Chapter
9 - Competitive Fitness Activities
Physical fitness is one of the foundations
of combat readiness, and maintaining it must be an integral part of every soldier’s
life. This chapter discusses competitive fitness activities and athletic events
that commanders can use to add variety to a unit’s physical fitness program. There
is also a section on developing a unit intramural program. Athletic and competitive
fitness activities are sports events which should only be used to supplement the
unit’s PT program. They should never replace physical training and conditioning
sessions but, rather, should exist to give soldiers a chance for healthy competition.
Only through consistent, systematic physical conditioning can the fitness components
be developed and maintained.
Crucial to the success of any program is the presence
and enthusiasm of the leaders who direct and participate in it. The creativity
of the physical training planners also plays a large role. Competitive fitness
and athletic activities must be challenging. They must be presented in the spirit
of fair play and good competition.
It is generally accepted that competitive
sports have a tremendous positive influence on the physical and emotional development
of the participants. Sports competition can enhance a soldier’s combat readiness
by promoting the development of coordination, agility, balance, and speed. Competitive
fitness
activities also help develop assets that are vital to combat effectiveness. These
include team spirit, the will to win, confidence, toughness, aggressiveness, and
teamwork. Intramural
The Army’s sports mission is to give all soldiers a chance to participate in sports
activities. A unit-level intramural program can help achieve this important goal.
DA Pam 28-6 describes how to organize various unit level intramural programs.
Factors that affect the content of the sports program differ at every Army installation
and unit. Initiative and ingenuity in planning are the most vital assets. They
are encouraged in the conduct of every program.
OBJECTIVES
A well-organized and executed intramural program yields the following:
• Team
spirit, the will to win, confidence, aggressiveness, and teamwork. All are vital
to combat effectiveness.
• A change from the routine PT program.
• The chance
for all soldiers to take part in organized athletics. ORGANIZATION
The command level best suited to organize and administer a broad intramural program
varies according to a unit’s situation. If the objective of maximum participation
is to be achieved, organization should start at company level and then provide
competition up through higher unit levels. Each command level should have its
own program and support the next higher program level.
To successfully organize
and conduct an intramural program, developers should consider the following factors
and elements. Authority
The unit commander should publish and endorse a directive giving authorization
and guidance for a sports program. A detailed SOP should also be published. Personnel
Leaders at all levels of the intramural program should plan, organize, and supervise
it. Appointments at all echelons should be made for at least
one year to provide
continuity. The commander must appoint a qualified person to be the director,
regardless of the local situation, type, and size of the unit. The director must
be a good organizer and administrator and must have time to do the job correctly.
He should also have a sense of impartiality and some athletic experience.
Commanders
should form an intramural sports council in units of battalion size or larger
and should appoint members or require designated unit representatives. The council
should meet at least once a month or as often as the situation requires. The council
serves as an advisory body to the unit
commander and intramural director. It
gives guidance about the organization and conduct of the program.
Facilities
and Equipment
Adequate facilities and equipment must be available. When
facilities are limited, leaders must plan activities to ensure their maximum use.
In all cases, activities must be planned to ensure the safety of participants
and spectators.
Funds
and Budget
Adequate funds are essential to successfully organize and operate
a sports program. Therefore, beforehand, organizers must determine how much money
is available to support it. To justify requests for funds they must prepare a
budget in which they justify each sports activity separately. The budget must
include special equipment, supplies, awards, pay for officials, and other items
and services. Units can reduce many of their costs by being resourceful. AWARD
SYSTEM
Commanders can stimulate units and soldiers to participate in
competitive athletics by using an award system. One type is a point-award system
where teams get points based on their win/loss records and/or final league standings.
This reflects the unit’s standings in the overall intramural sports program. The
recognition will help make units and individuals participate throughout the year.
Trophies can then be given for overall performance and individual activities.
PROGRAM
PLANNING
A successful program depends on sound plans and close coordination
between the units involved. The intramural director should meet with subordinate
commanders or a sports representative to determine what program of activities
is compatible with the mission and training activities of each unit. Unless they
resolve this issue, they may not get command support which, in turn, could result
in forfeitures or lack of participation. The less-popular activities may not be
supported because of a lack of interest. Evaluations
Before the program is developed, leaders must study the training and availability
situation at each unit level. They should include the following items in a survey
to help them determine the scope of the program and to develop plans:
•
General. Evaluate the commander’s attitude, philosophy, and policy about the sports
program. Under stand the types of units to be served, their location, the climate,
and military responsibilities.
• Troops. Determine the following:
1)
number and types of personnel;
2) training status and general duty assignment;
3)
special needs, interests, and attitudes.
• Time available. Coordinate the
time available for the sports program with the military mission. Determine both
the on-duty and off-duty time soldiers have for taking part in sports activities.
•
Equipment. Consider the equipment that will be needed for each sport.
•
Facilities. Determine the number, type, and location of recreational facilities
both within the unit and in those controlled by units at higher levels.
• Funds.
Determine how much each unit can spend on the intramural program.
• Personnel.
Assess how many people are needed to run the program. The list should include
a director and assistants, sports council, officials, and team captains, as well
as volunteers for such tasks as setting up a playing field.
• Coordination.
Coordinate with the units’ operations sections to avoid conflict with military
training schedules.
• Activities. The intramural director should plan a
tentative program of activities based on the season, local situation, and needs
and interests of the units. Both team and individual sports should be included.
Some team sports are popular at all levels and need little promotional effort
for success. Among these are volleyball,
touch
football, basketball, and softball. Some individual
competitive sports have direct military value. They include boxing, wrestling,
track and field, cross country, triathlon, biathlon, and swimming. While very
popular, these sports are harder to organize than team sports. See Figures 9-1
and 9-2 for a list of sports activities.
