Confidence course!?
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  1. #1

    Talking Confidence course!?

    Hey all, I've been thinking. In order to prepare for Boot I enrolled in my high school weight training class. I'm not much of a "bencher" I can only do about 150'lb to me being able to bench 1234123lb's is a benefit and can help but isn't a mandatory requirement. I can run a mile in roughly 9 mins. (8:53) can do about 8 pull ups (working on it) and sit-ups aren't even a threat. I'm 173'lbs and 6"2. Now that you have my physical characteristics in mind...

    The confidence course; This has got me a little worried regardless of how much 'fun' Marine friends have told me. "After you finish, you look back and you realize it was just one big adult playground." I think I can handle most of it (although I would have no idea). However the main threat to me in the "Stairway to Heaven" or whatever some places call it (heard it in a video of MCRD-SD) It's the big ladder looking obstacle. Well, anyway I'm not afraid of heights, although I am afraid of falling (yes i realize that's kind of a smart-ass thing to say but it's just how I feel about it). People tell me just take you time and treat it as if it were..well.. a ladder. I'm just nervous i'd freeze up.

    Question: Are their any Marines out there who were nervous of this obstacle or any heights and if so, what did you do mental to break through and keep your hands from shaking nervously and getting anxiety when up there. To anyone else reading; what other obstacles do you think I should prepare myself for mentally and physical (looking back up at my traits). I have a whole'nother year to work on myself. I plan on going into DEP around September so I can earn some time my senior year.

    Thank you for your service ,
    Thank you for your knowledge
    Noah Estey


  2. #2
    Quote Originally Posted by USMC1963 View Post
    How many times have you/we thought we would have a very very tough time doing something, and we did it because we HAD to do it, and it was fine?

    Getting up in front of a class terrifies most people. But after they get up and deliver their speech or book report, it turns out that it wasn't so bad.

    One of the many purposes of boot camp is to make you do things you never thought you could do. Thinking about it beforehand, it can be very upsetting, and can shake your confidence to its foundations in no time. But when you are actually THERE doing it at PI or SD, you do it, and think later on, well, I did it, but thinking about it beforehand was much worse than just doing it.

    In boot camp you will be forced to do these things, and one of the things running through your mind is how you cannot let yourself down nor your fellow recruits down, nor your DIs.

    There was a very famous singer, I cannot recall who it was, but he was famous----but every time before he went out on stage, he had such terrifying stage fright, no matter how many performances he had done, that he literally had to be helped toward the front of the stage from the sidelines.

    The audience never saw this, they just saw the very confident man launch into his songs with all the confidence in the world. They never saw the terror that had just gripped him.

    One of the problems nowadays with this DEP program and the Internet is that you folks have plenty of time to get worried to death about what will happen---and this is natural, I'm not knocking any of you, believe me----in my day, we joined and were on our way to boot camp a week or two later, no Internet, no one to ask questions of, no one had any answers anyway---we went to boot camp and we did what we were told and we were fine.

    But we had a big big advantage over you folks----we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. LOL

    You will be just fine, and it is normal to ponder these questions about how you will perform----it's all normal...Just keep asking questions and listening to the answers.

    Good luck to you and if you have questions, ask them, like you're doing. The only stupid question is the one not asked.

    Remember that there are thousands who feel the way you do, but might not come out and say it, so your courage is to be commended in even saying how nervous this or that makes you.

    Thinking about doing something is usually worse than actually doing it.
    Yea, I know, very good point and very motivating. I just feel as if i have too many questions. I want to know everything, nothing interests me as much as all of this. It's like my addiction so to speak. It's a mystery to me that can never be solved until I'm standing on those yellow footprints at PI getting screamed at.. I know I can do it, "I think I can, I think I can" just this year I've tried to push myself so hard this year trying to break that mental barrier of giving up. It's amazing how small someones attitude to something is yet how big it's outcome can be determining your future. Thank you, Marine.


