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British Royal Marines Commando Entry Standard

JWJ

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Hello everyone.

Just thought I'd make a thread on the Royal Marines, and the level of fitness required to get a place in the 32 week long basic training, in case anyone is curious or thinking about it.

Selection is done in two parts -

Pre-Joining Fitness Test (PJFT):

Conducted at a franchise fitness centre, you have to complete two 1.5 mile runs, with a 2% inclince, with a rest period of 1 minute in between runs. If you step off the treadmill, you fail. The first run must be completed in 12 minutes 30 seconds, 1 minute rest, then complete the second run in under 10 minutes. The timing here isn't too harsh, and the run time should not be hard to achieve, this is just the initial filter to remove those completely unsuitable.

Upon passing the PJFT, you are loaded onto a -

Potential Royal Marines Course (PRMC):

This is a 4 day selection course, conducted at CTCRM (Commando Training Centre Royal Marine) Lympstone, in Devon. Here you will do a series of gym tests, swimming test, endurance course and bottom field assault course. The tests are all (apart from the swim and endurance course), graded out of 5. I will breakdown the required points to pass below.

Gym Tests
All gym tests are done to bleeps, for example on the press ups you get 1 bleep and must do a full-range, perfect form press up, and hold the raised position untill the next bleep, counting as 1 press up. This is the same with situps, although you will get a bleep for the up motion, and another bleep to go down, on the pull up test.

Press ups - a max of 60 press ups to bleeps, in 2 minutes. You have to do full range perfect form repititions, and if you fail to do so you will recieve a warning and then told to stand up.
Pull ups - Overhand pull ups, done to bleeps, you must hold your whole chin above the bar, without resting on it, and when lowered be fully extended. Minimum of 3 pull ups to continue on the course.
Sit ups - Hands must be touching your temple, and knees must be together, the test goes up to 80 in two minutes to bleeps. I was told to stand up after just 16 as my knees came about a inch apart and the PTI saw it and thought I'd already been warned (you don't argue with the PTIs).
Bleep test (VO2 Max) - Must achieve atleast 10.5 on the 20m bleep test to continue on the course, looking for around level 11.5.

Swim Test
Fairly straight forward swim test, jump off a 4m diving board, swim 2 lengths and a width, tread water for a minute or so (depends on how fast the recruit infront takes), duck dive down to the bottom of the deep end and retrieve a brick, hold it above you one handed untill the PTI tells you to drop it and leave the pool, you can't use a ladder or be assisted out of the pool, if you can't pull yourself out you fail.

Endurance Course
This is part of the Commando Tests recruits attempt in week 31, a 6 mile cross country course on steroids. Consisting of deep pools, long concrete tunnels that twist, turn and get narrower, so you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, filled with bricks and stones to encourage you to keep moving, despicible hills and so on.

The thing that makes this so much harder is the training team will stop you regularly, such as at the base of a particularly steep knoll, and make you do fun exercises, such as pays to be a winner, where two will race up and the loser goes back down to race untill he wins. Other things include fireman carries up the hill, bear crawling backwards etc etc. Highlights include Peter's Pool, the Sheep dip (2m submerged tunnel you are pushed through) and the Hare and Hounds back to camp (4 mile run trying to catch up to the PTI).

Bottom Field Assault Course
This really breaks down into two sections itself. The first is the 'warm up' which is actually a battle PT session from hell and the timed running of the Assault Course which goes towards your score.

The Warm up lasts for as long as the PTIs feel like beasting you, and consists of countless pays to be a winner, crawls, carries, drags, soaking yourself in the monkey bar pool etc. This can go on for over an hour or two, and is the time when most people will Withdraw at Own Request off the course. They will breakĀ  you. Log PT is a highlight, having to do squats, drags and pushing a telegraph pole with just 5 of you.

The actual assault course isn't all too bad compared to the 'warm up', consisting of a variety of difficult obstacles and tunnels, with ropes etc. Your time is recorded and goes towards your overall score.

Grading
All the tests are scored out of 5, so there is a total of 30 points to be won.

Grade A Pass - Exceptional Pass : 26-30 points
Grade B Pass - Confirmed place in training : 21-25 points
Grade C Pass - Weak pass, may not be given a place in training : 16-20 points
Fail - Below 16 points

To see how the individual tests and times are broken down, here is a link to the scoring PDF :
https://www.royalmarines.uk/attachments/prmc-points-guide-1-pdf.3816/

Heres a video done by the Royal Marines to explain the new standards:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jX3MBePrrAA


Remember this is the baseline fitness level, to get a place on the 32 course that culminates in the Commando Tests, which despite consuming 4000 calories a day, recruits will lose weight on the four days of the tests, and people have died on. The fitness expected in training only gets harder and you are pushed more mentally and physically to the levels of an international athlete.

Hope this provides some insight into the course and requirements, I thought it'd be nice to see what kind of level the British forces are at, to get into a non-SF force. The Parachute Regiment is equally as gruelling to get into and the standards, whilst not the same, are also extremely high.



 
See also,

Royal Marines
https://www.google.ca/search?q=site%3Aarmy.ca+royal+marines&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-CA:IE-Address&ie=&oe=&rlz=1I7GGHP_en-GBCA592&gfe_rd=cr&ei=OP0qWeCEJYON8Qey5pDoCg&gws_rd=ssl#q=site:army.ca+%22royal+marines%22&spf=1495989561227
 
JWJ said:
Hello everyone.

