As a recruit that just POP-ed, I’ll provide a summary of everything BMT related in this page. I go into more detail in the various posts that can be found on my homepage!
How Long is BMT?
Firstly, how long is BMT in the SAF?
If you are PES A or B1, with a pre-enlistee IPPT score of more than 61 points, it is 9 weeks in BMTC in Pulau Tekong. Scoring less than 61 points will require you to serve 17 weeks of BMT.
For enlistees who are PES BP, you must serve 19 weeks of BMT. If you are PES B2, B3, B4, or PES C, you will serve 9 weeks.
More information can be found on CMPB’s website.
For context, I was a recruit under the enhanced batch (PES B1/A who passed IPPT). Without further ado, here’s my life as a recruit in the SAF!
Summary of Things You Will Do During BMT in NS
Your BMT Guide, summarised.
Daily Routine:
- Reveille – Wake up very early
- First parade
- Cookhouse food
- Activities
- Last parade
- Lights Out – 7 hours of uninterrupted rest
Training Activities:
- Agility Group Run (AGR)
- Intervals
- Strength & Power (S&P)
- Basic Close Combat Training (BCCT)
- Swimming
- Metabolic Circuit
- Combat Circuit
- Standard Obstacle Course (SOC)
High Key Activities:
- Field Camp
- Standard Obstacle Course (SOC)
- Basic Trainfire Package (BTP)
- Hand Grenade Live Throw
- Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT)
- Close Quarter Battles (CQB)
- Battle Inoculation Course (BIC)
- 4/8/12/16/24km Route Marches
Your Daily Schedule – Routine Orders (RO)
And so your recruit life begins! Your daily schedule is given to you in the form of Routine Orders (RO), the night before during last parade. Hence, you’ll roughly know what you’ll be doing the next day.
Usually, Lights Out (sleeping time) is at 10 pm. Bunk lights need to be turned off before the lights out timing or your section may get it from the commanders. During BMT, STOP using your phones during lights out. If you are caught, your phone WILL be confiscated.
Don’t be surprised if you see your commanders spot-checking on you in the middle of the night, especially during confinement period!
The timing at which you wake up, better known as “Reveille”, is very early (around 5 am). However, realistically you’ll have to wake up 15 mins before this timing to brush your teeth/wash your face as the next timing will probably be 15 minutes after reveille.
During the day, you’ll normally have 2 physical training activities which I will elaborate on below.
Physical training (PT) in BMT
Here’s a glimpse of the kinds of PT you’ll do during BMT in tekong:
- Agility Group Run (AGR) – Run non-stop for 15-20 minutes at a constant pace + core exercises (4 for the core)
- Intervals – 6 sets of 60s jogging and 30s sprinting
- Strength & Power (S&P) – Push-ups, pull-ups, dumbbell exercises, core exercises
- Basic Close Combat Training (BCCT) – learn fighting fundamentals like jab and uppercut + fighting short-range with a rifle
- Swimming
- Metabolic Circuit – 6-10 exercises (push-ups, leg raises, butterfly kicks, squats, jumping squats, planking, crunches) + jumping jacks during intervals
- Combat Circuit – Exercises with your field pack (TOUGHEST !!)
Moreover, you need to carry along your essential pack with you at all times, which is your green pencil case.
The essential pack must contain:
- Risk Assessment Card (RAC)
- Thermometer
- Scannables (11B IC / EZ Link Card)
- Permanent Marker
- SAF Notebook
You’ll need to fill in your RAC Card with a permanent marker before any training activity. You can use a whiteboard marker or hand sanitiser to erase afterwards.
Talks and Briefings
Brace yourselves, there will be a lot of talks, especially recruitment talks during BMT. From the Air Force to the Navy, it seems like every branch of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) will try to recruit you.
Nevertheless, it is good to take a break from training and enjoy some air-con once in a while. Before you consider signing on with the Singapore Army, consider the bond period and your future aspirations.
There are a lot of upsides to signing on such as financial stability but it ultimately depends on where you are in life and your priorities and goals.
High-key activities
Field Camp
Find out more here
Standard Obstacle Course
SOC in BMT consists of 12 different obstacles:
- Low Wall
- Stepping Stones
- Rubble
- Tunnel
- Dodging Panels
- Low Rope
- Ditch
- Corridor
- Balancing Bridge
- Window
- Apex Ladder
- Terrace
Afterwards, you need to run a distance of 300m back to the starting point. It’s very tiring, especially with your rifle and LBS.
Some struggle with 4 of the mentioned 12 SOC obstacles. Here are some tips!
Low Wall
The low wall tests your upper body strength and leaping ability.
Tip: Get a running start. Use the momentum of your run-up to kick up the wall and hold on for dear life. Once you swing your boot over the top of the wall, you’ll be in the clear.
Low Rope
Contrary to what people think, not much arm strength is needed for this station.
Tip: DO NOT PANIC! Technique is the most important element to clear the low rope. Grip the rope firmly and wrap the rope around your feet allowing you to “step on your boots” to pull yourself up easily.
