The physical fitness required of the soldier can be acquired only through physical training. The performance of purely military exercises such as drill and marching, is not alone sufficient to bring the soldier up to the desired standard of physical fitness. Experience has demonstrated that few recruits enter the Army physically fit for the arduous duties ahead of them. The softening influences of our modern machine civilization make the problem of conditioning men more important than ever before. Within the Army itself labor-saving devices and mechanized equipment exert the same debilitating effect. If troops are to be brought up to the desired standard of physical fitness, a well-conceived plan of physical training must be an integral part of every-training program. In no other way will the soldier be adequately prepared for the strenuous duties associated with military service.
However, the following are the importance of physical training to soldiers
- It helps to prevent them from having unnecessary diseases.
- Through regular and strenuous exercises, soldiers’ muscle increases in size and strength, thereby ensuring that they have sufficient strength for the heaviest task they may encounter in routine and emergency activities.
- It helps soldiers to improve both muscular and circulo-respiratory endurance, thereby helping them to go through the most rigorous day without undue fatigue.
