Fitness test again

[Little Tronk]

^^^^^^^ Well Said ^^^^^^

 

[Twiggles]

Had you failed again you would have been subject to a formal warning.

I'm aware of that. I just was completely annoyed by the way the whole mess was handled. To do a fitness test then a week later be told you have to do it again because someone wants to have each section do it in batches was stupid. Despite talking in a calm and respectful manner to all involved, no one was prepared to do anything about it. So feck it, fail it, get stuck on remdial, do it in three months then a couple months later do it again in the sections batch testing period.

 

[Realist78]

The thing is, as I see it, we're all assuming here that the Service is wanting us to be a fit workforce and to demonstrate a good level of fitness via the fitness test.

The truth though is very very far from that.

Station execs and above, through Group and up to Command are not in the slightest bit impressed that SAC X has achieved a dark blue standard, nor yet concerned that Jnr Tech Y has failed the test and perhaps needs help and encouragement. What they are concerned with is statistics - what impresses them is that 99.5% of RAF XYZ are current and (in their eyes) fit.

Why else would situation such as that quoted occur without anybody being able to apply even the tiniest bit of common sense to the situation? Incidentally, it's certainly not the first such example I've heard of.

The fitness test should be abolished. There is no need for it, it serves (despite the propaganda which judging by numerous posts on this site many of us have swallowed) no useful purpose, it is discriminatory, it is rigidly enforced in black and white (one size does notfit all) on some Units and completely arbitrarily on others, despite so-called policy; it is hated by physiotherapists across the Service and even by the more enlightened PTI's (yes there are some - those that bother to engage in CPD and gain civilian qualifications). We didn't need such thing when we were seeing off the Kaiser, we saw off the Luftwaffe and coped perfectly well in the Western Desert without one, and managed to provide effective air power projection in Malaya, Borneo and the South Atlantic all without a fitness test.

The Royal Air Force has not needed, does not need and probably won't ever need a fitness test.

This is not the same, though, as saying that fitness and healthy living should not be encouraged amongst our personnel. Of course it should - this should be a self-evident truth. What I believe should replace it is compulsory sport, which does not necessarily mean compulsory PT, which is interpreted certainly where I work as nothing more than a once a fortnight gym beasting. Wednesday afternoons should be returned to us for such organised sport and games - footy, rugger, cricket, volleyball - it doesn't matter what it is we should all be compelled to do something. Lack of sporting prowess should not be accepted as an excuse - there is nobody in NATO more uncoordinated than me yet I don't mind being forced to play 5-a-side or whatever every week. It's not about, or it certainly shouldn't be about being any good, it's about getting out, getting some air in your lungs, and stetching the old legs a bit.

Of course to implement this would take leadership and in the current financial and therefore political climate, with all the internecine squabbling amongst the Services which will come in the next 18 months (SDSR, as if you needed telling), there will be no appetite for a more enlightened approach which will have to be managed, funded and led - at all levels, from Cpl to Air Chf Mshl. They'll just stick with the current situation with all it's unfairness, anomalies and unpopularity purely because it is the easy option.

Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose.

Hats off to you TT, that is the best post I have seen so far on the subject and totally common sense (which I have said before, ain't common!).

 

[Stax]

Sorry all, got to post 50 (nice avatar) and felt I had to say this.

FFS take the test, does it matter in the big scheme of things, if you pass then whoopee, if you fail, oh dear a free 12 weeks training. Call it free Phys, you should be doing 3 x 50 min sessions a week according to Air Cmd anyway. This constant whining about Fitness tests just give the Army more ammunition to take the pi55 out of us. As loathe as I am to say this Feckin Man Up!

If this contravenes the new swearing regs, I apologise.

 

[fed_up_scribbly]

Don't you think that this thread has gone on long enough now? Yes, the RAFFT is crap, the system is full of anomolies and is stats driven at the vast majority of units. I have found myself in the same position as the OP but at the end of the day we all have to do it whether we like it or not - all the common sense and whinging in the world ain't going to change a thing.

 

[Little Tronk]

Don't you think that this thread has gone on long enough now? Yes, the RAFFT is crap, the system is full of anomolies and is stats driven at the vast majority of units. I have found myself in the same position as the OP but at the end of the day we all have to do it whether we like it or not - all the common sense and whinging in the world ain't going to change a thing.

Come. on, we are in the RAF - Whinging is a compulsary secondary duty!

 

[Doglover]

Shame the fitness test seems to be regarded as the most important performance indicator on some Units. I would love to see a spreadsheet on the ''in date'' high ranking officers in their ivory towers who make these policy decisions. Threatening the OR's with MAA and discharge for not being in step with wing testing is ludicrous. As long as you are in date on JPA who cares what the Wing pie chart looks like. Just add another column to the stats to tick if the test was passed outside the wing testing date. If they have to up the limits to get more failures for disccharge, someone will have the RAF through the courts and that will make for a good thread!!!!

