THE NAVY BUILDS MEN

engine chip foot it's the finest fleet afloat but however fire however strong and fast baby must in its hour of battle with lips or quick fatigue these are fighting men for a fighting job men is tough and strong and ready as the ships they serve upon it's a big job to build men to make each Navy recruit strong sturdy and alert to give him the physical and mental skills for his life of action but long hard days of exercise and drill classes and lectures training activity from dawn to dusk for sailor warriors to man the fleet constant medical care preventive as well as curative is vital and regular dental inspection and repair play their part to an active busy man is a hungry man he wants plenty of good food and gets it in a well-balanced nourishing diet and sleep plenty of sleep to restore the tired fiber of men whose days are jammed with activity in all naval trading a fully developed physical fitness program plays a major part this program is under the guidance of thousands of chief specialist specialists in physical fitness recruited and trained by the Navy specifically for their work it is their tax to build into each man the physical attributes he needs for success in his job these men go wherever naval men powertrains turning their skill and expert knowledge to the molding of seafaring warriors the blue jacket at any time must look and feel like a fighting man he must acquire the habit of military posture once he learns its fundamentals that posture is his own responsibility the extreme of poor posture gives the look of a dull careless slouch it includes the hanging head sagging chest and rounded shoulders the lower abdomen protrudes and there's a sharp hollow curve in the back hips are tilted forward the difference when the false disappear is impressive knees are slightly flexed and the forward tilt of the hips is corrected shoulders are carried high chest up head erect and the back is relatively flat the abdomen retracted the whole body shows an eased alertness the rugged ready appearance of a naval man his feeling of fitness and his self-respect are his own job it's up to each to carry himself and keep himself as a credit to his service with reasonable attention to it anyone can make good posture practically automatic afloat and ashore the early morning exercises of the physical fitness program provide an aid to good posture as well as a thorough workout they are planned to bring into play many sets of muscles and they key up the breathing and circulation with good vigorous activity to all told these exercises get the machinery of the whole body going for the business of a strenuous day the exercises do many jobs they call upon the abdominal muscles and bring it to action the sides and back the legs and arms get a workout the head and neck area is called into play and the whole muscular system is well toned up before the routine ends the circulation is speeded by invigorating activity the lungs start working at the right pitch in general a well-rounded start for the day is provided it is important in all of them that the principles of good posture be followed with head erect shoulders and chest high abdomen retracted the exercises help posture and good posture helps the exercises do their job this relationship between the early morning workout and posture applies to most of the factors of physical fitness training none of them is completely separated from the others and the whole plan is integrated for all-round results the early morning exercises are mainly preparation for intent activity which takes its most demint fine running for centuries running has been the best known method of building endurance of creating resistance to fatigue so in training it's double time from exercised drill drill to class and back again distance running or any other strenuous activity calls for warmup time the exercises used are planned to prepare the muscles and loosen the joints preventing harmful after-effects from the unusual muscular effort in distance running for endurance certain elementary points are important as the slow-motion camera shows the hips shoulders and arms are well relaxed arms and legs coordinate in an easy rhythm breathing is through mouth and nose from head on slow motion shows up other points the eyes focus about 15 yards ahead and there's no waist motion no bobbing up and down or swaying sideways running for distance creates coordination between breathing circulation and muscular effort the coordination that means endurance through all the strenuous hours of a sailor fighters day the physical quality of suppleness is his assurance of skill and efficiency in movement of ease and sureness in action training for suppleness begins with the simplest kind of loosening actions for the arms and legs full flexibility in the leg joints and tendons is developed by more and more advanced exercises which gradually increase freedom of action in the lakes in general suppling exercises provide insurance against stiffness and give protection against the condition usually called muscle bound all of them are coordinated to bring about maximum suppleness in the whole body the side muscles of the trunk get the benefit of special exercises too and then take deep front bending it is mainly for the trunk yet it stretches the hamstrings as well with practice great general flexibility develops though the beginner is far from such results is this and this rocking exercise goes even further stretching all the front muscles to give a greater range of movement to the entire body a supple flexible body is indispensable for full use of another vital physical quality strength the naval warrior must be strong strong for a sudden effort strong for a long tough job and more than any other type of physical training strength building activities are fun while they offer a challenge to the individual a chance to excel on his own merit they go far to make the spirit of the Navy among the basic exercises for the arms and shoulders are the push-ups along with chinning they provide spare time workouts that anyone can benefit from using on his own the rope climb provides an excellent workout for arms and lakes it's a traditional see fairy sport one that adds strength and provides an exciting competition as well it takes strength and skill to make time up that rope the familiar headstand put strength into the neck muscles and helps develop one kind of balancing ability to the bridge goes beyond next strengthening involving the shoulder leg and abdominal muscles as well concentrated abdominal power is created by the snap and twist action of this exercise they shoulder lift and the shoulder months contribute basically to the power of the whole body but like many other exercises of the physical fitness program they serve more than one purpose such two men stunts bring extra benefits for suppleness and the sense of balance too again the shoulder carry is more than an exercise for strength it is a method of rescue which every naval men should know and execute with skill and speed in an emergency it can be a life-and-death matter to use this carry and use it right it's an easy technique to learn at at the same time it provides a good workout for strength and balancing power there's a lot of heavy lifting in a sailor's life lifting of supplies ammunition gear and tackle perhaps it's no such way tific ways of handling heavy objects pairs for his work repairs in strength and skill of light indoors and out flow to the shore many other ways a building strength are available gymnasium apparatus such as parallel bars and horses are useful ashore all sorts of games with a medicine ball can be started anyplace rowing a natural activity for Navy men is good healthy exercise for strength it takes plenty of strength to build a pyramid of men and hold it like the rope climb the tug-of-war is a good old salt water contest