Military Physical Training | From 'March in Step' to 'Precision Training'

From 'March in Step' to 'Precision Training'

■ Yu Daqi, PLA Daily Special Correspondent Liu Yang

In front of the bulletin board at a battalion training ground of the 83rd Group Army, a "Second-Quarter Military Physical Training Tiered Instruction Plan" has drawn the attention of many officers and soldiers. Personnel are checking the plan to find their own training tasks.

Unlike the previous battalion-wide military physical training model of "unified content, unified assessment," this year the battalion has divided officers and soldiers into three categories based on combat position—armor, infantry, and support—with each category further broken down into different tiers of training requirements. A few thin pages of paper reflect the battalion's shift in military physical training from "march in step" to "precision training."

When officers and soldiers of different ability levels train on identical content during military physical training, the result is not only low efficiency but also a risk of training injuries. This year, following the approach of "foundational physical fitness as a baseline plus position-specific skill reinforcement" (基础体能托底+岗位专长强化), the battalion designed differentiated military physical training content around the actual physical fitness needs of personnel in different positions. Armor positions emphasize anti-vertigo and core abdominal strength training; infantry positions emphasize load-bearing endurance and equipment-carrying mobility fitness training; support positions emphasize upper-limb strength and load-bearing transport fitness training. This changes the previous problem of "one plan for the whole battalion," and the targeted nature of training has improved substantially.

Corporal Li Zhongchao, a tank driver in a certain tank company, had long been troubled by "uneven development" (偏科). His upper-limb strength was solid, but his core strength was weak and his anti-vertigo capacity was insufficient; after long-duration driving maneuvers he always needed to rest for a while before recovering. After the new military physical training plan was introduced, pull-up bar and push-up training were removed from his training list, and three sessions per week of core abdominal strength training and anti-vertigo roller training were added. After the first quarter of training, he can now dismount and rapidly enter a combat-ready state after completing long-distance maneuvers over rough terrain.

Lu Weiming, an infantry carrier soldier in a certain company, had a weak physical fitness baseline. When he first enlisted and trained alongside the main body of troops on 3,000-meter runs, he could never keep up, and the more he trained the less confidence he had. Now, with tiered training in place, the military physical training instructor designed a progressive specialized plan for him incorporating slow jogging and interval running, paired with lower-limb strength reinforcement training, and his 3,000-meter run performance has improved noticeably.

Drawing on the previous year's military physical training assessment scores, training injury history, and position capability requirements, military physical training instructors in each company across the battalion have established a physical fitness file for every officer and soldier and issued each person a personalized "training prescription."

Previously, during 3,000-meter run training, some officers and soldiers believed that running more meant more progress, only to end up with knee pain and swollen ankles, with performance improving slowly as a result. This year, the battalion added scientifically grounded training content to its training plan—including dynamic warm-ups, heart rate monitoring, and tiered strength training—arranging 15 minutes of targeted warm-up before each training session and pairing different training content with different cool-down and stretching protocols.

Not long ago, the battalion organized armed cross-country training. Before training, military physical training instructors measured each officer and soldier's heart rate threshold; during training, sports wristbands were used to monitor heart rates, and training intensity was adjusted immediately whenever readings exceeded the safe range. After more than three months of training, the battalion's average five-kilometer armed cross-country time improved by 1 minute and 40 seconds.

"Now our training must not only produce results—it must also build health and build longevity, laying a solid foundation for long-term service," said Liu Chang, a military physical training backbone instructor.

The change in a single military physical training plan has produced concrete improvements in training quality and effectiveness. Going forward, the battalion will continue to optimize its instruction model, establish a dynamic physical fitness analysis ledger for officers and soldiers, and continuously raise the level of scientific and precision-based military physical training.