  3. #3
    Will do, keep in touch. I'm off for the night.
    Thanks again.

    If there are anymore Marines out there who have an opinion on the topic (although USMC1963 did a fantastic job) please post it!
    Noah


  4. #4
    I just got back from MCRDPI and we didn't have to do the stairway to heaven for some reason.. But there is still plenty of obstactles all throughout training that will test your fear of heights... the rappel tower, an obstacle where it has 3 platforms and you have to work your way to the top, plenty of courses. I myself didn't have too much difficulty with them but some of my friends from boot camp did and basically the way they got through it is... They didn't have an option. Just have confidence in yourself and take it one step at a time. You'll see all the other recruits completing the obstacle and think to yourself "They're no better than me.. I can do this" and you'll do it no problem. It's honestly not that bad and I didn't hear about anyone falling off an obstacle out of 375 other recruits. Just overcome your fear of heights now or you'll be rushed into overcoming it later on in boot camp. Don't think about the obstacle itself and just complete it.. Don't worry about how high up it seems... you'll get it done regardless if it was another 100ft up in the air or not... it's not an option and it's just another obstacle in your way to earning your Eagle, Globe, and Anchor. Best of luck to you.


  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Nichols View Post
    I just got back from MCRDPI and we didn't have to do the stairway to heaven for some reason..
    Probably because a recruit fell off and died.


  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by afraziaaaa View Post
    Probably because a recruit fell off and died.
    Well damn. I wanted to do it anyways.


  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by NCEstey View Post
    Question: Are their any Marines out there who were nervous of this obstacle or any heights and if so, what did you do mental to break through and keep your hands from shaking nervously and getting anxiety when up there.

    Thank you for your service ,
    Thank you for your knowledge
    Noah Estey
    You don't think, you just do it.

    Sounds like the Marine Corps may not be for you young man, unless you have the guts to face fear. Thinking about it and psyching yourself up does nothing because it is not action. Action is the only thing that will help you overcome fear.

    FEAR = False Evidence Appearing Real


  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by afraziaaaa View Post
    You don't think, you just do it.

    Sounds like the Marine Corps may not be for you young man, unless you have the guts to face fear. Thinking about it and psyching yourself up does nothing because it is not action. Action is the only thing that will help you overcome fear.

    FEAR = False Evidence Appearing Real
    I know I can overcome it, my desire to beat the crucible and earn the title far outweighs my small fear. I can do it, I will do it. I wont let something so small leave me with regrets for the rest of my life. There are plenty of people out in the world the physically can't join the Marines, I'm not going waste my fully functioning body many would kill for so he/she could join. If I'm going to fulfill my dream, there's no better way than going all out. And all of you are right, I need to stop thinking about "oh no what am I going to do?!" and start thinking about how I'm going to get there first. After I'm over it and the successfully climbed the tower I'll look back at this post and call myself a panzi for ever worrying.

    Thanks all.


  9. #9

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by TheReservist View Post
    Just don't look down.
    Lol impossible for me


  11. #11
    Dude if heights make you uneasy get a part time job working above ground level like exterior house painting, gutter installation, pruning limbs/cleaning bird spiders out of Palmetto's etc...you will more than likely be quite comfortable with heights after a day or two, or get fired.
    The Confidence Courses are just work, that's all, just work


  12. #12
    Marine Free Member Apache's Avatar
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    There are things I don't like (ladders is one) but won't is not in my USMC definition book

    Honor Courage COMMITTMENT


  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by SlingerDun View Post
    The Confidence Courses are just work, that's all, just work
    Good way to put it,
    Thanks for the input it's a good mindset.


  14. #14
    Just don't sweat it. You do the confidence course twice, and then individual obstacles during the crucible. The first time you do it is just to get you acquainted with the course. We got acquainted with it in Alpha Company by running in circles in between obstacles for 45 minutes. The second time we got rained out. I was horrified to do the Confidence course from a physical stand point, but looking back I regret that I never even got to attempt the majority of the obstacles.


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