Thank you in advance for your advice. My son has joined the Air Force, though he has not gone to Basic yet. He was approved for a very challenging career known as a TACP (Please see Link - www.globalsecurity.org/.../tacp.htm )
One of the criteria for getting into this particular specialty was to pass the NON-SWIMMING portions of the PAST (Physical Ability Stamina Test - www.afsoc.af.mil/.../pastcriteria.asp ). He was approached today and told that an even more critical need for the USAF was for Combat Controllers, but he would need to also pass the 2 swimming portions of the PAST (see link above, please). Now, he's in great shape, and he can swim like a regular person can swim, but he's NEVER been a swimmer, per se. The question I have is, what should he do in order to prepare to pass the 2 swimming tests:
1) 2 x 20 Meter Underwater Swim: Provide the member 3-minutes of rest between underwaters. If members surface or break the water surface during any portion of the swim, the test will be stopped and considered a failure.
2) 500 Meter Surface Swim (max. time limit 14 minutes for CCT/SOWT; max. time limit 11 minutes 30 seconds for PJ): This swim is conducted using the freestyle, breaststroke or sidestroke. The swim is continuous (non-stop). If a member stops any time during the swim, the test will be stopped and considered a failure for the entire PAST.
Sorry for the long message. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
Hello,
My dad was in the USAF, so I'm an AF brat.
What should he (your son) do in order to prepare to pass the 2 swimming tests?
First, he should TEST his abilities in those 2 challenges, & Report back
If he can meet the requirements now
he should TRAIN to Maintain
maybe 2 or 3 times a week till the test.
If NOT, he needs to train each day to IMPROVE.
& retest weekly.
what are his current abilities?
when are the tests?
how much time does he have to prepare?
If he comes up short He should find a good swimmer where he lives & work with her.
1) 2 x 20 Meter Underwater Swim
Test his ability NOW, how far can he swim?
is he allowed to dive?
if so he should practice diving, streamlining & gliding,
if not he practice pushing off & streamlining
what suit is he allowed to wear?
Probably the best technique for seldom swimmers is underwater breastroke pull outs & gliding,
I'll post a link to a video so he can see what it looks like
The best way to train for this is to
1) perfect his underwater swimming technique
2) identify his starting point
see how far he can swim under water right now
3) train to go further
the keys are:
put on a fast suit,
Breathe a big breath just before pushing off or diving in,
Dive in / push off,
Streamline glide,
pull & glide,
Swim smooth & easy, conserve energy,
Stay calm, Stay relaxed, &
stay under till he crosses the 20 meter line
He should train until this is very easy for him &
he's knows he can do it in the test.
He should train by doing the test each day
1) swim 20 m underwater
2) rest 3 minutes,
3) swim 20 M underwater
by the way, the best way to rest between swims is to lay face up on the surface of the water, hold a lane line & prop up his feet
2) 500 Meter Surface Swim
does he need 14 min or 11 min
Identify his starting point
swim 500 meters for time, what is it?
longer swimming requires more conditioning?
this requires more conditioning
he should swim with goggles & a good suit,
a good suit means a tight jammer, not big baggy surf shorts.
something like this
2010 Approved Mens Suits
Don't need a real expensive one.
Big baggy shorts slow people down. I've seen many non swimmers, show up for important swim tests in really bad suits.
the key is to swim easy, smooth, & steady, turn pretty fast, push off hard & glide
breathe every 2 strokes
DON'T START OUT TOO HARD
I really need to see him swim to see if he has any major technique issues.
If he can swim 500 in the time he needs
he should train 2 or 3 times a week to maintain
If he can't
he should train each day up to the test.
Let me know
Here's Swim Faster Faster
it's full of swimming tips
Good luck,
ande
PS he can call me if he has questions 512 217 2728
Hello,
My dad was in the USAF, so I'm an AF brat.
What should he (your son) do in order to prepare to pass the 2 swimming tests?
First, he should TEST his abilities in those 2 challenges, & Report back
If he can meet the requirements now
he should TRAIN to Maintain
maybe 2 or 3 times a week till the test.
If NOT, he needs to train each day to IMPROVE.
& retest weekly.
what are his current abilities?
when are the tests?
how much time does he have to prepare?
If he comes up short He should find a good swimmer where he lives & work with her.
1) 2 x 20 Meter Underwater Swim
Test his ability NOW, how far can he swim?
is he allowed to dive?
if so he should practice diving, streamlining & gliding,
if not he practice pushing off & streamlining
what suit is he allowed to wear?
Probably the best technique for seldom swimmers is underwater breastroke pull outs & gliding,
I'll post a link to a video so he can see what it looks like
The best way to train for this is to
1) perfect his underwater swimming technique
2) identify his starting point
see how far he can swim under water right now
3) train to go further
the keys are:
put on a fast suit,
Breathe a big breath just before pushing off or diving in,
Dive in / push off,
Streamline glide,
pull & glide,
Swim smooth & easy, conserve energy,
Stay calm, Stay relaxed, &
stay under till he crosses the 20 meter line
He should train until this is very easy for him &
he's knows he can do it in the test.
He should train by doing the test each day
1) swim 20 m underwater
2) rest 3 minutes,
3) swim 20 M underwater
by the way, the best way to rest between swims is to lay face up on the surface of the water, hold a lane line & prop up his feet
2) 500 Meter Surface Swim
does he need 14 min or 11 min
Identify his starting point
swim 500 meters for time, what is it?
longer swimming requires more conditioning?
this requires more conditioning
he should swim with goggles & a good suit,
a good suit means a tight jammer, not big baggy surf shorts.
something like this
2010 Approved Mens Suits
Don't need a real expensive one.
Big baggy shorts slow people down. I've seen many non swimmers, show up for important swim tests in really bad suits.
the key is to swim easy, smooth, & steady, turn pretty fast, push off hard & glide
breathe every 2 strokes
DON'T START OUT TOO HARD
I really need to see him swim to see if he has any major technique issues.
If he can swim 500 in the time he needs
he should train 2 or 3 times a week to maintain
If he can't
he should train each day up to the test.
Let me know
Here's Swim Faster Faster
it's full of swimming tips
Good luck,
ande
PS he can call me if he has questions 512 217 2728
