Ex Green Student

Has anyone here ever done Ex Green Student? I've put my name down for it but I heard it's an absolute beast session and I'm not entirely sure I've got enough upper body strength for it. I'm very CV fit, but my upper body isn't quite up to scratch.

 

You will indeed be found wanting if you have a particularly low strength to weight ratio. However if you can climb a rope, then crack on! You should be fit enough. It is quite a beasting and is designed a)to weed out those for whom a commando career is unsuitable or b)to remove some of the awe which often prevents likely candidates from going for it.

It was a top challenge when I did it in 1982...I imagine these days you are allowed to wear slippers, have a lie in and are excused mud and the bottom field. Youth of today, I ask you...

 

I'm on it! Should be good, received the JIs this weekend. One word sprang to mind, hoofing

 

Right, not in for a debate but passing on gen from people I know who've done it, or certainly from the previous course..

They said that it can be quite "touchy-feely", long days but geared up to recruit people into RM roles. There's a bit of phys but it should be okay if you're not a fat bastard. It's aimed directly for students though, not trained soldiers.

Word of warning though. I was on Ex Airborne Student, we all thought that they weren't going to throw us into test week. Not saying that they did, but prepare as well as you can!

I didn't put my name down because I have shoulder problems at the moment, otherwise i'd have been on it like a shot!

 

Having done green student back in 2006 I can confidently say that it is one of the best courses an OCdt in an OTC can do. Whilst only a short course it will teach you so much about yourself, and give you the strength of character to have a bash at things you may previously have thought were hard.

Essentially it is a week in the press up position. After they lull you into a false sense of security by hitting the town the first night the course starts with around 3 hours of morning PT including 'Operation Blue Door' and the Plymouth acquaint which has many amphibious elements.

Its not all about being physically exerted though, they do teach you practical skills like rope climbing and robe regains. THe course then moves to Oakehampton Camp where the tactical phase of the ex kicks off. We were lucky enough to have a bonding session of matched pair wrestling and some PSPO training on our first day.

The exercise was a longish tab, 4 man contact drills, pl attack and mile long bug out, then straight into the survival phase. We were stripped off almost all our CEFO and had to build shelters in teams and prepare and cook live chickens. In the morning we were reunited with our kit and performed a river corssing and a speed march back to camp.

FUrther activites included the endurance course and assault course which were a fun albeit nackering experience. We chilled on the last night with a fancy dress sports comp and skits before getting fairly well bladdered. On return to plymouth there was a bit more fancy dress phys before departing.

One thing that anyone going on the course should prepare for is to be run around at high speed and regularly 'punished' with phys. Little things like answering back or being late or any mistakes in the field incur some form of correctional training such as crawling into a swamp. As long as you have a good mental attitude non of this will really phase you and you will leave with the satisfaction of knowing you have ahcieved something most OTC Ocdts fear to attempt.

 

I was advised to go for this while on a Royal Artillery visit, it sounds fantastic and my kind of thing...
However I'm only a lowly admin bursar so I have no kit, and no training so would this preclude me attending? Or just put me at a serious disadvantage and increase the amount of time I spend being beasted silly.