason as the wall: the relationship of the body-weight to the lifting power of the arms.
But once again, technique could solve the problem. The official method was to entwine the
rope between the arch of one foot and the instep of the other, to provide a footrest while
the climber reached arm-over-arm. The climber used the same technique on the way down.
In fact, it is possible to negotiate the high rope in both directions with short reaches (and
drops) of about six inches at a time, quite easily without incorporating the footrest. This is
the technique used to qualify for the Class 1 Rope qualification when the climb involves two
parallel ropes side by side and the use of the feet for grip is awkward. It was never clear where
this classification came from and the trainees were not required to do it, but one of the NCOs,
then Staff Sergeant Tan Cheng Bong, once demonstrated it to No. 4 Platoon ‘B’ Company.
The other obstacles were relatively easy and most of the trainees got the hang of the obstacle
course soon enough. Separately, from the standard configuration, the ‘omega’ was a lesson in
itself. The popular Outward Bound School ‘flying fox’ is a derivative of it. The launch platform
was about 30 feet high and the rope slide stretched to the ground about 20 metres away. A
metal bar shaped like the Greek letter Ω is placed across the slide to offer a handle bar on either
side. A safety rope is attached to the trainee and he simply steps off the launch platform. Some
anticipation is needed at the other end to land on one’s feet. To most trainees, it was something
of a treat. The other use of the tower—the canvas jump—was essentially to counter a fear of
heights, but had not been introduced at the time.
A typical obstacle course lesson would include warming-up exercises, a run up Good Morning
Hill and back, one more (warming-down?) assault on Good Morning Hill followed by a duck-
walk up the incline through the back gate.