ZR recon contract training

[Redfoot101]

I am currently a Marine awaiting training at SOI for MCT. I just graduated boot camp about a month ago, As of right now I’m currently stuck in quarantine so I’ve had time to look more into my contract and what’s expected of me.

Before leaving for bootcamp I signed a ZR recon contract. This gives me the opportunity of going home after MCT to train up to a year for BRC. I have looked into the requirements and have gotten a lot of information about the road a head but unfortunately I don’t know how to start training effectively once I get home.

I’ve looked into purchasing Nick koumalatsos’s recon prep book but I don’t know if anyone has had any success using his book. I also looked into Socomathlete on instragram and they seem to have an interesting program. I am pretty sure I was the only one with a recon contract in my entire company in bootcamp. So I haven’t been able to compare myself to anyone who’s going this route.

I know that swimming and Rucking are probably the two things I’m going to struggle with. But for the PFT I was able to do 21 pull ups, 116 crunches and for my 3 mile run I got a 19:44. Which added up to a 289. For my CFT I got a 294, I don’t remember the exacts but If anyone has any ideas of training and what kind of shape I should be in please let me know.

Thank you for your tome.

Edited for better reading.

 

[Redfoot101]

Welcome aboard. A year back home?

Yes, I go home after MCT to train for up to a year. I have to come back to SOI at the end of my allotted time for BRC. The program I believe is called the RESERVE INCREMENTAL INITIAL ACTIVE DUTY TRAINING (IIADT) PROGRAM

 

[LimaPanther]

Yes, I go home after MCT to train for up to a year. I have to come back to SOI at the end of my allotted time for BRC. The program I believe is called the RESERVE INCREMENTAL INITIAL ACTIVE DUTY TRAINING (IIADT) PROGRAM

So does this mean you are assigned to a Reserve unit for training while you do self training for BRC? I've never heard of this being done.

 

[Redfoot101]

So does this mean you are assigned to a Reserve unit for training while you do self training for BRC? I've never heard of this being done.

Yes, 4th force reconnaissance in Alameda. I interviewed with the first Sergeant and he told me that training would pretty much be on my own and that they would hold PT’s sometimes but It’s mostly on me.

 

[Ooh-Rah]

Young @Redfoot101 ,

Why do you spam the board with the same question in multiple threads?

Please don’t do that.

And don’t reply back with an answer, my question was only rhetorical.

I’ll let this one live since it got some life, but the rest are going back to the matrix.

 

[LimaPanther]

Okay. Unless you wanted to go Reserves why didn't you just go for a UZ contract and go active? Having been with 2d Force I find it hard to believe that a 1SG would state that they would hold PT sometimes. Even active we were up early ever morning for PT before breakfast. PT should be part of a drill weekend. Something just doesn't ring right.

 

[Redfoot101]

Okay. Unless you wanted to go Reserves why didn't you just go for a UZ contract and go active? Having been with 2d Force I find it hard to believe that a 1SG would state that they would hold PT sometimes. Even active we were up early ever morning for PT before breakfast. PT should be part of a drill weekend. Something just doesn't ring right.

It’s a long story of why I signed a reservist contract but before I left to bootcamp I had to interview with the first sergeant and a staff sergeant. I don’t remember the whole conversation but I remember asking them that if they were going to be conducting the training. They told me “no” and that most of the training would be on my own and that they would hold PT’s but that it wouldn’t be all the time and that I shouldn’t expect them to. I also asked about how many people were successful in this program. He said the ones that keep themselves accountable are. He talked about a kid that got hurt and when he healed he got lazy. I don’t remember if they said that they sent him to BRC and he failed or they screened him and he failed. Either way what I got from the conversation was that i needed to keep my self in check and I’m trying to figure a good way of doing that. Once again I apologize for the spam I thought these group forums or threads worked as group chats.

 

[Board and Seize]

I work with one of the platoon commanders there. If you have any specific questions, I will try to get them answered for you.

 

[Redfoot101]

I work with one of the platoon commanders there. If you have any specific questions, I will try to get them answered for you.

No, I don’t have any specific questions at this time. I’ve been trying to get a leg up and figure out a good training regime here at SOI so that when I get back I can just get straight into it. Do you have any tips or suggestions?

 

[Ooh-Rah]

I sooooo want to lock this thread.

 

[Redfoot101]

I sooooo want to lock this thread.

I’m confused?

 

[Board and Seize]

Do you have any tips or suggestions?

I do, but you won't like them.

I'll tell you the same thing I used to tell guys who asked when I was still in. There's no hurdle between you and the 0321 MOS that a reasonably fit and healthy person of normal intelligence cannot clear. There's no rocket science involved, and neither is there any secret.

I know you want to prep up and know everything there is to know, but there are no shortcuts or optimum builds. Get in shape, focus on endurance. Learn how to swim efficiently, and get comfortable in and under the water. Prepare to hike with weight for miles.

All it takes is all you've got.

