Singapore men, are you tough enough?
The Singapore male's ability to perform sit ups and standing jumps is being tested to the full under new rules that cut the time to pass the Individual Physical Proficiency Test
Life as a Singapore male is tough.
Not only do men between the ages of 18 and 21 have to undergo mandatory National Service (NS) for a two-year period, they also have to pass an annual fitness test, the Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT), after they leave National Service. If they fail, they have to undergo Remedial Training (RT) sessions.
And now, to add to the pressure, from April 2011 individuals will have to pass the test within nine months of leaving NS rather than 12 months they've had before. The test consists of sit-ups, a shuttle run, a standing broad jump, chin-ups and a 2.4-kilometer run.
The Ministry of Defence has said the changes are meant to help NS men better sustain fitness levels. But how does the ability to do three to six chin-ups and a standing broad jump of 198 to 216 centimeters count effectively in a combat situation?
The dreaded standing broad jump could make all the difference to an IPPT test.
“The chin-ups and standing broad jump are the two best tests of the IPPT,” says Jonathan Wong, owner of Genisis Performance Center, which runs a specialized IPPT group training class.
“They do test strength and power, which tells you how well a guy will handle a combat situation.”
These new rulings are not going down well. Comments posted online at Today and Channel News Asia suggest that this is one more pressure that Singapore guys do not need.
“Perhaps it’s time to look at the demands of IPPT and reservists differently as the professional and family responsibilities from Singaporean men become greater,” says one local male who prefers to remain anonymous.
“We’re not all career military men or sportsmen. If the Swiss, Germans and Italians can come up with a reasonable system, why can’t we?”
