Posted on Jul 15, 2021
SPC Elijah J. Henry, MBA
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I don't think it's universal, but I've been in more than one unit that did "Combat PT" every Thursday. Sometimes it was pretty involved, but more often it was a ruck, a kit run (maybe with an obstacle course), or combatives.

What else counts as combat PT? Have you seen any particularly creative examples? Is there anything basic besides what I've listed here?
Edited >1 y ago
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MAJ Ken Landgren
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Urban land navigation as you run to various points.
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CWO3 Us Marine
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SGM Erik Marquez
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What physical or critical thinking tasks does your unit, company platoon or team expect to need to make in combat?
What exercise, route, task set up will practice and enhance those task skills?

We did a platoon "movement" for PT. Each PLT had to move 4 cans of ammo, 2 cans of water over a fixed course that included getting over a low wall, high wall, up and over the company HQ building roof and back down ( got yelled at for that one),under a wire obstacle. Once the "resupply" was done, the PLT had to move a casualty and his equipment to a CCP some 4 miles away across well traveled path and broken terrain..
We did Friday night fights, each Plt put up a fighter and only Army combatives would be used as trained in level 1-3...No small joint manipulation, no strikes to the face or vital organs.
We did Bradley track races... The Crew had to remove track, replace 4 shoes. Remaining platoon members had to "resupply" the track shoes from a "distant" supply point, return those and water cans.

Imagination and some thought are the only limitations.
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SPC Elijah J. Henry, MBA
SPC Elijah J. Henry, MBA
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Good stuff, thank you!
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SFC Explosive Ordnance Disposal Specialist
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So to answer your question I got curious, because everything in the Army is written down SOMEWHERE. I couldn’t find a proper definition in FM 7-22, or either of the companion ATPs about PT or the new ACFT.

What I *did* find was a military.com article which differentiated physical fitness and tactical fitness, but that definition was as broad. Generally speaking tactical, or in our case “combat” is Occupational Fitness that is focused on combat related tasks (occupational fitness being exercises that simply assist in the performance of specific tasks, think “wax on, wax off” relating to defensive blocking in the old Karate Kid).

So with the publications not specifically defining it, consider Combat Fitness to be any exercises that contribute to a combat related task. If you can justify rucking with a giant log being carried on 5 Joe shoulders, boom, combat fitness.
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SPC Elijah J. Henry, MBA
SPC Elijah J. Henry, MBA
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Interesting! Thank you.
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