Navy Surgeon General eyes Wii Fit, Dance Dance Revolution for boot camp
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted May 28th 2010 5:10AM
posted May 28th 2010 5:10AM
We understand that Wii Fit has dubious health benefits at best (whatever CTA Digital might say top the contrary), but apparently word hasn't reached the Navy's top brass. According to the Navy Times, recruits need more work than ever before to get into fighting shape, "given that many young people prefer computers and video games" to sports and physical activity. The solution, says Navy Surgeon General Vice Adm. Adam Robinson, is to use break in would-be sailers slowly, introducing "the equivalents of Nintendo's Wii Fit or Konami's Dance Dance Revolution" in basic training. This sounds rather silly to us, but what do we know? We're lovers, not fighters.
Its only a matter of time before "Konami's Dance Dance Revolution: navy training" hits the stores.
@keanu096
I am a physician and I can tell you he is wrong. This have been studied before and the exercise level is never the same as in real sports or training.
Now maybe they want their soldiers to control Avatars using the wiimote? That way they wont need high level training?
@keanu096 Either that, or just use DDR 3rd Mix and allow only "In The Navy" (Captain Jack) to be played.
@Beatnik
For people interested you can read these articles:
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/335/7633/1282
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2007/12/study-wii-gaming-no-substitute-for-exercise-fatso.ars
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=90064
@Beatnik
Conclusions of the study (Comparison of energy expenditure in adolescents when playing new generation and sedentary computer games: cross sectional study) by British Medical Journal:
"Playing new generation active computer games uses significantly more energy than playing sedentary computer games but not as much energy as playing the sport itself. The energy used when playing active Wii Sports games was not of high enough intensity to contribute towards the recommended daily amount of exercise in children."
@Beatnik That's about Wii Sports and seems to have nothing to do with this article.
DDR does seem like a much better solution for exercising than the various options on the wii.
Even better than that though would be to... you know... actually doing some exercise.
@tomer DDR could be considered actual exercise. It is a form of dancing and movement that causes your body to sweat. It works your legs and abs. It really depends on how fast it is going though, when it is slow paced than it doesn't really have more more of an effect than walking or jogging. When it is fast it could be compared to slow running, and etc for different speeds.
With congress dissolving the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy involving Gay's in the Military, this news comes as no surprise.
@Shatter
That was my first impression as well. With the Dems killing (too strong of a word for a Dem we'll have to use "putting down") Don't Ask Don't Tell the military is going to be "chok full o queers"
We can't teach them to fight so we'll teach them to DAAANNNCCE!!
Jazz Hands everybody Jazz Hands
Next you know instead of any excercise at all it will just be liposuction.
Disclaimer: I have no problems with the Gay/Lesbian lifestyle, but without Don't Ask Don't Tell many heterosexuals who are homophobes will not join the military. Weakening the US beyond what Clinton did in the 90's
@TheDudeCool
The military as a whole will be better off without homophobes. Having served, if you honestly think there are that many homophobes and that "Don't Ask Don't Tell" really mattered, then I really don't know what to tell you. Everyone knew who the gays/lesbians were and no one cared.
Military DDR:
Perfect: nothing
Great/Good: 1 situp each
Boo/Miss: 1 pushup each
Failure: Various calisthenics until your turn again (not your choice)
Pass: Various calisthenics until your turn again (your choice)
I thought America doesn't torture.
LOL, this is so gay for fighting men... what music will the dance to "In The Navy" by Village People?
Also, WII FIT is uses, its good for stretching but getting actually FIT on it is a joke as you can't do any Aerobic exercises on it!
This is just another veiled recruiting tool for the young 'hip' video game generation.
They should use In the Groove instead.
This is the dumbest thing I have ever heard from the Navy. What the fuck. I'm joining the Navy at the end of this summer, and although I'm an avid tech fan, game fan, etc. etc. I am still a patriotic American, I love this country, and I love to GO OUTSIDE AND GET REAL EXERCISE. Like honestly, what the hell. This is just an insult to be frank, because its not like "nerds" or whatever, are just saying "hmm, I'm going to join the Navy now because there's Nintendo Wii in basic training!" People join because they want to serve their country, etc.
yaaaaaaayyyyyy I'm a crazy weezy woozy navy seal... i wear pink camouflage and dance on wii fit!
Just do more pushups.
fuck.that.shit.
He was my commanding officer back when he was a captain.
He's been Tango'd.
This is why everyone makes fun of the Navy. Boot Camp was a joke. There was hardly any real PT. Also, the PRT standards are a joke. Run a mile and a half? Do some situps and pushups? God forbid you are a woman and have twice the amount of time as me.
I liked my time in the Navy, but the physical standards made me sick. Here is my pissed off nuke solution: copy the Marines PFT. No promotions if you fail. 3 failures in a row and you are discharged.
@Mightydh
Copying the Marines isn't the best idea in the world. Our standards, while not slipping, certainly aren't getting any stronger when it comes to PFT. A 225 is considered "first class", which is about equal to 10 pullups, 21 minute run and 100 crunches. Nothing at all difficult. By contrast, our CFT requires a score of 260 or higher, greatly reducing the number of people who "sneak" into a first class score.
For the uninitiated, both the Physical Fitness Test and Combat Fitness Test (PFT/CFT) are broken into three phases. Each phase is worth a max of 100 points. The PFT is a 3 mile run, max set up pullups (5 points each- min 3, max 20), and 2 minutes of crunches (1 point each, max 100). The CFT is a bit harder to explain, but it's a 1/4 miles sprint in combat boots, ammo can lifts (max of 90), and a combat endurance course that involves crawling, running zig-zags, grenade toss, buddy drag, firemans carry, and ammo can runs.
The CFT is much shorter, but demands higher standards. I just wish the PFT has similarly high standards in the Marines.
As far as this goes-- well, it fits right in with the Marine Corps views on other services' boot camp. Even our is getting sissied up.
A first claass
Wii Fit has standard exercises like push-ups and lunges. It is silly to say that they don't work somehow because they are delivered via a videogame console. The Wii Fit board and software is just there to monitor progress, allow for workout creation, and keep track of weight and past exercises. It is meant to be supplemented with cardio, but for what it does, it does well. With that said, it seems unnecessary.
@Ksult1 Good reply!
I gained 25 lbs of muscles (going from 150 to 175) using EA Sports Active on the Wii.
Could do the same without the Wii, but wouldn't.
As someone who spends a lot of free time on the internet and playing games and is currently working on losing some weight in order to enlist in the navy, I think its a bad idea. Sure, sending fresh recruits right into heavy training is hard. Its supposed to be. The whole point of basic training is to (if i may borrow a tagline from somewhere) turn ordinary citizens into sailors/soldiers/airmen/marines.
If it has become harder to get people into shape, add another week to basic.
I can't wait for Super Soldier Mario to come out.
You take government sponsored drugs to grow bigger.
Destroy public property to earn coins.
Spend billions of these coins to buy your jet pack to fly.
Blame Warioland for terrorist activities.
Then use genetically mutated animals to take over the country.
At the end your find out it was all because of the oil.
Sweet! Now I can look weird like I'm having muscle spasms while in the military!! But I will say, DDR can be quite the work out when you really get into it. Works out the legs, mid-section, and even arms while you try to keep balance (unless you're one of those that just hand on the bar...)
When I went to bootcamp, they used to beat us "until it rained". That meant that they would exercise us with things like 8 count body builders until we sweat so much that condensation formed on the ceiling and it started to rain back down on us.
So...they better make sure they get the waterproof versions of these.