What are your thoughts on sports for PT?

2014-04-06T23:12:40-04:00

It's often unauthorized.  What pros and cons do you see about this policy?  Do you believe this can help Soldiers with fitness or morale?

Response by SGM Matthew Quick made Jan 12 at 2014 1:37 PM

2014-01-12T13:37:29-05:00

Injured from PRT?

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 12 at 2014 2:16 PM

2014-01-12T14:16:03-05:00

What kind of injuries are people experiencing from PRT?

Response by SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 12 at 2014 6:03 PM

2014-01-12T18:03:33-05:00

Anyone can be injured at anytime. I don't believe we should cancel it just because someone was injured.

I'm a firm believer in sports pt. It helps build morale and unit cohesion instead of the dreaded company run where you're expected to be motivated. Our unit over the holiday block leave played ultimate football against the other transportation company and we had a lot of fun

Response by SFC Gary Fox made Jan 12 at 2014 6:06 PM

2014-01-12T18:06:10-05:00

I see no reason at all not to play a sport at least once a week for PT. I had been in units that prohibited sports for PT because of the risk of injury. I've seen injuries occur during "normal" PT before. We can't coddle Soldiers.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 12 at 2014 6:35 PM

2014-01-12T18:35:01-05:00

I think sports PT is as important as anything when it comes to morale. As long as it is controlled and is not abused I think it is a great way to break up the schedule and allow the Soldier to have fun and be competitive.<div><br></div>

Response by CW2 Geoff Lachance made Jan 12 at 2014 7:40 PM

2014-01-12T19:40:40-05:00

No! Sports are a good way to bond. Injuries can and does happen during any kind of training! Stay active!

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 12 at 2014 8:16 PM

2014-01-12T20:16:41-05:00

I personally have seen more soldiers injured in sports than in Training, Operations & combat combined.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 12 at 2014 10:31 PM

2014-01-12T22:31:16-05:00

I see soldiers injured from simply doing there jobs at work. I see them injured at regular PT also. We don't cancel either of those. I believe that some commands are too afraid of even the smallest injury, this is why a lot of units are not allowed to do sports. If you actually engage a sport the way you are supposed to, you will get more exercise out of it then you would a regular PRT session.

Response by 1SG Michael Minton made Jan 12 at 2014 10:35 PM

2014-01-12T22:35:10-05:00

once a week does not hurt anything, actually it is more of a moral boost. injuries happen anywhere, whle working, running and step in hole, pull muscles, etc.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 14 at 2014 7:02 PM

2014-01-14T19:02:19-05:00

The Army did a survey years ago concerning injuries from doing warm up and cool down exercises before and after PT and not doing them. In the end there was not significant evidence to show that not doing warm up exercises caused more injuries than doing warm up exercises. Leave it to the command team but they need to monitor it closely and keep records of all injuries to create a history that can be studied.

Response by SGM Matthew Quick made Apr 6 at 2014 11:13 PM

2014-04-06T23:13:41-04:00

Sports during PT, i.e. football, basketball, cause more injuries than the Army PRT program.

Response by SSG Shawn M. made Apr 6 at 2014 11:24 PM

2014-04-06T23:24:22-04:00

I think they should be authorized either bi-weekly or monthly only because of the risk of injury. I feel like they do raise moral and even unit cohesion. My unit plays platoon vs platoon and it is usually good friendly competition. 

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 6 at 2014 11:57 PM

2014-04-06T23:57:03-04:00

The actual answer is that it is not sometimes unauthorized; per FM 7-22 it is never authorized during PT hours. As MSG Quick said it leads to far to many injuries. When you put a huge group of Soldiers together most are not "sports" people so they run wrong, jump wrong and land wrong. The ones that are "sports" people don't take care of or look out for those who are not also leading to injury.

The 90 minutes of unit moral you may get out of it is not worth the possible loss of 1, 2 or 3 of your Soldiers.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 7 at 2014 9:05 AM

2014-04-07T09:05:48-04:00

I love sports for PT! Although it's not usually authorized, It is ALWAYS a more enjoyable way to get out, break a sweat, and team build. <br>Although the risk of injury is a little bit higher, It increases morale and helps improve a sense of camaraderie. From the bottom, whenever we know we will be doing sports for PT it is always something we look forward to and can get excited about. <br><br>

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 7 at 2014 9:05 AM

2014-04-07T09:05:50-04:00

I like it, especially when its plt on plt. Yes, there is a chance that people might get injured, but that's life.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 7 at 2014 12:16 PM

