Oh man, time flies like a spaceship. My Napfa test is finally around the corner. It is either make or break, do or die and pass or fail for me this coming Wednesday morning.
I still have no idea whether am I able to pass the sit and reach exercise since I can't find a place that has that "thing" to practise with. Also, standing broad jump used to my trump card during the days when I wear uniforms to school. Now, it is sort of a hindrance and headache.
Ironically, pull-up and 2.4 km run, the two test items which I used to fail in are now the two which I am quite confident of passing. Sit-up shouldn't be an issue since I practise it frequently.
As for the shuttle run, I believe I just have to sprint like there are ten tigers chasing me from behind when taking the test.
Anyway, the main objective of today's post is to share my thoughts about this physical fitness test.
Firstly, I do not understand why must it commence at 7.30 in the morning? What's more, it is held at Toa Payoh stadium. A thousand and one stone throws away from my home. That means I have got to leave my house by 6.30 am.
I think it should begin one hour later at 8.30 or even 9. This is to provide convenience to participants who do not live near the area.
Secondly, the sit and reach exercise should be scrapped. It is not a test of one's core muscles or the flexibility of our bodies. In fact, it is an unfair test since everyone, regardless of your height, start from the same position.
It is easier for shorter people like erm, myself to pass this station since our legs are not long. Whereas taller people will be at a disadvantage as their knees are further away from their body.
Thirdly, the passing range for pull-up should be lowered as too many people since a long long time ago have difficulties overcoming this obstacle. For D grade, one has to accomplish at least five within half a minute. I reckon that it should be reduced to four.
Lastly, failing one station should not be equivalent to failing the entire fitness assessment. A big and sturdy person may score well in pull-up and sit-up but fail marginally in the shuttle run segment should not be labelled as unfit enough.
He has a high volume of muscle mass which constitutes to him having a low centre of gravity. Since shuttle run is a test of agility, he may have problems as plyometric movements are part of the exercise. So, he doesn't deserve an overall fail just because his body mass, not his muscles or energy system, failed him at one station.
If someone fails only one out of the six stations, he should be allowed to retake it again within a certain period of time, example two weeks. This is to be fair and understand that a person may just need more intensified training to pass a certain exercise.
Get a skinny marathoner from Africa and ask him to lift huge amounts of weights, chances are he will not be able to accomplish the task. However, his cardiovascular fitness cannot be doubted since he beats everyone else in a running competition.
Everyone is different and nobody can be perfect. Perhaps, Mindef can be more liberal in the way they assess the fitness of pre-enlistees?
I still have no idea whether am I able to pass the sit and reach exercise since I can't find a place that has that "thing" to practise with. Also, standing broad jump used to my trump card during the days when I wear uniforms to school. Now, it is sort of a hindrance and headache.
Ironically, pull-up and 2.4 km run, the two test items which I used to fail in are now the two which I am quite confident of passing. Sit-up shouldn't be an issue since I practise it frequently.
As for the shuttle run, I believe I just have to sprint like there are ten tigers chasing me from behind when taking the test.
Anyway, the main objective of today's post is to share my thoughts about this physical fitness test.
Firstly, I do not understand why must it commence at 7.30 in the morning? What's more, it is held at Toa Payoh stadium. A thousand and one stone throws away from my home. That means I have got to leave my house by 6.30 am.
I think it should begin one hour later at 8.30 or even 9. This is to provide convenience to participants who do not live near the area.
Secondly, the sit and reach exercise should be scrapped. It is not a test of one's core muscles or the flexibility of our bodies. In fact, it is an unfair test since everyone, regardless of your height, start from the same position.
It is easier for shorter people like erm, myself to pass this station since our legs are not long. Whereas taller people will be at a disadvantage as their knees are further away from their body.
Thirdly, the passing range for pull-up should be lowered as too many people since a long long time ago have difficulties overcoming this obstacle. For D grade, one has to accomplish at least five within half a minute. I reckon that it should be reduced to four.
Lastly, failing one station should not be equivalent to failing the entire fitness assessment. A big and sturdy person may score well in pull-up and sit-up but fail marginally in the shuttle run segment should not be labelled as unfit enough.
He has a high volume of muscle mass which constitutes to him having a low centre of gravity. Since shuttle run is a test of agility, he may have problems as plyometric movements are part of the exercise. So, he doesn't deserve an overall fail just because his body mass, not his muscles or energy system, failed him at one station.
If someone fails only one out of the six stations, he should be allowed to retake it again within a certain period of time, example two weeks. This is to be fair and understand that a person may just need more intensified training to pass a certain exercise.
Get a skinny marathoner from Africa and ask him to lift huge amounts of weights, chances are he will not be able to accomplish the task. However, his cardiovascular fitness cannot be doubted since he beats everyone else in a running competition.
Everyone is different and nobody can be perfect. Perhaps, Mindef can be more liberal in the way they assess the fitness of pre-enlistees?
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