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Militaries have trained people to become killbots for
centuries. Typically, military exercises are designed to simulate combat
and warfighting while training both the body and the mind to respond
correctly even under great duress. The theory is that when all hell
breaks loose, personnel fall back onto their training to cut through the
confusion, chaos and fear that can cripple fighters.
Almost all militaries around the world feature some sort of boot camp
that whips recruits into shape in a relatively short period of time.
Drill instructors transform soft civilians to hardened killing machines,
sometimes achieving a recruit’s transformation in as quickly as a few
weeks.
The process tends to begin by training recruits to obey military customs
and requirements while increasing the physical strength and endurance of
candidates. After developing mental obedience and physical strength,
recruits then focus on specific aspects of warfighting, like martial
arts, rifle training and other specialized instruction that prepares the
candidate for a specific role within the armed forces.
However, some military forces go to extremes to ensure that their
personnel are ready for absolutely anything, like preparing a solider
for the day that they have to punch a tree to death with their bare
hands. This list of the craziest military training exercises in the
world features regimens that are disgusting, dangerous, over-the-top and
sometimes just plain useless.
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Playing a game of “hot potato” with a real grenade
(People's Liberation Army of China)
Military training is an intense business, involving discipline,
precision, and courage that can be called upon in the midst of battle.
Soldiers undergoing training in the People's Liberation Army of China
take those ideals to a whole different level, as one of their exercises
involves a life-and-death game of "hot potato" with a live grenade.
Incredible video footage shows Chinese troops stationed in Hong Kong
passing a live explosive from one soldier to another until the last one
finally throws it in the hole. The soldiers then leap out of the way
before it explodes, covering their heads for protection. |
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Taking a shot to the chest (Russian Special
Forces)
Larry Vickers, a retired U.S. Army 1st Special Forces operator and a
Delta combat veteran, filmed the video below for a series called TAC-TV.
These exercises are part of a specialized Russian confidence training
course, and one of their training techniques includes shooting each
other in the chest.
The idea behind the exercise is to prepare the troops for the moment
when they might be shot. Some end up wounded while others just take hits
to the vest. Whatever the outcome, the soldier must be able to return
fire quickly and accurately.
Trainees then push people away while firing at the ground, shooting at
targets just inches from the volunteers playing innocent bystanders to
show how stress affects one's concentration. Despite these stressful
surroundings, the trainee must be able to stay calm and carry out his
task. |
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Jumping through rings of fire (People's Liberation
Army of China)
This incredible picture shows a daredevil soldier jumping through rings
of fire. He is clad in his uniform and holding an assault rifle during
this scary training exercise in China. His superior said the dangerous
task would give him the same feelings and adrenaline rush he would
experience in real combat. |
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Breaking slabs of concrete with their heads (South
Korean and Chinese soldiers)
Many fighting forces have marching bands, singers, and performing groups
to rally the troops. But China's military is known for soldiers who can
break bamboo poles on their backs and smash bricks on their heads.
If combat were simply a matter of showmanship, then the People's
Liberation Army of China would be near invincible. But military
officials have acknowledged that such displays have few practical
applications and are reconsidering the amount of time that troops spend
on such training. |
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Drinking cobra blood (U.S. Marines)
Gone are the days when a few push-ups and an assault course proved a
soldier's worth. U.S. Marines now drink cobra blood and rip the heads
off chickens with their bare teeth as part of their training.
After being taught how to kill venomous cobras by Thai naval
instructors, Marines are encouraged to experience the local customs of
drinking the animal's blood. Many of the soldiers happily oblige,
tipping their heads back while the blood is squeezed out of the snake's
body and into their mouths.
Other rituals included killing a chicken by biting off its head and
eating a cobra's tail.
The 11-day exercise, called Cobra Gold 2014, involved around 13,000
soldiers from Thailand, the U.S., Singapore, Indonesia, Japan, South
Korea and Malaysia. It takes place in Thailand's Chon Buri province and
covers amphibious assault, humanitarian relief and the evacuation of
friendly forces, as well as jungle survival techniques.
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Testing balance by walking over fires (Belarus Red
Berets)
Servicemen from the Belarus Interior Ministry's Special Unit are
undoubtedly tough guys. To prove exactly how tough they are, and to be
accepted into the ministry's elite Red Berets, they have to go through a
battery of tests on an extreme course.
The test includes a 10k quick march, followed by an extreme assault
course, hand-to-hand fighting, storming a high-rise building and
acrobatics. Their superiors throw in extra challenges to make things
even harder – they try to knock new recruits off the balance beam with
car tires and gunfire.
On average, it takes five to six attempts to earn a spot in the coveted
Red Berets – only the fittest manage to do so.
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Crawling along a path with jagged corals and rocks
(Taiwan Marines)
The "Road to Heaven" test is the final stage of a nine-week intensive
Amphibious Training Program in Zuoying, Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan. It
requires trainees to execute various exercises and crawl along a
50-meter long path littered with jagged corals and rocks.
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