I just recently finished the course this summer (as in last week) and Ive noticed a lot of confused people on this website about the course. Firstly this course is hard. Be prepared to hurt a little bit and learn to overcome fear. This course is a half cadet half army course. For a bit you’ll be doing Cadet things, then you’ll move over to the army things (you get two course reports, one from Cadets and one from the army). We do ours right alongside the reserves, sharing a barracks with them as well. You will be treated like soldiers, it’s different but it feels great. Trust me when I say this, everything you do has a reason.
So this year, they made all regions do a pre-para, and if you don’t know what pre-para is, well…..it’s the hardest thing you will ever do (especially if you go to the one in Trenton). I still believe I found the pre course in March harder than the course in the summer. I had a really hard time with it, but going gives you so much knowledge on what you need to work on (which is push ups). We got in at 7 or 8 pm and the CSM made is do 100 push ups as soon as we got off the bus, and then we did PT for 2 hours. It sucked hard cause of the snow and water, so it made it more dangerous/hard. Ours was one week, first day was the PT testing day. Make sure you do amazing on this test, as it is the biggest ground breaker for getting on the course. After that we went to Bakers Island………never again did I want to do. Trust me you’ll learn when you get there, make sure you can do push ups. Oh! Free tip! DO NOT SAY AIRBORNE. The CSM will eat you alive if he does (and I think I know the CSM going for it next year, he will eat you). Second day was the mock tower jumps (See pictures for an idea of the mocktower) and all you have to do is jump, nothing to hard, it just gets your fear of heights tingling. Make sure you get over that fear before you go to it, because the course will be a lot easier if you do. Third day is the medical testing, which is a very chill day, then you go home. Few tips, bring some A535 or Tiger balm, because your legs will be so sore, so learn to stretch them as well. Listen to everything that is said, because if you get course senior, you need to listen, and make sure you do.
For training for the PT test, here are a few tips. The standards have not changed, it’s still 7 chin ups, 31 sit ups (something like that) and a mile in 7:30. It’s honestly not that hard, but you need to at least double the results. Get a chin-up bar, it will be your best friend. Every time you enter the room you have the bar in, do at least 7 chin-ups. After a month you’ll be surprised how far you’ll get. Do lots of sit-ups and a position called fifth point (back on the floor, feet and knees together, slight bend in the knees, feet 6 inches off the ground, chin to chest and hands straight behind your head). Please, please practice this, as I didn’t and I paid for it big time. For push ups, just do lots. Every time you eat, (minimum) set of 25. Wake up? 25. Fart? 25. Get tired? 25 it is. Get used to doing lots of different kinds, so doing the standard one is easier. Running. Run a lot but don’t hurt yourself. Before I left for Pre-para I was running 4km, but make sure you can do more. Before I left for Para I was doing 8km, which is good, but always strive for more. Don’t hurt yourself training as you’ll just slow down your process, and make sure you stretch. As for your normal workouts, a lot of people ask if weights or no weights. Do what you want, as long as you do the push ups and other things in those workouts. If you have the P90x workouts they are FANTASTIC for this kind of training (especially ab ripper x), but again so solid workouts, with lots and lots of cardio.
So you made it into Para, and you’re wondering what to expect. The actual course is divided into two sections; the pre course (which usually runs for two weeks but this year it was only one) and the course at CAAWC (Canadians Army Advanced Warfare Center, yes the abbreviated version sounds like what you think it is). The pre course is made to whip you into shape and to make you and your buddies work as a team for the actual course. The pre course is as hard as you and your buddies make it. You mess up, you will be doing push ups or doing fifth. You will be doing PT and “team building activites” all day, every day. The days are so slow and long you most likely be really tired. But they are fun though! This year we got lucky and did A LOT of fun things (rappelling out of the mock helicopter, got to see the simulated CC-130 J Herc, did mock tower jumps, etc). Sadly but surely, you will be doing a scheduled PT session at 05:30 every morning (besides weekends, thank god) and they will literally run you to the ground. I mean it was crazy on how much running we did. Second or third day, we ran for a straight hour and a half, I’m pretty sure we ran at least 14km at one time. Learn to like the suck though. Cause there will be lots, especially when you go to Connaught. We only went for an evening, but holy smokes. It. Sucked. Just straight up PT for hours, and you have ex para cadets “motivating you”. That basically sums up the first week, and then you move on to the CAAWC. Gotta love the CAAWC (we made so many jokes about that name…). Free tip again, if you want to get Sgt Airborne, probally the best and funniest instructor, make sure you fall into the first rank when they form you up in the flight room, as that is “his rank”. So every day you will do classes, every day and they will beat all the drills in your head. I’m not a parachute instructor so I won’t tell you how to do anything, but make sure you fix your goods before getting into those harnesses as anyone who has done flight knows that terrible feeling….You will doing classes of flight, aircraft drill, landings and equipment at least twice a day, every day, don’t worry equipment becomes a lot easier with practice. Honestly for me, I did very little push ups in the last two week, as I always listened…we had a guy make a lot of mistakes on his equipment, let’s just say he racked up 525 push ups…..the less you screw up, the less you’ll do. Trust me when I say that. After a while you’ll finally do the mock tower test, this being the place most people fail. Try your hardest and be aggressive, and you’ll have no problems. That coming Firday is your PO checks, make sure you’ve been practicing in the barracks at night, for everything you can. Half hour every night can mean the difference between a plane ride home to a plane ride to the drop zone. Let me tell you, the course is a challenging course, but all the effort is worth it the first time you’re under canopy. It’s something you can’t explain, you have to experience it yourself. Oh and make sure you keep your chin to your chest, I got minor whip lash cause I didn’t.
