Hello I am going to Bmt on May 11th and Indoc after that. I am wondering if you get any pool time during Bmt? 8 weeks seems like a long time with no swimming.

Only during the one practice PAST done during BMT.

Anyone who has actually been to indoc, is it hard to get back into swimming shape after you go to BMT?

I went through indoc in 1984. I rarely swam before joining the Air Force, obviously did not swim during BMT, tried out for Pararescue while at BMT (1 mile swim was the requirement then...I forget the time limit) and passed. Obviously, I then passed indoc and went on to be a PJ.

It amazes me that guys are worrying about a 500M swim after BMT...you have all the info to prepare in advance and while you may lose a bit of "swimming shape", it isn't the end of the world...anyone that claims they got out of shape at BMT, be it swimming or something else, is simply looking for an excuse.

Our graduation standards were:

water:

8 cross-overs, full harassment, pass/fail
Bobbing, pass/fail
Underwaters, 8 x 1:30
Underwater knot tying pass/fail
Weightbelt swim pass/fail
Ditch and don, pass/fail
Mask and snorkel recovery, 35M, pass/fail
4000M fin swim in 80 mins
Buddy breathing, full harassment, pass/fail

Run:

6 miles in 42 minutes

Cals:

Pull-ups (bar behind the neck) 19 in 2 mins
Chin-ups 20 in 2 mins
Push-ups 90 in 2 mins
Sit-ups 80 in 2 mins
Flutter-kicks 90 in 2 mins

That shows you the difference from today.

Don't worry about the small stuff...it's tough physically, but more-so mentally...deal with it.

WOW thats all I can say about that TE those are some tuff standards I would have to extend out my training more like a year for that. 19 pull ups then 20 chins and last but no least crossovers I heard about those were no jokes.

DoD outlawed them...so yes, no joke...

The point of my standards post was not to impress, but to illustrate at least in part, the mental aspect as it relates to being prepared. If you train knowing you have 20 chin-ups to do, you'll strive for that and likely achieve that goal...if you train for 13 chin-ups, it's the same...it is difficult to push oneself above and beyond what one expects to have to achieve, and whatever number or time that is, gets in your head both consciously and subconsciously.

We literally did calisthenics, running and swimming among many other things 6 days a week, with Sunday off...for 8 weeks...goes against just about any training guidance that is out today...yet we met those standards and lots of guys went above and beyond them...but given the mindset I've seen in many today...most would quit and cry about over-training...some would certainly be overtrained...perhaps we were too, but we didn't "expect" or "think" we were overtraining so we "just did it"...

I believe there is a fundementally different mindset today with younger generations than in my day...I'm not bashing anyone simply stating what I feel to be true...we had no internet, smart phones, or computers when I grew up...we had no one telling us that we're all winners and no one fails...and the government will take care of all your needs and you deserve everything that everyone else gets but don't have to work for it. I didn't need all the information and minutia I could possibly get before making a decision. Many on this board ask "well, if I can get all the info, why not ask?" Well, because it's only because all that info is available that you even have it in your head you need it in the first place. Tons of people ask "well, what should I do?" or "what would you do?" It's like people are afraid to take responsibility for their own actions...it's like people are afraid to make a decision without every scrap of information available...paralysis by analysis.

The bottom line is always buck up and do it, even if you don't have all the info...make a decision...make that decision stick...then drive on.

Wow TE! Shows how tough the guys were back in the day!! And you are 100% correct; Just do it no matter what is given at hand and you will not fail. and you are right The mindset of todays generation including myself is very different. I know this just by paying attention to my father actions. I personally think its sad and I was a result of this also. I am glad I have changed my own mindset and have learned. Thanks for everything!

TE, what was the depth of the pool for bobbing during evals back in the day? I've been told as deep as 18ft. The skylark is what, 8ft.

The Skylark pool was the one in primary use when I went through Indoc in 1973, it was the pool being used when I visited Indoc at Lackland when I was at Randolph AFB writing the SKT (AFSC promotion test) in 1989, 1993, and 1996.

I'm not sure of the depth at the deep end, but it was at least 8 feet deep as there was/is a 10 or 15 foot high dive on the deep end.

The skylark is 9'

TE, even though Crossovers have been outlawed, I've seen on these boards a few members who say they still had to to them when their teams we're "messing up bad".

I figure doing them will only make me train harder, but I've never heard of these before I visited this site.

From what I gather, you put on tanks full of water, and starting in the deep end, swim underwater from one side to the other, then back again. Is this 1 repition of a Crossover? Do you know how much the tanks weigh with water (roughly)?

From what I've heard you say, these break the weak so I would like to try my hand at it before I leave.

-Thanks

They may have done "pseudo-crossovers", but I highly doubt there were any tanks involved. I also recommend not trying them on your own as they are dangerous. Stick with basic water-con and you'll be fine.

As for the depth of the pool, while it is stated at 9 feet, sometimes it was overfilled by the maintenance guys and sometimes we Cones would empty it out a few inches the night before an eval. Hey, if you aint cheatin', you aint tryin'! Of course, there would be hell to pay if we got caught but we just wanted to boost the confidence of a couple guys who were having trouble bobbing with tanks and weight belt. Did it really make a difference? Only in their heads, but they all passed. Again, the psychological is more important than the physical.
And I am not encouraging anyone to try that trick (or any other)today but I do say look at how you can help your buddies out, even if it is a little thing that only matters in their heads.
I also second TE on just doing basic water con. Even if you do the most advanced aspects of water con on your own, it still won't feel the same as when the Cadre are doing it to you. So, get good at what you can without the Cadre there and just buck up and pay the man when the Cadre are there.

Alright, thanks for the insight guys.