it develops strength for the long pole and offers healthy competition to as important as strength but very different in its nature is the quality of agility it demands keen mental alertness and ability to move quickly and nimbly agility increases the naval man's capacity to do a job well and speedily quickness and dexterity acquired through training apply to many a phase of naval life most of these agility exercises are planned to develop speed of movement and nimble feet another class of agility exercises teach the technique of landing from a fall in progressive steps the tricks of diving and rolling develop an important protective skill there are many ways of using the diving rolling principles and they're important for falling safely is a skill that the Navy man needs to know it calls for special agility and plentiful Ernest this type of exercise can be developed into sensational stunts to another phase of agility demanded by Navy life is an ability to move quickly and efficiently in a confined area for instance the duck walk has many applications to life aboard ship tossing the medicine ball around with the main object of taking the next fellow by surprise is excellent training for handling objects deftly and skillfully an important part of the work of a Navy man at sea well it's when the decks are wet and heaving in a storm and waves are breaking over the side that alertness and agility can really pay off and sea legs come into their own when the weather's dirty to sea legs call for balance in a heavy sea balance is the sailors best protection the elementary balancing exercises demonstrate principles of the most important type of balancing the Navy men must learn they serve as preparation for really difficult feats that will develop the sense of balance thoroughly for instance this one it's the closed eyes that make it hard to do many balancing acts demand a high degree of steadiness and muscular skill it takes plenty of practice to master them unusually hard balancing stunts do even more to build skilled powerful muscles for feet and lanes creating the muscle power essential for balance control a somewhat different type of balancing ability is called for by the frog stand two men exercises increase the power of balance and build strength as well then there are several easily improvised balancing stunts that provide amusement as they develop skill tied in with its other activities their physical fitness program devotes a regular share of training time to sports and games usually chosen by the men themselves in contact in team sports many factors of growing physical fitness come into full play here as men meet an action in close body contact matching skill against skill comes real you set some agility speed strength endurance and balance boxing is the Navy's idea of a real American national sport the men whether they're in the ring or only looking on really go for it afloat as well as ashore boxing provides the get up and go of personal conflict calls upon the best in a Navy man as he learns to take it and dish it out to wrestling is a contact sport that calls for the drive and power that ordinary activity cannot bring into play a simpler contact sport one that can be enjoyed almost anyplace is the cockfight the cavalry fight is a little more complicated for it demands a measure of teamwork between the rider and his horse another informal game giving large numbers of men a chance to get into action is push-pull a sport that calls heavily on speed and agility strength and timing suppleness and endurance are important factors when Navy men pull the oars in a boat race the relays give big groups of men a chance to display their skill and ability both individually and as part of a team these games have many advantages for the rules are very flexible any number of men can join in and the time can be adjusted to fifth the most crowded schedule with relays there is almost no end to the variation that can be worked out stunts can be invented to fit all sorts of conditions among track events the hop skip and jump and sprint running develop an exercise balance agility and speed in the realm of field events the javelin the discus and the short foot all call for valuable muscular skills and offer excellent individual competition the biggest contribution of team sports such as football is the solid satisfaction they give player and spectator alike indoors and out according to the seasons the Navy man finds pleasure and healthy physical activity in sports and games of many kinds sports like softball and baseball though mainly played for fun bring into action a wide range of physical skill spectators to welcome team sports for they bring recreation and a break in the steady routine to reach and hold the peak of fitness the Navy man must be able to relax completely so in spare moments he can recover quickly from fatigue relaxation is based upon muscular control developed to an astonishing degree arms legs head all parts of the body are fully relaxed tension is all but eliminated complete relaxation makes the next task easier by restoring the whole body quickly an ability to relax is especially important in swimming to keep afloat keeping relaxed using only the simplest swimming methods it is possible to hold on for a long time floating is simple and the simplest float is vertical legs and body hanging down as if hung from the chin then extending the arms produces the horizontal flow and with legs drawn up a third body balance is reached another step in the technique of swimming is treading water slow movement does the trick with minimum waste of energy this bobbing is a method of learning breath control the lungs are emptied quickly and filled again even faster every naval man must be able to cover long distances in the water if necessary several simple easy strokes are used of these the dog paddle is the most natural of all human attempts to swim this modified form of the breaststroke is similar but more difficult to do then they're the dependable sidestroke with any of these it's important to keep calm and relaxed to save energy for safety sake these principles apply to any stroke to floating or to treading water there is only one exception short bursts of speed swimming to escape immediate danger this technique calls for real skill with foot and arm movements to suit the individual style a greater the skill in swimming the better the chances of survival at sea in an emergency it's impossible to be too good a swimmer but it calls for plenty of practice swimming underwater is another valuable skill it's only practical for short distances but it can mean a lot when the surface of the sea is obstructed the basic idea by and large is to save energy to take it easy and swimming for all its many emergency uses is still a great way to relax and have a good time starting and ending the physical fitness training period special tests are used to check the result when a man interest rating he is tested to determine his fitness and later his progress is measured to gauge his success some tests like the spring jumps are done against the clock on the basis of time minute take extension test others however are on an endurance basis for instance the man's objective in push-ups is the number of times you can successfully perform them the tests are coordinated so that an accurate estimate can be obtained strength balance agility suppleness and endurance are all needed to score well in the checkup such is a job of building men for the fleet and whether it's blue jackets in training or future officers the goal is the same that goal can only be reached with effort from every man to improve himself with the will to do it and plan physical training every fighting man who goes to see is worthy of his uniform the man then maybe tries to build has smart military posture he has endurance suppleness strength agility balance