Obstacle courses/training grounds

[starrylizard]

In movies and TV shows about military and training, they always show recruits going through, for want of a better term, obstacle courses.

They run through pits with mud and water, over wooden constructions, crawl under wires, etc.

I was just hoping someone might be able to tell me some proper terminology for what these courses are called and what the different obstacles are called within them. ie. what the actual recruits and (drill?) instructors might refer to them as.

Also, maybe what some more of these obstacles might be in a real course and how long one of these courses might be. Are they in a small area and you repeat them several times, or spread over a larger distance with a lot of running inbetween?

I posted this over at military_beta, but I'm not sure if anyone is watching the comm anymore and I know a few of you lovely flist have a military background, so I figured I post it here too.

*looks expectantly with big puppy eyes*

Comments

[hollysamantha.livejournal.com]

*giggles* I love the sound of this question! Although I can't help you I just wanted to tell you that!

[starrylizard.livejournal.com]

Hee! For a fic. As per usual with my odd questions! :P

[hollysamantha.livejournal.com]

odd questions are fun though! They make you giggle! :-)

[arwen75]

We always used to just refer to it as a nightmare when in the reseraves. However tehcnically it is usually referred to as an Assualt Course (at least in UK). Normally include at least a couple of walls (to get over at 6 & 10 foot in height), scramble nets, swinging bridges, tunnels (Royal Marine one has a nasty Water Tunnel), pits to swing over (on ropes), barbed wire to crawl under, monkey bars (swing hand to hand between), balancing stuff etc. Designed to represent obstacles and/or terrain that a soldier might met. Tend to be a few miles long (RM one is 5km) and you tned to go round it once with a running between obstacles - in full battle dress as well.

Some pictures of civilian equivalent in UK here. More can be found on the 'Net I am certain :)

Hugs

Arwen :)

[starrylizard.livejournal.com]

Thanks very much! :D