Functions
Once the evaluations have been made, the following functions should be performed:
•
Make a handbook. An intramural handbook should be published at each level of command
from installation to company to serve as a standing operating procedure (SOP).
This handbook should include the essential elements listed in Table 9-1 above.
•
Plan the calendar. Local situations and normal obstacles may conflict with the
intramural program. How ever, a way can be found to provide a scheduled program
for every season of the year.
• Choose the type of competition. Intramural
directors should be able to choose the type of competition best suited for the
sport and local circumstances. They should also know how to draw up tournaments.
Unless the competition must take place in a short time, elimination tournaments
should not be used.
The round-robin tournament has the greatest advantage because
individuals and teams are never eliminated. This type of competition is adaptable
to both team and individual play. It is appropriate for small numbers of entries
and league play in any sport.
• Make a printed schedule. Using scheduling
forms makes this job easier. The form should include game number, time, date,
court or
field, and home or visiting team. Space for scores and officials is also
helpful. Championship games or matches should be scheduled to take place at the
best facility. Unit
Activities
The following games and activities may be included in the
unit’s PT program, They are large-scale activities which can combine many components
of physical and motor fitness. In addition, they require quick thinking and the
use of strategy. When played vigorously, they are excellent activities for adding
variety to the program. NINE-BALL
SOCCER
The object of this game is for each of a team’s five goalies to
have one ball. Players
There are 25 to 50 players on each team, five of whom are goalies. The other players
are divided into four equal groups. The goalies play between the goal line and
5-yard line of a standard football field. The other four groups start the game
between the designated 10-yard segments of the field. (See Figure 9-3.) The goalies
and all other players must stay in their assigned areas throughout the game. The
only exceptions are midfielder who stand between the 35- and 45-yard lines. These
players may occupy both their assigned areas and the 10- yard free space at the
center of the field. The
Game
The game starts with all players inside their own areas and midfielder
on their own 40-yard line. The nine balls are placed as follows. Four are on each
45-yard line with at least five yards between balls. One is centered on the 50-yard
line. The signal to start play is one long whistle blast. Players must pass the
balls through the opposing team’s
defenses into the goal area using only their
feet or heads. The first team whose goalies have five balls wins a point. The
game then stops, and the balls are placed for the start of a new set. The first
team to score five points wins.
There are no time-outs except in case of injury,
which is signaled by two sharp whistle blasts. The teams change positions on the
field after each set. Team members move to different zones after the set. Rules
A ball is played along the ground or over any group or groups of players. The
ball may travel any distance if it is played legally.
Goalies may use their
hands in playing the ball and may give a ball to other goalies on their team.
For a set to officially end, each goalie must have a ball. If players engage in
unnecessary roughness or dangerous play, the referee removes them from the game
for the rest of the set and one additional set. He also removes players for the
rest of the set if they step on or over a boundary or sideline or use their hands
outside the goal area.
If a goalie steps on or over a boundary or sideline,
the referee takes the ball being played plus another ball from the goalie’s team
and gives these balls to the nearest opposing player. If the team has no other
ball in the goal area, the referee limits the penalty to the ball that is being
played. If a ball goes out of bounds, the referee retrieves it. The team that
caused it to go out of bounds or over the goal line loses possession. The referee
puts the ball back into play by rolling it to the nearest opposing player.
 PUSHBALL
This game requires a large pushball that is five to six feet in diameter. It also
requires a level playing surface that is 240 to 300 feet long and 120 to 150 feet
wide. The length of the field is divided equally by a center line. Two more lines
are marked 15 feet from and parallel to the end lines and extending across the
entire field. (See Figure 9-4.) Players
There are 10 to 50 soldiers on each of two teams. The
Game
The object of the game is to send the ball over the opponent’s goal
line by pushing, rolling, passing, carrying, or using any method other than kicking
the ball.
The game begins when the ball is placed on the centerline with the
opposing captains three feet away from it. The other players line up 45 feet from
the ball on their half of the field. At the referee’s starting whistle, the captains
immediately play the ball, and their teams come to their aid.
At quarter time,
the ball stays dead for two minutes where it was when the quarter ended. At halftime,
the teams exchange goals, and play resumes as if
the game were beginning.
A
team scores a goal when it sends the ball across the opposing team’s end line.
A goal counts five points. The team that scores a goal may then try for an extra
point. For the extra point, the ball is placed on the opposing team’s 5-yard line,
and the teams line up across the field separated by the width of the ball. Only
one player may place his hands on the ball. The player who just scored is directly
in front of the ball. At the referee’s signal, the ball is put into play for one
minute. If any part of the ball is driven across the goal line in this period,
the offense scores one point. The defense may not score during the extra point
attempt.
The game continues until four 10-minute quarters have been played.
Rest periods are allowed for two minutes between quarters and five minutes at
halftime. Rules
Players may use any means of interfering with the opponents’ progress except striking
and clipping. Clipping is throwing one’s body across the back of an opponent’s
legs as he is running or standing. Force may legally be applied to all opponents
whether they are playing the ball or not. A player who strikes or clips an opponent
is removed from the game, and his team is penalized half the distance to its goal.
When
any part of the ball goes out of bounds, it is dead. The teams line up at right
angles to the sidelines. They should be six feet apart at the point where the
ball went out. The referee tosses the ball between the teams.
When, for any
reason, the ball is tied up in one spot for more than 10 seconds, the referee
declares it dead. He returns the ball into play the same way he goes after it
goes out of bounds.
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Strategy Pushball | 
