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Determination of Orientation and Practice Requirements When Using an Obstacle Course for Mobility Performance
Thomas Karakolis, Brittany A Sinclair1, Alison Kelly2
1Defence Research and Development Canada, Toronto, Canada.
Human Factors
|January 24, 2017
Summary
Practice on obstacle courses improves performance when wearing full fighting order (FFO) but not without personal protective equipment (PPE). Orientation type did not affect course completion times. Focus practice on loaded conditions for better assessment.
Area of Science:
- Human performance research
- Occupational safety and ergonomics
- Military science
Background:
- Obstacle courses are vital for assessing human capabilities and equipment effects on mobility.
- Limited formal documentation exists on orientation and practice effects in obstacle course assessments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the impact of orientation and practice on human performance during obstacle courses under varying load conditions.
Main Methods:
- Forty-eight Canadian Army personnel completed an obstacle course five times with full fighting order (FFO) and five times without (non-FFO).
- Participants received either regular or extensive orientation.
- Course completion times were measured across a five-day period.
Main Results:
- Performance improved significantly with practice when wearing FFO, but not when wearing non-FFO.
- No significant difference in course completion times was observed between regular and extensive orientation groups.
Conclusions:
- Practice effects on obstacle courses are load-dependent, with significant improvements seen only under loaded conditions (FFO).
- Orientation type does not appear to influence performance outcomes.
- Practice in loaded conditions may transfer to unloaded conditions, but not vice versa.
