NSMEN MOTIVATED TO DO BETTER IN THREE-STATION IPPT

Soldiers are doing better and are more motivated to ace their annual physical fitness test.

Results from the three-month pilot implementation of the new three-station Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT) format showed improvements across the board: 88 percent of participants improved or maintained their standards for sit-ups, and 73 percent, for the 2.4km run.

For the new push-up station, 74 percent of participants achieved average and above average performance, compared to current international standards.

The pilot, which ended in December last year, saw some 5,000 servicemen and women taking the new IPPT format.

"The results validated our belief that the new IPPT generates greater ownership and motivates our people to do well," said Colonel (COL) Ng Ying Thong, Assistant Chief of the General Staff (Training) at a media brief on 27 Feb.

For the 27 percent who did not do better in the 2.4km run, the majority were servicemen or women who had already achieved Gold or Silver, according to COL Ng.

COL Ng also updated on other changes to the IPPT system, including tweaks to the performance standards. Soldiers will have new standards to meet when the three-station IPPT officially rolls out on 1 Apr.

Soldiers must now score 85 points for Gold and 75 points for Silver. This is a four-point increase from the standards announced for the three-month IPPT trial.

The Gold mark for elite soldiers - Commandos, Guardsmen and Divers - has also moved up by five points to 90.

The scoring tables have also been improved to encourage soldiers to do better by making the allocation of points more consistent with the number of repetitions performed for the sit-up and push-up stations, and the 2.4km run times.

This move is to enable fitter servicemen to continue to find challenge in meeting the higher IPPT award standards, said COL Ng.

"We were very careful when refining these standards; to make sure that we not only encourage our fitter servicemen and elite forces to do well, but also not de-motivate the bulk (of our soldiers) from trying to do well," added COL Ng.

For example, an average 35-year-old NSman will have to do 39 sit-ups, 39 push-ups and run 2.4km in 10 minutes 40 seconds to attain the Gold award.

Operationally Ready National Servicemen will have a year to transit to the three-station IPPT format. This means that they can choose to do either the older five-station IPPT or the new format up to 31 Mar 2016. Active service personnel will move to the new format on 1 Apr 2015.

For 29-year-old NSman, Lieutenant (LTA) (NS) Christopher Ng, the new IPPT standards will push him to train and do better. "The new IPPT system is better and the new standards are more challenging, but I think they are do-able," said LTA (NS) Ng.

"I can now train for the IPPT even at home, without equipment like pull-up bars," added LTA (NS) Ng, who serves in an Infantry unit. He took part in the IPPT pilot, scoring a Silver award.

For full-time National Servicemen such as Corporal (CPL) Napolean s/o Parthiban, the scoring system motivated him to do well for the IPPT.

"The more reps (repetitions) you do and faster you run, the more points you get. That makes me work to try to max out in all three stations," said the 23-year-old NSF from 5th Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment.

A new Preparatory Training Phase (PTP) exemption criteria for NS will also come into effect from 1 Mar. Combat-fit pre-enlistees will have to attain 61 points or more when they take the National Physical Fitness Award or NAPFA test with push-ups, to be exempted from the PTP.

News Release

27 Feb 15 - New IPPT motivates SAF servicemen to do well and keep fit