Take care out there, sport

By Maj Ross Railton,
Directorate of Preventive Health

Throwing a footy around for ad hoc PT isn’t always the best move. Photo by AB Kaye Adams

In the ADF, a great emphasis is being placed on the development of physical fitness both during non-operational periods and during pre-deployment training.

Instructors go to great lengths to ensure that physical training programs are suitably structured and conducted in a safe environment under optimal conditions.

The maintenance of high fitness levels and decreased incidence of injury are likely to occur with the assistance of formal PT courses (Combat Fitness Leader), Sport Safety Management Plans, Defence Safety Management Agency risk analyses, formal lesson plans and appropriate supervision.

However, on deployment, owing to the operational requirements of ADF members, the maintenance of physical fitness is often considered low priority. Physical training is engaged in an ad hoc basis – quite often in off-duty hours; using poor quality and poorly maintained equipment; unsupervised or conducted by personnel with a minimal understanding of the delivery of fitness and injury prevention principles; and often repetitive in nature.

On operations, playing team sports might seem an easy, safe and effective means of maintaining fitness, however, considerable preliminary skill and fitness work is required to safely engage in these activities.

The number of injuries that occur on operations through playing poorly supervised and managed sport or PT activities creates a significant decrease in capability at a time when it is not easily replaced or rehabilitated.
This raises the issue of physical conditioning for activity distinct from “pure” fitness.

Physical conditioning is the physiological adaptation required to safely operate equipment and weapon systems and function effectively in a range of harsh climatic conditions.

Physical conditioning includes the requirement to develop skills not normally associated with aerobic fitness and strength such as agility, balance, co-ordination and core stability.

Conditioning involves activity-specific training, which teaches the body to be able to manoeuvre the relevant equipment or weapon systems.

Pre-deployment conditioning sho­uld consider the operational requirements and build the program’s activities around these capabilities.

A study by Defence Health Service, conducted by DSTO, is investigating the effects of operational demands on physical conditioning.

Results from this study will add valuable information to the development of appropriate maintenance conditioning programs that should be employed both before and during operations.

Physical conditioning is essential in the maintenance of operational capability. However, observation of the principles of delivery – appropriately trained personnel, scientifically-based training programs devised through the recognition of operational requirements, monitoring of the environment for safe and optimal conditions and the awareness of the health status of personnel – are required to optimise physical performance and not contribute to unwanted capability degradation.

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