Swim Week - Week 4 - of Boot Camp for Marines
Week four of Basic Marine Corp Training at Parris Island brings the swim/water survival qualification.
This article pertains mainly to preparing for Marine Corps basic training during Boot Camp, but the lessons here can be applied to any of the armed forces training camps.
What I suggest is using the time between signing up and the day you leave to train your butt off. If you have more than 12 weeks to train, thats great. If not, at least youll have head start.
The Drill Instructors are still pushing recruits hard but the Swim Week actually gives recruits a bit of a break. You may not be a great swimmer or very confident in swimming, maybe you cant even swim at all. The thing about swimming is that you can make great gains just by putting in the effort. You do not need to be a great swimmer to pass this phase of boot camp, just be confident and work hard to improve.
If you have a chance, take lessons to improve no matter how strong you are now. A good swimmer with lessons can make themselves much more efficient in the pool. The more efficient you are, the more energy youll save. Period.
The most important thing is that you dont worry about it, can float in the pool and portray confidence. Passing this qualification is really only hard for those who make it hard and many Marines say they enjoyed this time as a bit of a breather from the work they did in the first 3 weeks.
The rest of week 4 of US Marine Training at Parris Island is rounded out with Operational Risk Management Training (ORM), more unarmed combat or manipulations, conditioning, a test on everything youve learned so far in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program, more pugil sticks and discussions on core values.
You will now be ending the First Phase of Boot Camp. The bulk of first phase education consist of classes about the Marine Corps, its history and culture, youll know advanced first aid, the structures of the ranks, protocol, customs and courtesies, the regulations regarding uniforms, and other topics.
Recruits learn through the use memorization and recruits are expected to be able to recite a passage or quote in unison, without error, and on demand.
You can get the entire Weeks 1- 12 (graduation) set of lessons for anyone considering joining the Marines by signing up for my free newsletter "Marine Tough" at Military Tough!.
Here youll learn all aspects of physical and mental toughness necessary for all branches of the armed service and corresponding Special Forces.
Faithfully,
M.A. Coates