2014-04-07T12:16:10-04:00

Depends on your definition of "sport". I think we can all agree that running is a "sport"! I know, I know that's not what you want to hear. This has always been my outlook..... Set a goal for everyone in the platoon, company etc. to meet a certain PT score (270 maybe, and not necessarily 90 in each event), once that has been achieved then reward that element with maybe once a month or week "sports". There is nothing I hated more than seeing a platoon playing football, and most of the people not really putting in much effort. A week later being one of the graders for a company PT test and seeing a handfull of Soldiers from that platoon failing their APFT, and some of them in multiple events. If one can't even do the bare minimum for the APFT, then why should they be rewarded with "sports"?

Response by CSM Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 8 at 2014 4:48 AM

2014-04-08T04:48:50-04:00

Yes in most units there is a problem with doing sports for PT.  It is hard to think outside of the box as well as in regimented PT there is a lot less chance for injuries to your troops.  Now I believe there can and should be a balance.  Sports should be allowed we are a group of very competitive individuals we need healthy competition   as well and sports for PT can achieve that as well as build unit moral. 

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made May 13 at 2014 2:52 PM

2014-05-13T14:52:32-04:00

I love sports for PT. While physical fitness is important, sometimes it's okay to let loose and have some friendly competition on the football field. From what I've seen, sports for PT is a really effective way to build morale and unit cohesion. There's always a risk for injury with anything you do. But the pros in sport PT, in my opinion, outweigh the risks.

Response by SSG V. Michelle Woods made May 13 at 2014 8:53 PM

2014-05-13T20:53:07-04:00

This SPC's morale seemed pretty high so I'd say it's ok to do occasionally.

*I don't lose* lol

Response by SSgt Gregory Guina made May 13 at 2014 8:58 PM

2014-05-13T20:58:35-04:00

The best shape of my life was when we played sports for PT for all section PT. We had a Plt/Co/Bn run once a week and played ultimate Frisbee 3-4 times a week.We would run to the field play for an hour then run back to the shop and do some pull-ups.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 13 at 2014 9:04 PM

2014-05-13T21:04:06-04:00

I support sports for PT as I believe in nothing more than competitive exercise to build esprit de corps and morale. Sports are also physically demanding and can help target different areas of fitness not normally challenged by traditional PT. What I don't support are those who would use sports as a method to circumvent or avoid battle focused PT, simply because football is more fun than training. I like that sports are generally unauthorized because the sad truth of the matter is that most small unit practices would be to turn off the important stuff as often as possible. It is bad enough how many people from adjacent units I see now that simply walk around and gossip for an hour and a half EVERY morning. I can only imagine what would happen if these lazy leaders were able to disappear to go play badminton or some other craziness. Once again, a few bad apples are the reason why APFT improvement and battle focused PT should be the only authorized morning activities. My opinion, though, of course.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made May 13 at 2014 9:30 PM

2014-05-13T21:30:19-04:00

I disagree with sports for PT. I am against it. I have seen countless injuries due to sports. If you want to play sports in the Army they usually have organized events or teams on most posts. I don't want to considered to be a in the box thinker but I am thinking about unit readiness. I don't like the endless runs and circuit training but I like competition among soldiers and combat minded PT events. We are missing what the T in PT is. It is for training. We should focus every training event to prepare us for our mission. I don't see how playing broom ball on a hockey rink is a good idea, the end result was a soldier falling and shattering his shoulder. That soldier is now disqualified from even training for Special Forces, which was his goal in the Army. Sports as a morale event is alright as long there is risk mitigation that reduces what can potential happen to impact the soldier and readiness.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made May 13 at 2014 11:24 PM

2014-05-13T23:24:26-04:00

Back in the early 90's when I first joined you know, when the dinosaurs roamed the earth. We did PT three days a week. Then it moved to Mon, Wed, Fri was PT and Tues was organized sports. Frisbee Fooltball, Touch Football were the norms. All this talk about too many injuries I say is just an excuse. I have seen just as many people get hurt running 4 miles by twisting ankels or knees. Popping shoulders out of place from doing to many overhead claps, into push ups, into forward claps. The risk of injury is no different than the risk while playing for the unit team. It is up to the leaders to not let the game of touch football turn into tackle, etc. The unit sports is to build cohesion and esprit de corp, just like a company, battalion, or brigade cadence run.
On the other hand I agree with some of the other posts. Nothing more irritating then seeing 1/3 of the unit actually putting effort into sports to get PT out of it and the other 2/3 treating it as a day off and walking around. Then they fail their PT test and say well we do organized sports and that hurts my PT. Well PT is there to MAINTAIN your state of fitness. We have Special Reconditioning PT for those struggling. If your not going to take the time out of your personal time to improve. Don't complain.

