Czech Army changes physical testing of applicants - your grandmother will pass...

The Czech army is introducing "fundamental changes" in the physical testing of service applicants from January 2025. The aim of these changes is said to better reflect the current demands on the physical readiness of soldiers and at the same time move closer to modern trends in sports training. The new system is intended to replace outdated tests, which until now have included push-ups, sit-ups or riding a treadmill, and focus on whole-body functional strength.

Why the change?

The existing physical tests that have long been used no longer meet the needs of the modern military. While traditional exercises can assess basic physical fitness, they do not provide a complete picture of a soldier's ability to handle challenging situations. The modern army needs physically versatile individuals with sufficient stability, explosiveness and full-body strength - sounds interesting in theory, but what is the practice?

New disciplines of physical tests - An attempt at a joke? No...

Medicine Ball Throw - This test assesses explosive upper body strength, particularly of the shoulders, arms and trunk. Candidates will throw a medicine ball from a seated position and performance will be measured for distance. The medicine ball throw is a common tool in athletic and strength training for its ability to measure dynamic strength.

Weighted Squats - Instead of push-ups or sit-ups, the test focuses on the lower half of the body. Candidates will perform squats with a predetermined load.

Categorisation of applicants

The new physical tests take into account the age differences of the candidates. The system therefore divides participants into two main groups:

• Under 30 - Stricter performance requirements due to the physical condition of younger individuals.
• Over 30 - Slightly more lenient criteria that respect the natural changes in the body with age.

Anyone can join the military...

The Army's new physical tests may follow modern trends, but their actual effectiveness is rather, sorry, ridiculous. Throwing a medicine ball over three metres and doing nine squats with a 5kg kettlebell is a standard that a physically below-average person can do without training. Professional soldiers should be performing at a completely different level than the general population. These "soft" disciplines reduce the difficulty of selecting candidates, although their theoretical and rhetorical presentation sounds interesting and modern. In the final, the physical tests are set in such a way that even a person who has never played sports can pass them...

Source : www.novinky.cz