Page 29 - RADC Bulletin 2022

DEVELOPMENT
All Arms Pre Parachute Selection 22.01 Captain Simon Fear
I was hesitant to write an article about my experience at AAPPS, as there have been many RADC individuals who have passed the course over the years. It was not like I was doing anything new, such as an epic charity event which deserves highlighting or a useful Ex or deployment which showcases RADC talent. In truth I felt very selfish taking time away from clinic and unit in order to fulfil a personal long held ambition, where I could push myself under mental and physical duress. Therefore, after setting the scene of my journey, I intend
to write a piece which inspires others to attempt the possible. I hope to provide advice on how to prepare and perform when under pressure from the Parachute Regiment and RAPTC directing staff, who thrive when testing candidates to find their own limits.
My Path
After two failed attempts to secure a place on AAPPS whilst working in DPHC, a posting to 16 Medical Regiment allowed me the opportunity to take the first step to becoming PARA trained.
There are likely many differing reasons for wanting to take on this arduous course, from curiosity to see if you have what is required, through to the desire to serve within 16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team as a PARA trained Dental Officer or NCO. Whatever the reason, it is crucial to get this clear in your head so that when things start to get gritty you can summon up that intrinsic motivation to make that next cut off, or cling onto that log as you ‘red line’ yet again.
The hype surrounding ‘P Coy’ once you arrive at unit in Merville Barracks is not to
be underestimated. It is the classic case of those who have done it acting all casual about it, but those preparing themselves very much buying into all of the horror stories. The training pathway to prepare you to go ‘up the road’ to ITC Catterick where the three and a half week course takes place, has recently changed yet again.
I was subject to the first Unit Conditioning Course (UCC), which was solely run by
16 Med Regt, with a purpose of training in rather than selecting out. The UCC would replace the dreaded beat up run by 16 Brigade. Renowned for wearing applicants down and setting them up to fail due to increasing the likelihood of injury when
they begin AAPPS. The UCC was originally designed to last 12 weeks, allowing the body time to adapt to an increasing training
load thus reducing the risk of injury. We
had two sessions a day consisting of
TABs, runs, circuits, swims and strength
and conditioning sessions. I found the preparation useful and a good chance to learn from people who’d been ‘up the road’ before but had been unsuccessful. This helped alleviate some fears about the way the DS would approach us, including what to expect on the TABs in terms of pacing and do’s and don’ts with nutrition and kit.
This has since changed yet again due to
a poor pass rate from 16 Med Regt on my course. The OiC of the UCC thought this was likely due to the lack of a ‘Hills phase,’ and in my personal opinion too much time in the gym rather than carrying a bergen.
Preparing your Body
I would suggest a good prerequisite cardio vascular base line is being able to run 1.5 miles on undulating rocky surface in 9 minutes. The cut off set for screening and on the first day of the course is 9:30, however those just sneaking in statistically have a
drastically reduced chance of passing. The course is very much a runners’ course, with the majority of successful candidates being of a leaner composition. You must be fast enough to keep up on the speed-play events and have a high enough lactate threshold and VO2 max to remain at this speed for the intervals set. Rapid recovery is key enabling you to bring your heart rate down at the body weight ‘pain stations,’ before running again. This means including runs in your training programme that have specific high intensity intervals where you are working in an anaerobic zone before recovering and going again. These sessions need to be infrequent and carefully tailored to spread the load on your body throughout the week, and should make up no more than 20% of your volume. This aim can also be achieved on the watt bike or rowing machine, attaining the same training effect whilst reducing the risk of injury.
Next up is improving the muscular endurance of your legs and the aerobic capacity to run or TAB for prolonged periods.
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