This topic is going to get many mixed responses about it. It is opinion based and we all have opinions. This is just mine.I can look at it from either point of view and be happy. I'm Old!

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 14 at 2014 1:07 AM

2014-05-14T01:07:25-04:00

I think sports for PT is a great way to boost morale and let off a little steam while getting a work out and having fun, maybe once a month. That being said, I do not think any Soldiers who are APFT failures should be allowed to participate in the sporting event, they need to continue to train and prepare to pass the APFT.

Response by MSgt David Mata made May 14 at 2014 11:29 AM

2014-05-14T11:29:20-04:00

Had an issue with troops Playing Basketball and getting hurt...This was hurting our Manning because the LD's were useless to us...Myself and Asst. Flt. Sgt. decided to limit Off-Duty PT to Running, Push-Ups and Sit-Ups...Troops ran to "Top" crying, but we said it was a "SAFETY" issue and that sunk his raft quick...The troops soon started policing themselves when liberty PT was returned and it put to a stop to LD's coming out of playing BasketBall during PT...

Response by SSG Willis Baker made May 14 at 2014 5:16 PM

2014-05-14T17:16:36-04:00

There are no cons to playing sports during PT. It breaks up the same mundane routine running around the same park or track day after day. As long as a unit can maintain their PT proficiency, then go for it. Mix it up with Volleyball, flag football, or other running games like would you would do at a unit party, wheelbarrow races and so on.

Response by SPC Jessica Stewart made May 15 at 2014 12:21 AM

2014-05-15T00:21:59-04:00

I think it actually is helpful in getting people to perform at their best when it comes to PT. When you are having fun exercising, you don't think about it as exercise. You just go and do it, have fun and try your hardest.

For example, I have always despised running. I was never good at it and I had the worst shin splints that never went away. So, when we ran for PT I dreaded it and I admittedly never did more than the bare minimum because I had no fun at all. But, I loved doing pushups and I maxed it out every time because I enjoyed that particular exercise.

I think involving sports as PT every now and then, is beneficial. Not only in people doing more than what is needed, but also in building camaraderie with each other.

Response by MAJ Bryan Zeski made May 15 at 2014 2:13 AM

2014-05-15T02:13:26-04:00

JBLM allows sports PT. I work harder and push myself more when I can "win" at something.

Response by CSM Michael J. Uhlig made May 15 at 2014 2:28 AM

2014-05-15T02:28:45-04:00

I think sports is a great part in keeping an organization motivated and moving towards a common purpose. I encourage it when everyone participates, no by-standers with their "hands in the pockets"....many times 10 - 12 are engaged in the sporting activity while there are 30 on the sidelines watching....watching physical training doesn't help your cardio/muscular development....you want to do sports, make sure everyone is exercising.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made May 16 at 2014 8:28 AM

2014-05-16T08:28:11-04:00

Depending on the sport, it definitely is better PT than what a lot of people do. And I've never seen sports NOT build platoon/company/unit cohesion and morale. No, it can't be an every day thing, but neither can lifting or running. Sports helps break up the monotony of standard PT. Basketball, football, and soccer are good cardio.

Response by SrA Private RallyPoint Member made May 16 at 2014 6:45 PM

2014-05-16T18:45:58-04:00

I dont think sports should be a substitute for PT. I believe in sports activities to boost morale for sure. Here at charleston we have Chief Fun-fridays, which are all sports events that pit the AMUs against each other in physical challenges, which is great.

However sports is not a good measure for fitness standards. You cant determine strengths and weaknesses from sports in the same manner you can from traditional fitness training. Besides there is a reason athletes go to the gym, and TRAIN to compete in sports.

Not to mention sports is not controlled, you are more prone to injury competing in a sport, than you are properly training in a gym. Tearing an FCL playing soccer, does not make you stronger.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made May 21 at 2014 8:46 PM

2014-05-21T20:46:05-04:00

SGT Spratley,

when I was at my first duty station, Ft. Stewart, we would sneak off occasionally for some s-2 vs. s-6 ultimate football or frisbee. our NCOICs and OICs were always on board. Here at Bragg, we do Spiritual Fitness a few times a month, in which the Chaplain sponsors a game of ultimate football or frisbee. Our CO and 1SG always take place, and recently, our BC and CSM played as well.