You can use the S-Method or the Wrap Around Method.
Balancing Bridge
This obstacle trains your ability to balance and conquer fear.
Tip: try to walk up the bridge like you are walking up the stairs.
Apex Ladder
Afraid of heights?
Now’s the time to train your confidence! The Apex ladder trains your ability to balance and be swift.
Tip: Don’t overthink it. Just keep walking. Don’t stop because once you do, you start to panic and stumble. Hold your rifle as close to you as possible.
Going up the Apex Ladder may be easy, but the hard part comes at the peak of the ladder. You need to balance on one leg while you place your other leg on the bottom part of the ladder.
Basic Trainfire Package (BTP) – Live Firing
A deep breath, and a pull of the trigger.
BTP teaches you how to use your SAR21 rifles using live rounds. Before that, you’ll have to undergo many Just-In-Time (JIT) drills (in the event your gun doesn’t fire) and even a simulator shoot of the actual day which feels like an arcade room.
On the actual day of the live firing, you will have a Day Shoot and a Night Shoot at 100m and 50m range respectively. You have to shoot 3 figures of varying sizes.
To achieve marksman as a recruit in BMT, you have to score a minimum of 26/32. This means you can only miss 6 shots.
Don’t aim for a headshot! Shoot the middle of the target to make sure you hit it down.
My suggestion to help you get marksman is to increase your stability. Spread your legs against the foxhole walls, lay the gun comfortably on the sandbag, and use elbow guards!
Additionally, ensure your rifle’s laser is working correctly! Shoot when the red dot lands and don’t hesitate during the night shoot.
Hand Grenade Live Throw
“Safety ring twist, safety ring pull, safety pin out. Grenade prepared and ready to be thrown, Sergeant/Sir!”
Rest assured, you will throw many practice/fake grenades before the real throw.
Just follow the steps and the instructions of the commander assisting you and you’ll be A-OK.
Individual Proficiency Physical Test (IPPT)
IPPT assesses you on 3 components:
Push-ups
Sit-ups
2.4km run
For statics (push-ups and sit-ups), you will be using the Electronic IPPT Scoring System (ELISS) machine and it may not be as accurate as you’d hope.
Tip: Go down slowly on your first push-up rep and resume normal speed after you hear the first beep. This is because the machine may register the wrong height if you do your push-ups too fast (for the first rep).
If you aim to achieve good results in your IPPT tests, consider training your statics and stamina during Self-Regulated Training (SRT).
Close Quarters Battle (CQB)
Also known as close-quarters combat, CQB stimulates urban operations. In BMT, CQB is done with a 3-man team and you will fire blanks at targets. The purpose of CQB is to clear rooms swiftly and minimise losses.
Battle Innouculation Course (BIC)
As shown in Ah Boys to Men, BIC is meant to simulate real-life battle situations and is overall a pretty fun experience.
You’ll need to leopard crawl throughout most of the course. Leopard crawling requires you to be on all fours as close to the ground as possible. It’s similar to crawling from a prone position.
Besides, real shots from General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMGs) are fired over your heads by commanders. Meanwhile, you’ll fire blanks in the BIC course.
With loud sirens and an endless barrage of machine-gun fire, you’ll definitely feel like you are on an actual battlefield. The purpose of BIC is to test your ability to execute all the soldier fundamental skills you’ve learnt during BMT.
Worried you’ll get hit by one of the bullets?
The GPMGs are fired from a fixed position 3 metres high by your commanders so you’ll be safe!
24KM route march
Finally, you’ve reached the last milestone before your POP. 24km may seem long, but you’ll have ample rest between marches. Completing the 24km route march will depend more on your mental fortitude.
By the way, snacks in the form of Snickers/Mars chocolate bars, Bananas, H-TWO-O, or Ice Popsicles will be given to you at checkpoints. You’ll be able to put down your heavy field pack and rifle and enjoy the treats.
BMTC will train your ability to march long distances. You’ll start with a 4km route march in vest slack and gradually increase in distance with more weight in your field pack.
Therefore, you won’t be doing 24km on your first-ever route march. You’ll do 4km, 8km, 12km, 16km, and eventually 24km on your last route march.
After the 24km route march, you’ll have your graduation parade (POP) a few days later and will no longer be a recruit!
Focus On the Positives
Realistically, where else would you be able to train your body and mind almost every single day?
I think the most important thing you should train during NS is not your fitness, but to have a stronger mentality.
Don’t treat BMT training as a drag or burden, but view it from a positive perspective, where it will help build your muscles or train your stamina. Always try to think positively.
When you start to think positively, you will realise that you will become more resilient and motivated in whatever you do. It’ll also make your days in BMT more bearable.
Of course, take good care of your health
Conclusion
Since you are already enlisted into the SAF as a fresh recruit, make the best out of it! There will be many moments in National Service (NS) where it gets so tiring that it’s just easier to give up.
Instead, take this opportunity in NS to train your resiliency.
Why waste 2 years when you can spend it improving yourself? ATB for BMT 🙂