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Introduction

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watz

Registered User
Hello all,

After browsing the forums for the last several month's I have decided to become a member and join in the conversation. Hope no one minds :).

A little about myself, I am graduating this year from Bellevue University with a Business Information Systems Degree. I am a Volunteer Firefighter; I have worked at a certain cow spotted Computer Company in the I.T. department for the last 3 years.
I have just begun to speak to Navy recruiters; I was talking to the Army guys, I passed the AFAST (Army aptitude test) but have yet to take the Navy's.
I haven't been studying although that changes next week (No longer on call). The questions I do have people have asked before so I have been skimming the boards for a while getting answers.
Concerns of mine are swimming (not the best swimmer although I have signed up for lessons) testing from what I can tell the Navy Flight test looks a lot tougher?
Pre-Flight time I know it’s not a requirement but I am sure (from what I read) learning to trust instrumentation is a big plus.

Physical ability, I have been out of sports for a long time although I have continued to lift conditioning is a major concern. I know I read it before but can I find a conditioning program posted online?

Attrition rates of OCS and Flight School?

Making a house payment while at OCS I am sure isn't going to be easy....

Thanks,
Watz
 
airgreg

airgreg

low bypass axial-flow turbofan with AB driver
pilot
Welcome aboard.

As far as conditioning is concerned check out the post called "Pre-OCS PRT......" for a navy conditioning pdf link and other advice.
 
W

watz

Registered User
Computer nerd slash FireFighter :) lol

I agree I will not be quiting, but attrition rates should give a person a good feel as to how tough training is. The one person I have talked to said it was waaaayy tougher then when he went though boot camp....

What kind of swimming workout do you people due?
 
G

Ghish

Registered User
I swim at least 3 times weeks. And practice the major swim strokes: freestyle, back-stroke, side-stroke, and breast stroke. I swim from 30 min to an hour. Nothing big, just trying to concentrate on my form for now.

Computer nerd? I personally don't like that term. I can take computer geek, socially incompetent, and person with no life. But Computer nerd is definitely going to far :)
 
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Agent00JP

Registered User
If you really want to become confident in your swimming ability (and from what I hear you do not want swim PT in the Navy), then you should commit yourself to the goal.

First, you MUST get an instructor, preferably a swim coach. With summer rolling around it should be easy to find one from a local swim team. I am completely out of shape, but at this moment I could still max out on the BUD/S swimming requirements simply because of my swimming form and technique. Yes, it means that much. It is the equivalent of being run around a tennis court by a fat guy simply because he has great form.

Secondly, swim no less than 4 times per week and no less than 1600m/yds per workout (made up of any combination of speed or distance work). This is vitally important to give you a good base of swimming fitness and ingrain the technique in your head so that it is second-nature.

Lastly, make it fun by setting up a goal and/or going on ocean or lake swims every once in a while. One way to do this may be to enter a triathlon (Don't worry, most people who do triathlons are weakest in the swim) or enter as a relay team member for the swim portion. Any way you do it, keep it fun to prevent burnout.

If you would like a book that will provide some insight into swimming workouts and triathlon training, visit http://www.thesprintsign.com

Agent00JP
 
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Agent00JP

Registered User
Hey Michael,

I've got a red and silver bike, as well. Although it has more than 4900 miles on it and it is the type you are talking about people using at K-St. I enjoy riding with the local groups. It is a great way to get a high intensity - low impact(on the knees) workout. Could you ever run for 2 hours 5 times a week without injuring yourself? No, but riding that much is not likely to hurt you. You should give it a try. If you need any advice on a bike or what you need to get into the sport, let me know.

BTW-in general cyclists make good swimmers and vice versa.

Agent00JP
 
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JasonG

Registered User
Do cyclists have an easy time transitioning to running if it's not part of their routine?Also, what's the best prep (if any) for all the "fun" stuff to be delt with at OCS. I have never been in a boot camp type situation and have been told by some that many quit because they are unprepared or
-wimps-. I'd like to be prepared and the wimpiness gets burned real quick here in the city ;) Take it easy guys...
 
S

Spaceman Spiff

Registered User
quote:
To aid in studying for the ASTB, you can access the ARCO book online at

http://www.petersons.com/airforce/books.html

Agent00JP




That book is ONLINE?!?! AAAAHHHHH!!!! I coulda saved $25!!! Hi, welcome aboard, I rollerblade a lot which works the legs and tightens the butt furthest I bladed was to my girlfriends house which is 12 miles away from mine. Unfortunately on campus I can't blade, stoopid pedestrians Good luck to ya!

Kris
 
E

Eagle1

Registered User
OK, let's talk seriously about this swimming nonsense: the supposed stringent swimming requirements at API are actually quite easy. Swimming no less than 4 time per week or 1600 yds per swim- come on, lets get real. As a proud graduate of both the swimming programs at OCS and at API (or, Water Survival if you want to sound cool) I can guarantee you that if you show up, Day 1, knowing the basic crawl stroke and how to tread water for several minutes the rest will be easy. The instructors are there for a reason: to instruct. They can teach you the finer points of the backstroke. And, really, their standards aren't very high anyway. So my personal opinion is, don't sweat the swimming. People don't attrite from flight school because they couldn't get an Olympic 9.0 on their sidestroke form, or becasue they don't swim 4+ times per week. Worry about getting over an 80% on API academic tests (only 70% during OCS) and you'll be fine.
 
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dawgfighter

Registered User
Watz,
OMIGOD!! Thanks for that awesome link . Now the only problem that I have is that my connection sux I'll have to pull the book up in class. I just wish there were a way of printing it w/o hogging up the printer. BTW, Welcome to the forum and congrats on your decision.

Erin
(gotta love a man that knows how to handle a hose)

GO NAVY!!!

Edited by - dawgfighter on 04/11/2002 02:17:53
 
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Agent00JP

Registered User
dawg,
Actually, you cannot print, copy or even save the file from the website (smart to protect their copyright). So, if you need a hard copy, then you are better off buying the book. Having said that, I was able to use the online version in getting myself oriented toward the scheme of the test and practicing the question types.

Eagle,
As for the swimming bit, my advice was meant for providing a confidence in one's swimming ability, not simply to pass the mins at OCS. I do not plan on swimming a lick before I get to OCS or beyond, but I know that I will exceed all requirements easily. That is certainly a stress reducing factor, which is important in any military training. If you don't have to worry about your swimming, then you have more time and energy to spend on other things that you cannot control before you start. Spend four months on the program I outlined and you will never have to prepare for any kind of swimming test again. Plus it will train your lactate and anaerobic thresholds to a point that will benefit your running greatly.

Jason,
I doubt a pure cyclist could compete with cross country runners without some major shift in their training, but take your average cyclist and test him on the OCS running table and he would certainly not have any trouble being at least average.

Agent00JP
 
W

watz

Registered User
What about preparing for academics? Can I study now? (I have a few classes to get done) But I am sure it wouldn't hurt to open a few books now?
 
B

Brooklyn

Registered User
The ARCO books can be downloaded from the link given earlier in this forum. In Internet Explorer, simply go under Preferences (under the Edit menu), then click on File Helpers from the list on the left. A long list should appear on the right, scroll down until you find the Acrobat logo (make sure it's the right one as there are several, serving different purposes) and double click on it. Where it says view with plug-in, select it and change it to download. That's it. I downloaded one and it is roughly a 12 MB file. Be warned though, when I clicked once on a book, it ended up downloading 98 times!!! I thought the entire book consisted of 98 separate pdf files but they were all in fact the same.

Only attempt a download using a broadband connection. If you dudes have trouble downloading it, let me know on this post and I'll post it online.
 
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