Indian Military Academy Training

IMA Training
It’s 7:30 in the morning. The Indian Military
Academy (IMA) campus is abuzz with activity, as
it has been since 4:00am, when the Gentleman
Cadets (GCs) begin their day. The second you
enter the gates, 8:00am becomes 0800 hrs and
everything moves according to schedule. It
should, because in battle you can’t control the
situation, but you can control your moves. This is
a glimpse of what it takes to make regular guys—
who’re not fit and may have their own fears and
hang-ups— into fighting champions.
Every day, not only do the GCs get tougher, faster
and more efficient but discover who they are and
what they can become. “At the IMA, GCs undergo
a scientifi -cally-evolved, structured training
programme. The focus is on developing the
necessary physical and mental attributes to
operate effectively and lead in an intense
battlefield environment,” says Lt Gen RS Sujlana,
the commandant of the Academy and a decorated
soldier. The signs of this readiness are
everywhere. Even on a dull day, most GCs are
busy—with training, playing sports or undergoing
fatigues, meted out for the smallest of errors. The
reason: You need to be physically and mentally
alert at all times.
“Discipline is the bedrock of not only every officer
of the Indian Army but of any progressive society.
And imbibing self-discipline to follow the rules
without supervision is the fountainhead of this
facet. Corrective punishments are part of the
system and these only work to strengthen a GC’s
commitment so that he conforms to it forever,”
says Lt Gen Sujlana.
Once you see the GCs go through the trenches,
obstacles and halls of the Academy, it becomes
evident that if any man can incorporate even the
rudimentary concepts of Army fitness, he will not
only be physically fit for life, he will also learn to
think better, stay happier and live longer.
Think overall fitness, not just show muscles
The physical conditioning strategy of the IMA
comprises physical training, drills, sports,
equitation and swimming. But this is progressive,
with a gradual increase in the stress and strain.
The idea is to challenge the GCs to meet the
mark and then excel. The outcome is simple:
Fight to win. “In battle, there are no runners up.
Each GC is empowered by way of requisite
physical capabilities, mental robustness, control
of emotions such as pain, hunger, fatigue and
fear and, more signifi cantly, leadership traits—
wherein lie higher values of selflessness, sacrifice,
dignity and death over dishonour. These enable a
soldier to take a decision in complex situations,”
says Col C Correya, a senior officer at the
Academy in charge of training (or TRG, as the
Army puts it). The GCs undergo physical training
for 40 minutes in the morning, followed by 40
minutes of swimming. The same schedule is
repeated in the evening.
This serves to improve their motor qualities and
builds speed, strength, endurance, flexibility and
agility. To boost strength, for instance, the GCs
have to perform the maximum reps of chestups
and chinups they can in a minute, and for
endurance, they have to complete 5km runs,
30km speed marches, and 2.4km walks. In
addition, they also undergo advanced training,
which includes endurance marches with combat
load (which is about 24kg, including the rifle),
immediate action drills for complex combat
situations, life-saving techniques, field craft and
battle craft. Where this becomes extremely
important is combating the body’s instinctive
“flight” syndrome and switch to the “fight”
syndrome. By training the GCs to react quickly
and have the physical power to deliver the action,
they learn to run towards danger, not away from
it.

360-degree training

“Fight” is the idea behind the obstacles training
course. The focus is to ensure that the GCs work
as a team. Even if one member of the team falls
behind, the entire team can come crashing down.
In some obstacles, this is literally true. A circuit
of 16 brutal moves—from trench crawls to beam
walks, and from concrete scaling to rope swings—
it takes an elite level of fitness to complete. “This
tunes the GCs’ bodies to absorb the shock of a
fall or jump. A man can be fit but the joints and
spine have to be tuned to handle the stress. The
circuit is designed to enhance endurance,” says
Capt K Bhatia, an instructor who conducts the
training.
Failure is not an option and “more than the
instructor, it is the peers who will shout if a GC
fails. And group pressure only makes you better,”
adds Capt Bhatia. If you miss, you try again. And
again. Till you get it right.
