Tale of the Tape: A Cheap, Easy Way To Prevent Blisters

The most common injuries at OCS which derail candidates’ performance are shin splints and foot blisters. A combination of excessive running and marching, sweaty or wet feet, and adjusting to combat boots lead to the perfect storm for blisters. Luckily there seems to be real progress made by science on solving this issue–pioneered by Standford scientists who work with runners covering over a marathon per … Continue reading Tale of the Tape: A Cheap, Easy Way To Prevent Blisters

Packing List Discussion: “Go-Fasters,” or “Running Shoes”

Candidate’s Question Two questions about the packing list: Is there a specific brand of running shoes they want us to bring to OCS? Is it really necessary to bring two pairs of go-fasters to PLC Juniors or seniors considering they are both only six week segments? Answer First, very moto use of the term “go-fasters.” No need to use that OCS-specific word for “running shoes” … Continue reading Packing List Discussion: “Go-Fasters,” or “Running Shoes”

Guest Post: The Tragic Result of Using New(er) Boots During Week-Long Patrols at TBS

Patrol FEX Your Patrol FEX (field exercise) will most likely consist of four 4-6 hour long patrols through dense brush and vegetation with a full combat load.  So it’s a lot of walking.  I am normally extremely careful with my feet–even to the point of regularly applying preventative moleskin before strenuous physical events to avoid the creation of hot spots or blisters. Here, I put on that … Continue reading Guest Post: The Tragic Result of Using New(er) Boots During Week-Long Patrols at TBS

What You Need to Know When a Blister Could End Your OCS

With all the humps (forced marches) at OCS, and running in boots, and in wet conditions, my feet never looked worse than as a candidate. Here is my back and forth with an applicant who is getting a pre-OCS practice hump scheduled right after he overdid it in his boots: How can I heal a blister overnight? I am going on a mandatory hike tomorrow … Continue reading What You Need to Know When a Blister Could End Your OCS

Confused Boots: What You Need to Know

A reader brought up a few good questions about boots.  Since your boots are so important, I’m going to make an entire post just about boots.  If I get any new boot-related questions, I will just keep updating this same post. Candidates are issued a pair each of jungles and ICBs. ICB stands for Infantry Combat Boot, and is a good heavier duty boot with … Continue reading Confused Boots: What You Need to Know