I think sports pt is a great way to build morale in units. I enjoy and my Soldiers eat it up. I think it fosters teamwork in the long run.

Response by COL Jean (John) F. B. made Sep 30 at 2014 12:07 PM

2014-09-30T12:07:57-04:00

I think that organized sports should be incorporated into a unit's fitness program. It breaks up the monotony of repetitive PT sessions and, if done correctly, enhances esprit de corps in the unit.

Response by Capt Brandon Charters made Sep 30 at 2014 12:26 PM

2014-09-30T12:26:30-04:00

SGT Private RallyPoint Member Great question here.... I'm a huge personal advocate of sports PT. I helped start a modified Rugby league with Maj Private RallyPoint Member & Maj Private RallyPoint Member at Kirtland AFB. Had to put in a ton of non-contact rules so folks wouldn't get hurt, but overall it was a huge success with Squadron leadership and military personnel. I left the area several years ago and my old unit has kept the tradition of "Ultimate Rugby" alive every Friday and Wednesday. We never fought the PT Gods on having it authorized or sanctioned, but it helped to have the support of our commander and it did a lot for unit cohesion and moral.

Response by MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca made Sep 30 at 2014 12:29 PM

2014-09-30T12:29:48-04:00

We used to play a sport every other week or so, usually on a Friday as a weekend wind down. There is not that much more risk of injury from organized sports as there is from a PT regimen. We would play soccer, flag football, ultimate Frisbee any kind of open field team sport. Basketball was one of the few sports not allowed during PT time.

Response by Sgt Packy Flickinger made Sep 30 at 2014 12:35 PM

2014-09-30T12:35:25-04:00

Digging is one of the best exercises. Why not use yard work and landscaping for pt. it will build muscle, stamina and make for a great looking base. Might even save money as we won't need outside contractors.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 30 at 2014 7:20 PM

2014-09-30T19:20:55-04:00

I think it's a great motivator, builds comradery , and a great workout cardio wise (depending on the sport) if you think about it no one notices how tired they are until after the sporting event. So overall I think it's great as long as controlled and preventative measures are in place for injuries. CRM and actually give a brief before on hazards.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 2 at 2014 7:40 AM

2014-10-02T07:40:00-04:00

I think sports for PT is a good idea, as long as it is not everyday. Playing ultimate or something along those lines, brings in a lot more unit cohesion than normal PT. People tend to put out more effort in sports anyway due to the competition.

Response by SFC William Swartz Jr made Oct 4 at 2014 10:12 AM

2014-10-04T10:12:05-04:00

Way back in the late 80's-early 90's while stationed at Ft. Carson, my company conducted sports PT nearly every Tuesday (M, W & F were the normal pt days while Thursday was SGTs Time in the am and then BN sports 1300-1500 followed by Family Time). It was great for team building, esprit-de-corps and stress relief; however as we played mostly "combat soccer", we ended up with quite a few ankle and knee injuries and I was almost compacted to non-existence by the CO and 1SG when I got squashed by them, lol! Eventually we had to stop the "combat" aspect of the pt, but we still had an excellent time. Unfortunately from the time I left there in '91 until I retired last year, none of the subsequent units I was assigned to had sports pt at all.

Response by SGT Kyle Taylor made Oct 4 at 2014 10:20 AM

2014-10-04T10:20:54-04:00

Sports really do help with moral and team building. The PRT that they allow us to do is not the best in the world and is so structured it brings down the motivation of the soldiers.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 4 at 2014 10:45 PM

2014-10-04T22:45:20-04:00

I think it should be authorized because you always need to build moral within the platoon and company. Sure there's the possibility of someone getting hurt but you can run the risk of someone getting hurt in PT everyday.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 5 at 2014 10:50 AM

2014-10-05T10:50:13-04:00

I personally don't care for it because as much as it does build cohesion I have see the downside of not including everyone. I think if you're going to do sports make it competitive but not individually.

Response by SPC Rachael Lavertu made Oct 5 at 2014 11:43 AM

2014-10-05T11:43:40-04:00

I think it would be awesome to play sports once a week or every other week. PT is boring, running the same path, doing the same exercises. Besides, sports can be a team building exercise much like obstacle courses. With sports though it definitely requires people to work together more then each individual person completing each part of the course.