The 18-month course at the Academy is like a
reinforcement fortress—the GCs are put in an
environment that breaks them down and then
rebuilds them from the ground up, stronger, better
and more efficient. The prime criteria: Sharpening
the OODA cycle (observe-orient-decision-action)
and learning to live off the land. “This translates
into combat skills such as identifi cation of
threat, initiating appropriate and timely response,
and resilience,” says Col A Joshi, a senior General
Staff offi cer who coordinates the IMA’s activities.
This is basic military training at its best. The
obvious question: Why incorporate things like
sports into the training, given it is already
intensely physical? “Sport forms an important
part of the GC’s training. It teaches you
coordination and strategy,” says Col B Singh,
who’s in charge of the physical training section.
And horse-riding? Part of it is mental
conditioning— this is the only way to understand
the relationship between man and beast. “It is
primarily about how to control something that
has its own mind. You can run a machine the
way you want, because you have the controls in
your hand. An animal is completely different. You
need to adapt and improvise to control something
that has allowed you to guide it,” says Lt Col MK
Dewan, in charge of the equitation section.
The IMA routine
Follow this programme to blast fat and get
ripped.
The focus is not on boosting size, but on making
you stronger and more agile, says Sub Maj BB
Thapa, a physical training instructor at the IMA.
Follow this routine twice a week (say on Tuesday
and Friday). Between each move, try to rest for
not more than 60 seconds and not more than
three minutes between the two parts. Repeat this
circuit two times.
PART 1
Warm-up (brisk walk for fi ve minutes, breaking
into a short sprint, for a total of 100m)
Stretching (stand with your feet together and try
to touch your toes, but don't stress your back)
Chinups (as many as you can in one minute)
Full situps (the maximum reps you can do in one
minute)
Pushups (at least 14 but as many as you can in
one minute)
Short sprint (about 100m)
Chest-touches (as many as you can do in one
minute)
Toe touches (grab an overhead bar with arms a
little more that shoulder width apart. Keeping
your feet together, pull your legs up to your chest
and then rotate your body and try to touch the
bar with your toes. Keep your head is in line with
your shoulders throughout the move)
Stretching (stand with your feet together, clasp
your hands together, raise them as high as you
can and then rise on your toes. Hold for a count
of 10)
Brisk walk (about 100m)
PART 2
Forward rolls (Use a gym mat to perform as
many as you can in one minute)
Squats without any weight (as may as you can in
one minute)
Back rolls (this is tricky, so instead do this: Lie
on your stomach, feet together and arms bent
alongside your chest. Rise up as you straighten
your arms-.your torso should be at a 45-degree
angle to the floor.)
Stair climbing (do this for two minutes and use
the balls of your feet to rise and step)
Cool-down (do a full-body stretch and hold for a
count of 10)
Master the moves, avoid injury
For a GC, hitting the gym is not enough. “Weight
training boosts your cardiovascular endurance
and muscular strength, but it does almost
nothing for your refl exes. It is more important to
improve the number of reps every session of the
body-weight exercises such as pushups, chinups
and chest-touches,” says Sub Maj BB Thapa, a
senior instructor who works closely with GCs and
is a stickler for good form.
When a GC hits the weight rack, he’s advised to
stretch for 10 minutes, and alternate days for
upper and lower body moves. And each GC is
taught to measure his fitness based on the max
reps he can perform in 30 sec and 10 sec. It’s
not just dry instruction.
The Academy’s instructors work with the GCs
constantly, and use demonstrations and lucid
explanation to minimise injury. While cuts and
bruises are part of the package, the trainers
ensure there’s no room for slack—that only
invites more physical work. It is this
determination that turns dead sinkers into
swimmers—the fundamentals of staying afloat,
breast stroke and free style are taught, but you’re
given only weeks to get over any fear you have.
“That’s what we train for. Either you win or you
are a nobody,” says Vishal Dahiya, a
recentlycommissioned GC who was awarded best
in the Class of 2009 for endurance and physical
toughness (to do that, he completed the 30km
speed march in 21 min 52 sec and can ace 22
chinups at a go).
A thumb rule is that Sundays are days of
complete rest. It’s needed, because battle drills—
performed every day—tend to challenge you
mentally more than physically. “They are
performed in the face of dynamic combat
situations. Focused observation by cutting out
environmental clutter and seeking engagement as
opposed to merely reacting are intensive. So are
drills in full combat kit,” says Lt Gen Sujlana.
