Page 85 - MERCIAN Eagle 2021

Physical Development and Sport
SSgt Wilcox
After the long period of Covid-19 restrictions for all, gymnasiums and physical development is now slowly but safely starting to make a return. This has meant the inclusion of more gym-based strength and conditioning and the following of the Army Physical Training System. Although
all Units have had to adapt, this hasn’t stopped the Battalion instilling the fitness needed to be an infantry soldier. As a Battalion, we have worked on strength and conditioning while focusing on building endurance and creating a competitive environment on Commanding Officer’s
PT. This has included best effort runs, and competitions in groups testing a wide range of fitness domains across different terrains.
Sport
Returning to the UK from Cyprus has opened more opportunities for sport for some of the soldiers in the Battalion. After arriving and establishing a battle rhythm
that instilled Sports Afternoon, soldiers are encouraged to take part in sports which they enjoy. This has also included sports days with inter Mess competitions in a variety of sports and a Battalion Boxing evening.
British Army Warrior Fitness (BAWF)
Success has been difficult in sport with
the Battalions FOE and requirement to complete courses for upcoming trawls and deployments. One success has been with the BAWF Team who recently competed in the UK North BAWF Event 2 held at Marne Barracks in Catterick. This consisted of
4 team members competing with 9 other Units across 4 workouts to determine the overall winner. The 2 MERCIAN team not only won the overall event but won every workout, dominating from start to finish. Events tested strength, power, endurance, anaerobic power, and muscular endurance. We are hoping to build on this success by continuing in the league and qualifying for
the Army Finals. The next event is to be held by 2 MERCIAN at Weeton Barracks on 2 Mar, although deployment to Kenya may hinder the team’s progress.
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
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