The Student Room Group

Scroll to see replies

Yes join! You don't have to be good at sports or running, and if anything it'll improve your fitness and they'll help you train.
Original post by DreamBig0105
I am terrible at sports and running but really want to improve. I was thinking about joining cadets but it seems like you have to be good at sports and running. Should I try something else?


Which one would you want to join? (hint - Air Training Corps)
I wouldn't worry too much about those especially as you're willing to improve. There's plenty of other things to try - flying, shooting, gliding, Duke of Edinburgh Award, drill etc.
(edited 7 years ago)
I'm really not sure. I am not very knowledgable in any of them!
That's scary
Which one though?
You don't have to be great at sports, there are other things in cadets you can be good at.
Cadets is brilliant! You don't have to be good at sports/running (in fact, quite a lot of cadets aren't and they get on really well) and you do so much fun stuff! There are some sports-related things involved but you don't need to get involved in them if you don't want to, although it's really easy to. For example, if you want to start doing Nijmegen or something similar, you'll start off really easily and build up your strength. So I would say definitely join if you want to increase fitness! At my squadron we do a bit of PT related stuff but as you're always going to get people who are amazingly sporty and people who aren't so good, it's not all tough Royal Marines-ish stuff.

I would recommend that you joined the ATC (definitely not biased) but even if you're interested in another type of cadet force then I would still advise you to join. The worst kind of feeling is missing out on something that you could have done, and joining cadets is fantastic, I wish I'd started earlier.
Reply 8
If you want to get good at sports and running, then join a sports club.

If you want to do a bit of sports and a huge array of other things that will make you a better person, join a cadet group of any flavour.
That sounds really cool. Do you think Army cadets is good or too fitness based.
Original post by glassriver
Cadets is brilliant! You don't have to be good at sports/running (in fact, quite a lot of cadets aren't and they get on really well) and you do so much fun stuff! There are some sports-related things involved but you don't need to get involved in them if you don't want to, although it's really easy to. For example, if you want to start doing Nijmegen or something similar, you'll start off really easily and build up your strength. So I would say definitely join if you want to increase fitness! At my squadron we do a bit of PT related stuff but as you're always going to get people who are amazingly sporty and people who aren't so good, it's not all tough Royal Marines-ish stuff.

I would recommend that you joined the ATC (definitely not biased) but even if you're interested in another type of cadet force then I would still advise you to join. The worst kind of feeling is missing out on something that you could have done, and joining cadets is fantastic, I wish I'd started earlier.


Original post by glassriver
Cadets is brilliant! You don't have to be good at sports/running (in fact, quite a lot of cadets aren't and they get on really well) and you do so much fun stuff! There are some sports-related things involved but you don't need to get involved in them if you don't want to, although it's really easy to. For example, if you want to start doing Nijmegen or something similar, you'll start off really easily and build up your strength. So I would say definitely join if you want to increase fitness! At my squadron we do a bit of PT related stuff but as you're always going to get people who are amazingly sporty and people who aren't so good, it's not all tough Royal Marines-ish stuff.

I would recommend that you joined the ATC (definitely not biased) but even if you're interested in another type of cadet force then I would still advise you to join. The worst kind of feeling is missing out on something that you could have done, and joining cadets is fantastic, I wish I'd started earlier.
Original post by DreamBig0105
That sounds really cool. Do you think Army cadets is good or too fitness based.


Army cadets are... all right, if you must :tongue:. I wouldn't say there is a cadet force which is too fitness based - they're not expecting junior Jessica Ennis-Hills. Like I said, you get the opportunity to build up your fitness levels. If you're amazing at fitness then you could do Junior Leaders which sounds really taxing (don't know if there's an army cadet equivalent) or something similar. However, there are lots of other activities you do at cadets, it's not just fitness.
Hi there,


I'm a member of staff on an Air Cadet squadron, and I've experience working with the Army cadets too. All cadet forces provide a well rounded mix of activities - fitness is not a necessity, and you definitely do not have to do lots of physical training. We have plenty of fit and unfit cadets, and all find an activity that they can excel at. If you are unfit and want to become fit, we can help! But you are not required to do anything you aren't capable of. We want you to challenge yourself, but we want to you have a good time while you're doing it - if we adopted the typical 'basic training' style of screaming, push-ups and lots of running we'd have very few cadets!

Just to give you a flavor of some of the activities we do (Note: this will vary from squadron to squadron based on staffing and equipment):

-Flying and Gliding (we are the 'Air' cadets after all)
-First Aid
-Shooting
-Sports
-Navigation
-Duke of Edinburgh Award
-Fieldcraft (military skills, camping etc)
-Drill & Parades
-Volunteering
-Leadership and Teamwork skills
-BTEC qualifications
-Camps in the UK and Overseas

In the Army cadets, you'll do similar activities, but there's more of a focus on the military skills and shooting, and you will have less opportunities to fly (obviously).

In the Sea cadets, swap the aviation activities with boats and sailing activities.


