Physical Training in NDA| National Defense Academy

Military Requirements are demanding. For this purpose, NDA cadets have to go through harsh physical training. They have to train themselves to keep their body physically fit.

As you are a part of the Defense forces, you have to be more curious, clever, and physically fit like your seniors.

As an officer in NDA, you have to take full responsibility for your mental and physical health. You have to participate in various operations and initiate the process. It will motivate your junior and fellow beings.

Why physical training in NDA?

Physical training is the core of defense forces. All around the world, every military training campaign emphasizes physical training more than anything else. They inculcate outdoor as well as indoor physical training to prepare their soldier.

National Defense Academy wants its members to be strong and healthy. Physical fitness can benefit the officers because it will boost their productivity, help with stress, and build teamwork. If your body is healthy, your mind is more productive.

To join the defense force, you must have stamina. The NDA cadets must keep themselves accountable for exercising and staying strong. The cadets must work on their mental health as they have to take many decisions and crucial steps.

Physical Preparing at NDA is the perfect opportunity for cadets to memorize crucial angles of leadership like courage, stamina, team spirit, physical wellness, mental durability, and the will to win required by Officers.

The initial step of Physical Training in NDA

Cadets in NDA come from different backgrounds. Some have done schooling from army schools, having high physical standards, while others do not. Now, it's the responsibility of PTT (Physical Training Team) to equalize the physical fitness of all cadets.

It aims to build stamina, endurance, and agility for cadets. It doesn't mean that the team put so many burdens on the cadets.

They have planned these programs (training and exercises) so that every cadet can achieve excellent physical fitness and proficiency in sports.

More about PTT

Comprehensive PTT regiment ensures that candidates from the city street are physically and physiologically fit before graduating from NDA.

It's not that training sessions are only for first-year students of NDA.PTT conducts regular training sessions for cadets of all terms.

Equitation Training of NDA cadets

All around the world, equitation training is the priority of the training team. This training is a part of almost every training academy.

The Equitation training aims to acquaint the cadets with the fundamental riding skills and makes them confident in riding alone across the country.

Horse Riding

There is a lot of importance of horse riding in the Indian Defense forces. Horsemanship is a skill that teaches you other positive qualities like humility, relationship building, perseverance, and courage required for becoming a military officer.

The cadets must gain preliminary knowledge of animal management and vet aids. It increases the physical, mental, and emotional ability of the cadets.

Horse-riding is vital for building the cadet's character as it makes cadets learn to control the animal and move forward by overcoming his fear. Through horse-riding, cadets learn the aspect of the right temperament, presence of mind, and perseverance.

Other benefits

There are physical benefits too of horse ridings like better balance, coordination, and fitness. Cadets get a chance to get closer to the horse and learn their habits.

Through ETT, cadets learn other positive lessons like effective communication, trust, and loyalty that build a military man. They also understand the horse's emotions with time and learn to become compassionate, agile, and clever officers.

Polo and Horse-riding Clubs

The cadets get Equitation Training from the second to the fourth term. All the cadets must complete the training. After getting the basic horse-riding skills, cadets get exposure to learn polo, showjumping, dressage, and other events.

In the third and sixth terms, cadets get a chance to participate in horse-riding and polo clubs. These clubs promote courage with compassion. It also helps cadets learn the quality of controlled risks with challenges in the sports.

In the club, they get exposure to basic riding techniques and various disciplines of Equestrian events like Show Jumping, Cross Country, Riding, Hack Riding, Tent Pegging events, Dressage, Polo, and other adventures in Equestrian sport.

They learn to ride for a long duration without causing fatigue to horses. They get care training and management of horses.

Awards and medals

Equitation Training motivates NDA cadets to participate in national and international competitions. Many officers have won Arjuna Awards and many other medals during ETT, showing the testimony of high standards of equestrian skills imparted at NDA. 

Other physical training sports

Outdoor clubs include archery, astronomy, golf, automotive, martial arts, aero-modeling, trekking, rock climbing, shooting, sailing, parasailing, paragliding, water skiing, windsurfing, kayaking, rowing, gardening, skating, etc.

Service training

After completing NDA training, NDA cadets go for service training for one year. The service training trains for the Military, Navy and Air Force. This physical training differs from the one in NDA. Here the cadets go through specialized training dealing with their specific genre.

Joint Training Team

Joint training at the National Defense Academy focuses on inter-service participation for synchronization of all components of military control to attain a common military point. 

 The cadets get a warm welcome to NDA by JTT through the Orientation Capsule of around 60 days. Amid the capsule, he is rationally conditioned and physically toughened up to adapt to the military way of life.

The body of the cadets is conditioned with scientific means, starting with walking/ light jogging and eventually to upper body exercises, swimming, running and drill, etc.

It is involved with the grooming of a cadet from the first day till the penultimate day of this training

FAQs on Physical training in NDA

Q1- What happens after you get selected for NDA?

A1-After getting selected at NDA, the cadets go through academic and physical training for three years.

Q2-Does NDA needs physical fitness?

A2-Yes, NDA requires medical and physical fitness. The authority has set some physical standards for the cadets' selection.

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