This course is the best course you’ll take it Cadets. It’ll make very other course look so simple and easy and you’ll come out with a new skill set, $100 worth of airborne t-shirts, and a whole lot of stories. If you think you can do it, try it. The worst that can happen is you go back and do it again. Don’t give up with the training and if you have any questions, please ask.
So this year, they made all regions do a pre-para, and if you don’t know what pre-para is, well…..it’s the hardest thing you will ever do (especially if you go to the one in Trenton). I still believe I found the pre course in March harder than the course in the summer. I had a really hard time with it, but going gives you so much knowledge on what you need to work on (which is push ups). We got in at 7 or 8 pm and the CSM made is do 100 push ups as soon as we got off the bus, and then we did PT for 2 hours. It sucked hard cause of the snow and water, so it made it more dangerous/hard. Ours was one week, first day was the PT testing day. Make sure you do amazing on this test, as it is the biggest ground breaker for getting on the course. After that we went to Bakers Island………never again did I want to do. Trust me you’ll learn when you get there, make sure you can do push ups. Oh! Free tip! DO NOT SAY AIRBORNE. The CSM will eat you alive if he does (and I think I know the CSM going for it next year, he will eat you). Second day was the mock tower jumps (See pictures for an idea of the mocktower) and all you have to do is jump, nothing to hard, it just gets your fear of heights tingling. Make sure you get over that fear before you go to it, because the course will be a lot easier if you do. Third day is the medical testing, which is a very chill day, then you go home. Few tips, bring some A535 or Tiger balm, because your legs will be so sore, so learn to stretch them as well. Listen to everything that is said, because if you get course senior, you need to listen, and make sure you do.
For training for the PT test, here are a few tips. The standards have not changed, it’s still 7 chin ups, 31 sit ups (something like that) and a mile in 7:30. It’s honestly not that hard, but you need to at least double the results. Get a chin-up bar, it will be your best friend. Every time you enter the room you have the bar in, do at least 7 chin-ups. After a month you’ll be surprised how far you’ll get. Do lots of sit-ups and a position called fifth point (back on the floor, feet and knees together, slight bend in the knees, feet 6 inches off the ground, chin to chest and hands straight behind your head). Please, please practice this, as I didn’t and I paid for it big time. For push ups, just do lots. Every time you eat, (minimum) set of 25. Wake up? 25. Fart? 25. Get tired? 25 it is. Get used to doing lots of different kinds, so doing the standard one is easier. Running. Run a lot but don’t hurt yourself. Before I left for Pre-para I was running 4km, but make sure you can do more. Before I left for Para I was doing 8km, which is good, but always strive for more. Don’t hurt yourself training as you’ll just slow down your process, and make sure you stretch. As for your normal workouts, a lot of people ask if weights or no weights. Do what you want, as long as you do the push ups and other things in those workouts. If you have the P90x workouts they are FANTASTIC for this kind of training (especially ab ripper x), but again so solid workouts, with lots and lots of cardio.
So you made it into Para, and you’re wondering what to expect. The actual course is divided into two sections; the pre course (which usually runs for two weeks but this year it was only one) and the course at CAAWC (Canadians Army Advanced Warfare Center, yes the abbreviated version sounds like what you think it is). The pre course is made to whip you into shape and to make you and your buddies work as a team for the actual course. The pre course is as hard as you and your buddies make it. You mess up, you will be doing push ups or doing fifth. You will be doing PT and “team building activites” all day, every day. The days are so slow and long you most likely be really tired. But they are fun though! This year we got lucky and did A LOT of fun things (rappelling out of the mock helicopter, got to see the simulated CC-130 J Herc, did mock tower jumps, etc). Sadly but surely, you will be doing a scheduled PT session at 05:30 every morning (besides weekends, thank god) and they will literally run you to the ground. I mean it was crazy on how much running we did. Second or third day, we ran for a straight hour and a half, I’m pretty sure we ran at least 14km at one time. Learn to like the suck though. Cause there will be lots, especially when you go to Connaught. We only went for an evening, but holy smokes. It. Sucked. Just straight up PT for hours, and you have ex para cadets “motivating you”. That basically sums up the first week, and then you move on to the CAAWC. Gotta love the CAAWC (we made so many jokes about that name…). Free tip again, if you want to get Sgt Airborne, probally the best and funniest instructor, make sure you fall into the first rank when they form you up in the flight room, as that is “his rank”. So every day you will do classes, every day and they will beat all the drills in your head. I’m not a parachute instructor so I won’t tell you how to do anything, but make sure you fix your goods before getting into those harnesses as anyone who has done flight knows that terrible feeling….You will doing classes of flight, aircraft drill, landings and equipment at least twice a day, every day, don’t worry equipment becomes a lot easier with practice. Honestly for me, I did very little push ups in the last two week, as I always listened…we had a guy make a lot of mistakes on his equipment, let’s just say he racked up 525 push ups…..the less you screw up, the less you’ll do. Trust me when I say that. After a while you’ll finally do the mock tower test, this being the place most people fail. Try your hardest and be aggressive, and you’ll have no problems. That coming Firday is your PO checks, make sure you’ve been practicing in the barracks at night, for everything you can. Half hour every night can mean the difference between a plane ride home to a plane ride to the drop zone. Let me tell you, the course is a challenging course, but all the effort is worth it the first time you’re under canopy. It’s something you can’t explain, you have to experience it yourself. Oh and make sure you keep your chin to your chest, I got minor whip lash cause I didn’t.
This course is the best course you’ll take it Cadets. It’ll make very other course look so simple and easy and you’ll come out with a new skill set, $100 worth of airborne t-shirts, and a whole lot of stories. If you think you can do it, try it. The worst that can happen is you go back and do it again. Don’t give up with the training and if you have any questions, please ask.