 

[snowball1]

On a slightly different note, those fat lumps who are ATC officers should be made to do a FT.

 

[Adelante4]

Yup man up and do the hard graft!

In case anyone wants to practice the beep test, check the link in my sig. I put it online for forces folk to use. No excuses!

 

[Sospan]

Yup man up and do the hard graft!

In case anyone wants to practice the beep test, check the link in my sig. I put it online for forces folk to use. No excuses!

If this site ever needed a 'Thank you' button now is the time! Great links many thanks.

 

[Weebl]

Yup man up and do the hard graft!

In case anyone wants to practice the beep test, check the link in my sig. I put it online for forces folk to use. No excuses!

So you are not in, currently have never had to retake an in date fitness test to fit in with a random date so that stats look good but feel qualified to advise that people 'man up' Should make a great officer.

And if people want to practice the RAFFT then they normally just go to the gym, where the distance is marked out on the floor.

This case is about Performance Indicators, not about fitness.

Edited to add*

Not sure if which version is being advertised in the above sig because I cannot get it to download, however the Australian version which has a nice Aussie bloke telling you exactly which shuttle you are just starting is available here. Right click and save as.

 

[tg3 jafad]

i remember many years ago when the rafft first came into being, your test date was during the month following your birthday, this made perfect sense there was no mass exodus to the gym just a steady flow (unless of course there are more people born in a certain month then i know about) also ensured that you were not subject to doing random retests

Now granted you have to do it once every 6 months so you may have to work out when your 1/2 year anniversary will be but surely we can do it.................indeed we can so why the mess

Because your Sqn/flt boss cant be arsed to work out when individuals need to be tested so instead issues ultimatums and threats that all to have undergone the test by date X and can then look good in execs by saying ***snival sniff all my personnel are in date my precious*** Also means that airman X completes RAFFT in July, posted start Aug to new squadron that does its RAFFT in September.

What these idiots are missing is simply this treat your guys like kids and they will act like kids (army case in point) your men and women can sort themselves out and if not the SNCO is in the right place to lend them a boot up the arse before the heavy handed tactics come into play.

So after 22 years im about to leave, am i fit? yes and in date, were my lads all tested and in date, yes and they managed to do it themselves with the odd reminder from myself.DT_Xtremez_32:

 

[Realist78]

i remember many years ago when the rafft first came into being, your test date was during the month following your birthday, this made perfect sense there was no mass exodus to the gym just a steady flow (unless of course there are more people born in a certain month then i know about) also ensured that you were not subject to doing random retests

Now granted you have to do it once every 6 months so you may have to work out when your 1/2 year anniversary will be but surely we can do it.................indeed we can so why the mess

Because your Sqn/flt boss cant be arsed to work out when individuals need to be tested so instead issues ultimatums and threats that all to have undergone the test by date X and can then look good in execs by saying ***snival sniff all my personnel are in date my precious*** Also means that airman X completes RAFFT in July, posted start Aug to new squadron that does its RAFFT in September.

What these idiots are missing is simply this treat your guys like kids and they will act like kids (army case in point) your men and women can sort themselves out and if not the SNCO is in the right place to lend them a boot up the arse before the heavy handed tactics come into play.

So after 22 years im about to leave, am i fit? yes and in date, were my lads all tested and in date, yes and they managed to do it themselves with the odd reminder from myself.DT_Xtremez_32:

Could be a major point for a lot of folks ready to jump ship.

 

[PTR Hoar]

Who gives a flying fcuk when you do the test? As long as you are in date what's the prob? I know people who do the test only when they are due and people who do it every cpl of weeks as a performance indicator only to themselves. Bloody management and their KPI's!

 

[Mug?]

but what if?

but what if?

Sorry all, got to post 50 (nice avatar) and felt I had to say this.

FFS take the test, does it matter in the big scheme of things, if you pass then whoopee, if you fail,

by slipping on some sweat patch, twist your ankle and put your knee out. You land awkwardly on your wrist and break a bone.

Oh no...! you were due to go on Ops in a weeks time and were doing the test "to balance the SQN stats" Now someone else will have to go. sgt Bloggs can't go cos he is recently signed off with a twisted sock because he knows he wont pass the Fitness test and doesn't want to get kicked out so close to pension day, shame really as he used to offer to go on all the Dets as he used to really enjoy being away.

Oh well does it matter in the big scheme of things?

Another thing can we get a poll on who gets there 3x50 minutes a week without having to beg for it?