I don't care how fit and studied and prepared you are, the path ahead of you is going to suck sometimes. Imagine it's 0400 and you're on a 5 mile beach run after having done a 2km ocean fin in cammies with a ruck, and the chase van is luring you to quit with hot coffee and a sausage egg mcmuffin, promising that no one will ever look down on you and just think - you could be back in bed right now. Imagine that it's day 4 of 7 of non-stop 24 hour cycles of mission planning and patrols - you've had maybe 5 hours of sleep since it started, you're in a security halt when team gets teargassed because some other dude fell asleep. Maybe your moment will be in the pool. But in those moments, when you're ass is kicked, you're cold, wet, and sandy, you'll wonder just what the hell you are doing, and why the hell are you doing it anyways? It would be soooo easy to quit.

Those are the moments when you self-select. In those moments of weakness and doubt, when you feel like a failure, that's when you have the opportunity to become a Recon Marine:

Conquering all obstacles, both large and small, I shall never quit.
To quit, to surrender, to give up is to fail. To be a Reconnaissance Marine is to surpass failure: to overcome, to adapt, and do whatever it takes to accomplish the mission.

All it takes is heart. You don't have to be superman. You just have to never, ever, for any reason quit.

Info.

 

[USNSCC_Guru]

I’m confused?

I'm too lazy to reply in a lengthy post just yet but if Ooh-Rah does end up locking it just shoot me a PM and I'll give my 2 cents.

 

[LimaPanther]

I think I have solved what a ZR contract is. Had to do some searching on here. Over in the MARSOC forum ScubaAnon started a discussion on going through the Force Recon Reserve Pipeline. Might refer to that.

 

[Redfoot101]

I think I have solved what a ZR contract is. Had to do some searching on here. Over in the MARSOC forum ScubaAnon started a discussion on going through the Force Recon Reserve Pipeline. Might refer to that.

I looked through his forum earlier today. He stopped responding on it and hasn’t been active

 

[Redfoot101]

I do, but you won't like them.

I'll tell you the same thing I used to tell guys who asked when I was still in. There's no hurdle between you and the 0321 MOS that a reasonably fit and healthy person of normal intelligence cannot clear. There's no rocket science involved, and neither is there any secret.

I know you want to prep up and know everything there is to know, but there are no shortcuts or optimum builds. Get in shape, focus on endurance. Learn how to swim efficiently, and get comfortable in and under the water. Prepare to hike with weight for miles.

All it takes is all you've got.

I don't care how fit and studied and prepared you are, the path ahead of you is going to suck sometimes. Imagine it's 0400 and you're on a 5 mile beach run after having done a 2km ocean fin in cammies with a ruck, and the chase van is luring you to quit with hot coffee and a sausage egg mcmuffin, promising that no one will ever look down on you and just think - you could be back in bed right now. Imagine that it's day 4 of 7 of non-stop 24 hour cycles of mission planning and patrols - you've had maybe 5 hours of sleep since it started, you're in a security halt when team gets teargassed because some other dude fell asleep. Maybe your moment will be in the pool. But in those moments, when you're ass is kicked, you're cold, wet, and sandy, you'll wonder just what the hell you are doing, and why the hell are you doing it anyways? It would be soooo easy to quit.

Those are the moments when you self-select. In those moments of weakness and doubt, when you feel like a failure, that's when you have the opportunity to become a Recon Marine:



All it takes is heart. You don't have to be superman. You just have to never, ever, for any reason quit.

Info.

Thank you

 

[LimaPanther]

I looked through his forum earlier today. He stopped responding on it and hasn’t been active

That is because he stated that he was shipping 7 Jan 19. He may still be in the pipeline or if he didn't make it he isn't saying.

 

[LimaPanther]

Did you check out Board and Seize's "Info" about physical fitness training? He and I, along with others, have lunched on a lot of sand, drank a lot of salt water, and had our calves and thighs feel like mush but never gave up. When I started I was a runt and weighed 128 lbs. My wife now teases me and wants to know what happened to that 6ft, 200 lb Marine she married. It is mind over matter if you want to be the best.

 

[Redfoot101]

Did you check out Board and Seize's "Info" about physical fitness training? He and I, along with others, have lunched on a lot of sand, drank a lot of salt water, and had our calves and thighs feel like mush but never gave up. When I started I was a runt and weighed 128 lbs. My wife now teases me and wants to know what happened to that 6ft, 200 lb Marine she married. It is mind over matter if you want to be the best.

1. No I haven’t but I’ll check it out right now and thanks for your time I appreciate it

2. I was thinking about making a pigegg, purchasing a rucksack and getting a membership at my local gym. Swim,run,Ruck,pull,push,squat,lunge and so on and so forth. I’ll have some time to figure it once I get back. I just don’t want to fail you know? A lot of it might come down to mental strength but maybe I can be a little more prepared than your typical UZ contract marine

Mod edit by x SF Med - merged and cleaned up multi-quotes, added numbers to the responses for clarity.

 

[Arf]

Read every post on this forum and then narrow your questions down to specifics. You’ll get a lot out of it.