Hope this helps inform your decision. Joining the cadets was the best decision I ever made, i've developed so much as a person and had fantastic opportunities I never would have had. Feel free to ask any questions.
Join the cadets - you won't regret it. There are advantages to each of them, so choose the one that is a) available and b) attracts you most.
(edited 7 years ago)
Reply 13
Original post by DreamBig0105
That sounds really cool. Do you think Army cadets is good or too fitness based.


I don't think any of the MOD cadet organisations are fitness based. Army cadets certainly isn't. Our core activities are:

Fieldcraft
Skill at Arms
Shooting
Drill and Turnout
First Aid
Navigation
Expeditions
Physical Achievement
DofE
Adventure Training
BTEC

You will notice that a lot of the activities are similar to those offered by the ATC, and they are, it is just how much of it each of us do. Army Cadets is more geared towards fieldcraft and skill at arms, and the ATC is geared towards aircraft and flying.
It won't benefit you getting into the RAF or anything over other activities. In fact, if you want to join the RAF just do it after your degree or whatever which may make actually joining it a lot more interesting a lot of people eventually decide to not even join because they were bored after so many years in the air cadets it seems. Though that's up to yourself there's many youth organisations or you could develop your social skills by having more friends as a youngster.
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by Anfanny
It won't benefit you getting into the RAF or anything over other activities. In fact, if you want to join the RAF just do it after your degree or whatever which may make actually joining it a lot more interesting a lot of people eventually decide to not even join because they were bored after so many years in the air cadets it seems. Though that's up to yourself there's many youth organisations or you could develop your social skills by having more friends as a youngster.


Maybe, but why not choose one closely allied to a potential career preference?
Yes, absolutely recommend it.
I was in the ACF for 4 years, reached rank of Sgt.
Changed me as a person absolutely.
You will be made fit by the ACF, don't worry.

Don't join Navy or Sea cadets. They have nearly nothing to offer you over the ACF.

By the time you are well into the ACF, you will be fit and you will be doing things you didn't think you'd be able to do - TABbing for miles, running for hundreds of metres at top speed in full fieldcraft loadout etc.
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by Fritz Lansen
Maybe, but why not choose one closely allied to a potential career preference?

It's not actually in any way similar to being in the RAF. That's just another why not statement you're making that's a bit of a faux pas these days really isn't it. It's not fair to say that being in a cadet force has any benefit over something say teaching swimming. No one really cares... Plus there's the big chance you could be bored of it. From what I understand it's used by under 18s to build reputation with peers I don't think anyone under 20 can get any benefit of joining that over a part time job. That includes UAS unless you're a pilot to be who has to get his PPL first and that's it. It's just as closely allied as anyone else... Come on haha you're a bit keen sorry just what you said was a bit weird.
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by Anfanny
It's not actually in any way similar to being in the RAF. That's just another why not statement you're making that's a bit of a faux pas these days really isn't it. It's not fair to say that being in a cadet force has any benefit over something say teaching swimming. No one really cares... Plus there's the big chance you could be bored of it. From what I understand it's used by under 18s to build reputation with peers I don't think anyone under 20 can get any benefit of joining that over a part time job. That includes UAS unless you're a pilot to be who has to get his PPL first and that's it. It's just as closely allied as anyone else... Come on haha you're a bit keen sorry just what you said was a bit weird.


It really does.

Not in terms of chances of joining, maybe, but in terms of making your life easier if you do join.

First few weeks of basic or of IOT are all about core military skills to de-civilianise the new recruits. It's a massive culture shock and a barrage of new terms, acronyms, rules and look.

If you've been a cadet you know 90% of it before you start. And it really shows.

So it can make your life easier as well as giving you a whole array of experiences that most other organisations can't*. It's a no-brainer.

No, it's not the same as being in the RAF. First off, it's a lot bigger than the RAF... Secondly, yes, it's for kids. But it's the same uniform. It's a similar structure.



*Yes, a lot of other organisations can give you some of the same things, but very few can give you all the same opportunities.
Original post by Drewski
It really does.

Not in terms of chances of joining, maybe, but in terms of making your life easier if you do join.

First few weeks of basic or of IOT are all about core military skills to de-civilianise the new recruits. It's a massive culture shock and a barrage of new terms, acronyms, rules and look.

If you've been a cadet you know 90% of it before you start. And it really shows.

So it can make your life easier as well as giving you a whole array of experiences that most other organisations can't*. It's a no-brainer.

No, it's not the same as being in the RAF. First off, it's a lot bigger than the RAF... Secondly, yes, it's for kids. But it's the same uniform. It's a similar structure.



*Yes, a lot of other organisations can give you some of the same things, but very few can give you all the same opportunities.

Yup. I'd still say you would get bored of doing that then the RAF. I'm assuming most people don't go on to join the RAF. I personally had known two sisters who had University scholarships after being in cadets but they left that and they're silly it's like exactly what they wanted I think there's something wrong with these people. Seriously though would you not spend you teens enjoying yourself instead.
(edited 6 years ago)

Latest