Just thought I'd make a thread on the Royal Marines, and the level of fitness required to get a place in the 32 week long basic training, in case anyone is curious or thinking about it.

Selection is done in two parts -

Pre-Joining Fitness Test (PJFT):

Conducted at a franchise fitness centre, you have to complete two 1.5 mile runs, with a 2% inclince, with a rest period of 1 minute in between runs. If you step off the treadmill, you fail. The first run must be completed in 12 minutes 30 seconds, 1 minute rest, then complete the second run in under 10 minutes. The timing here isn't too harsh, and the run time should not be hard to achieve, this is just the initial filter to remove those completely unsuitable.

Upon passing the PJFT, you are loaded onto a -

Potential Royal Marines Course (PRMC):

This is a 4 day selection course, conducted at CTCRM (Commando Training Centre Royal Marine) Lympstone, in Devon. Here you will do a series of gym tests, swimming test, endurance course and bottom field assault course. The tests are all (apart from the swim and endurance course), graded out of 5. I will breakdown the required points to pass below.

Gym Tests
All gym tests are done to bleeps, for example on the press ups you get 1 bleep and must do a full-range, perfect form press up, and hold the raised position untill the next bleep, counting as 1 press up. This is the same with situps, although you will get a bleep for the up motion, and another bleep to go down, on the pull up test.

Press ups - a max of 60 press ups to bleeps, in 2 minutes. You have to do full range perfect form repititions, and if you fail to do so you will recieve a warning and then told to stand up.
Pull ups - Overhand pull ups, done to bleeps, you must hold your whole chin above the bar, without resting on it, and when lowered be fully extended. Minimum of 3 pull ups to continue on the course.
Sit ups - Hands must be touching your temple, and knees must be together, the test goes up to 80 in two minutes to bleeps. I was told to stand up after just 16 as my knees came about a inch apart and the PTI saw it and thought I'd already been warned (you don't argue with the PTIs).
Bleep test (VO2 Max) - Must achieve atleast 10.5 on the 20m bleep test to continue on the course, looking for around level 11.5.

Swim Test
Fairly straight forward swim test, jump off a 4m diving board, swim 2 lengths and a width, tread water for a minute or so (depends on how fast the recruit infront takes), duck dive down to the bottom of the deep end and retrieve a brick, hold it above you one handed untill the PTI tells you to drop it and leave the pool, you can't use a ladder or be assisted out of the pool, if you can't pull yourself out you fail.

Endurance Course
This is part of the Commando Tests recruits attempt in week 31, a 6 mile cross country course on steroids. Consisting of deep pools, long concrete tunnels that twist, turn and get narrower, so you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, filled with bricks and stones to encourage you to keep moving, despicible hills and so on.

The thing that makes this so much harder is the training team will stop you regularly, such as at the base of a particularly steep knoll, and make you do fun exercises, such as pays to be a winner, where two will race up and the loser goes back down to race untill he wins. Other things include fireman carries up the hill, bear crawling backwards etc etc. Highlights include Peter's Pool, the Sheep dip (2m submerged tunnel you are pushed through) and the Hare and Hounds back to camp (4 mile run trying to catch up to the PTI).

Bottom Field Assault Course
This really breaks down into two sections itself. The first is the 'warm up' which is actually a battle PT session from hell and the timed running of the Assault Course which goes towards your score.

The Warm up lasts for as long as the PTIs feel like beasting you, and consists of countless pays to be a winner, crawls, carries, drags, soaking yourself in the monkey bar pool etc. This can go on for over an hour or two, and is the time when most people will Withdraw at Own Request off the course. They will breakĀ  you. Log PT is a highlight, having to do squats, drags and pushing a telegraph pole with just 5 of you.

The actual assault course isn't all too bad compared to the 'warm up', consisting of a variety of difficult obstacles and tunnels, with ropes etc. Your time is recorded and goes towards your overall score.

Grading
All the tests are scored out of 5, so there is a total of 30 points to be won.

Grade A Pass - Exceptional Pass : 26-30 points
Grade B Pass - Confirmed place in training : 21-25 points
Grade C Pass - Weak pass, may not be given a place in training : 16-20 points
Fail - Below 16 points

To see how the individual tests and times are broken down, here is a link to the scoring PDF :
https://www.royalmarines.uk/attachments/prmc-points-guide-1-pdf.3816/

Heres a video done by the Royal Marines to explain the new standards:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jX3MBePrrAA


Remember this is the baseline fitness level, to get a place on the 32 course that culminates in the Commando Tests, which despite consuming 4000 calories a day, recruits will lose weight on the four days of the tests, and people have died on. The fitness expected in training only gets harder and you are pushed more mentally and physically to the levels of an international athlete.

Hope this provides some insight into the course and requirements, I thought it'd be nice to see what kind of level the British forces are at, to get into a non-SF force. The Parachute Regiment is equally as gruelling to get into and the standards, whilst not the same, are also extremely high.


Wot? No naked roll mat fighting test? :)
 
Thats a course run by your Unit PTIs, normally required to be completed before you go on the underwater knife fighting qualification.
 
PongoCadet said:
Thats a course run by your Unit PTIs, normally required to be completed before you go on the underwater knife fighting qualification.
:rofl:
Know your audience [:D

Well, can't say you weren't warned. :salute:
 
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