The GCs are also trained to enhance their
situational awareness and develop intuition to act
appropriately— all mental exercises that test your
attentiveness and foresight. “The Academy forces
you to polish all your skills. It’s not training, it’s
development,” says SP Deshpande, a
commissioned GC who won the best in class in
Physical Training and learnt new moves at the
IMA.
Build on the foundation
“There are only three things you need to take
care of-—discipline, what you eat and what you
think. Take care of these and everything else will
take care of itself,” says Col BB Sidhu, a senior
officer at the Academy. These three tenets help
you get through activities as diverse as weapons
training (high decibel noise that rattles the
senses), rock-climbing (terrain knowledge), and
aerodynamics science through para-motoring that
takes you up to 8,000 ft (to study the wind and
pinpoint location).
“After the IMA, soldiers undergo on-the-job
training with field combat units,” says Lt Gen
Sujlana. The good part is that this training and
fitness format can be used by everyone, including
you. Whether you’re fighting a battle at the office
or for your dignity, these rules will make you a
winner.
Live (and work) like a soldier
The Academy’s training can (and should) be used
by any man who wants a fit body and mind.
Think yourself happy
“The IMA instils a sense of responsibility in every
GC. When you know how to approach a problem,
being positive gets into your blood. After that, you
become ready because the environment drives
you to,” says Col B Singh.
Your takeaway
When you’re upset or angry that something
hasn’t worked out, train your body. This releases
feel-good hormones that up positive thoughts.
Then think about what you did right. Oh, and do it
over till you ace it.
Learn to put your mates before yourself
“There is an emphasis on the buddy system at
the Academy,” says Lt Gen RS Sujlana. Each GC
is part of the team that must win. It has more to
do with teambuilding. “At the end of the day, it’s
all about cooperation,” says 29-year-old Capt K
Bhatia. This makes victory better, but also lets
you deal with loss.
Your takeaway
In a high stress situation, stick with your friends,
family, colleagues. Not only will all of you emerge
stronger, you can rely on them when you are
down.
Don’t look at fear as a block
“It’s human to fear. But to overcome that fear is
to become a man,” says Lt Col MK Dewan. How
do the GCs do it? They are put in simulated battle
conditions where the dangers are real, but so is
the instruction. “The GCs are trained to enhance
their situational awareness and develop intuition
to act appropriately,” says Col C Correya.
Your takeaway
It’s okay to fear, as long as you let that spur you
to move. If you’re afraid of the water, wear a tube
and waddle. If you’re afraid of dogs, try to first
feed a dog a biscuit.
Think, then act
“There is no short cut to be tough enough to
meet the vigours of any profession. But
harmonious development, systematic progression
and continuity, combined with an appropriate diet,
self discipline, regulated lifestyle, healthy
recreation and a good environment are the most
effective ways to become tough,” says Lt Gen
Sujlana.
Your takeaway
Think a problem is too big? Well, break it down
into smaller parts and attack each with one
thought—to finish the damn thing! The benefit is
that you will stay in the present and move
forward, instead of being rooted in thought.
Keep the faith
“The focus is on honing the natural skills of an
individual. This enables him to see and act in a
proactive manner in the most dangerous of
situations. Plus, corrective exercises to improve
upon the inherent weaknesses makes them
mentally and physically strong and confident,”
says Col A Joshi.
Your takeaway
You are much stronger than you give yourself
credit for. Embrace that fact and supplement your
life with fitness and knowledge (in your
relationships, in the office, at the gym) to see
results you’ve always wanted. Think you can, and
you will.
Follow through on your word
“The Honour Code commands GCs to adhere to
the value system of integrity, loyalty and moral
courage. And violators of the Code are punished
based on the GC’s own committee,” says Lt Gen
Sujlana. The benefit of this is that you learn to do
your part and do it to the best of your ability.
“Whether or not you’re as good as anyone else,
you’re as good as you can be. And that gives you
the confidence to finish your task and then help
others,” says Maj RS Bisht.
Your takeaway
Evolve your own yardstick of work to do and work
done. If you must compare, do it after the task is
completed and you have time to improve. Plus,
look at finishing first as a benefit— you can learn
from others while you help them