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Reserve Weekend BMQ ( merged )

ArmyVern said:
Funny how that works eh?? You're making it sound as if the summer BMQ is easier than the weekend yourself. Having NOT done the summer though I note.

Joonrooj said:
That is kind of a misinformed quote, you make it sound as if weekend BMQ is a walk in the park, if anything a weekend BMQ is more likely to push you to your limits than a summer BMQ, there is less time to do it in and the instructors know you have a week to recuperate, they will push you hard. My BMQ was weekend and my SQ was summer, and I can tell you I was pushed a lot harder on BMQ.

Every course is different etc etc.

-J

I have in fact done both a summer and a weekend course, granted they were not both BMQ. I have pointed out however, that each course is different depending on candidates, instructors, and time.


ArmyVern said:
It doesn't really matter which course, or which type, a person is on. Some will find it difficult -- others will not.
Agree completely, and better put than myself, I find it hard not to start typing an epic poem when replying.
Cheers
-J
 
mysteriousmind said:
My opinion, as I have done summer BMQ in may-july of this year,


DO the Summer course if you can wait, other wise were is the thrill of getting to your limit when you are on a week end course.

But, If you need money now...do it...

Actually you guys a right, I have not did not do the week end, but I was talking with a old reg who has now transfer to our unit. and he think it is not a good way to see if you are a good soldier from a week end. You know whatever happends, it will be over on sunday. and you will be able to sleep home.

I told him that it was not possible for every one to go and do 2 full time courses as their civvy job did not permit them to leave that long.

I kind of agree with him but not on all point.

I think It is still worth to do the full time, but I understand part time angle.

One more thing....


Some on who does his SQ part time and wish to transfer to the regs., the part time course is generally not credited. depending on your time done.
 
quick question here, is the high school coop program 4 periods or 2 periods, like all day or from 1200hrs to whenever? i'm in toronto and ive been hearing kind of both, just wanted the clarification.
 
I did both my BMQ and SQ on weekends.  It had its ups and downs.  For one, I was able to keep my "regular" income as I could work from Monday to Friday mornings.  It was a nice break from the stresses of the course, but it also allowed any injuries you have developed, to heal.

With both courses, it was not run every weekend.  The first portion of BMQ was alternating weekends; SQ was the same.  The problem with this is that with two weeks off, you start to forget things and you're not in the right mindset when you show up for the next weekend.  There was then a 5 day stretch between Christmas and New Years where we trained, followed by every Thursday night and all four weekends in January.  This was nice as you were always in the right mindset, and remembering what you had been taught was much easier.  However, it meant that between the civy job and the army I had not a single day off from December 26 to January 28.  (I know, I know, this is nothing for you reg force guys, but this post is directed at reservists: people with civy jobs or school, so please don't beat me  ;D ).

We were given one weekend off and then SQ started.  Again, the first few weekends were alternating.  The nice thing about a back to back BMQ and SQ was that many of the staff and students were the same.  However, it got really mixed up here.  Our weekend dates were changed: once to accomadate Cougar Salvo, and again because they didn't want us training over Easter (probably because the DS wanted Easter off).  As a result we had three weeks with no training, and there was some confusion as to when we would actually be training (I found out one weekend that training was cancelled about four hours before I had to leave).  Then came five straight weekends of training.  As before, one could keep the mindset much easier.  But, as before, I ended up without a day for a while...I think 41 days in this case.

Other things I've noticed with weekend courses -up to you whether they are good or bad points.

PT is a lot more interesting.  My BIQ was runs, rucks, stretcher PT and circuit training, and the actual PT itself lasted only 20 to 30 minutes.  Weekend courses:  PT was certain almost every Saturday and Sunday morning; it may have been cancelled once.  It lasted from 45 minutes to 1h 45m.  Anything from ruck marches through the city at 0530 (involving rucking over frozen sand) runs on the beach and into the freezing sea water followed by push-ups on the frozen concrete) to hauling 20 foot longs as a section on a 2 or 3km march.

The days run later: 0500 to between 2100-2200.  In WATC, we were done classes by 1700 and had nearly a full hour for dinner.  From about 1800-1900 to 2300 we were "on our own."  This happened very rarely on BMQ/SQ.  We also only got to sleep in once; on my BIQ, they often gave us an extra hour or hour and a half.

Its really hard to mess up an inspection.  You have much less to worry about: simply lay your stuff on your cot properly and take care of yourself.  No hospital corners, no locker inspections.  We never even did weapons layout.

As for a full time course: you can never be late.  Sure, you can miss timings, but you'll never show up late.  There's nothing worse on a weekend course that sitting in traffic Friday evening wonder whether or not you'll make it to the armoury on time.  You also don't have to worry about making plans for when you're done, like on a weekend course.  Nothing worse than thinking you'll be done at five only to be let out at seven and miss your dinner, party, etc., etc.  Also, no worries about trying to get let out early for something.

Full time courses generally offer more free time, and more personal time.  But this can be taken away just as easily as it is given.

As for injuries, there is no real downtime so minor injuries can turn serious, and that means a trip to the MIR and possible a trip home.  And almost everyone will get the shack hack.

I could probably add more, but I think I've taken up enough space.  One final point on weekend courses: its a great way to stretch out two 22 day courses to 8 months (October to May)!

But I wouldn't change how I did any of my DP1.
 
I know that BMQ is the same for all elements, but I haven't seen anybody talk about weekend BMQs for NavRes.  Are they there as well?  Also, is the weekend BMQ the same as the reg force BMQ (ie. if you CT will you have to redo it)?
 
tumbling dice...
You haven't tried the search funtion - have you ???
Has been asked and answered.
 
I did, just not the right search words.  I realize Naval Reserve BMQ is not done on weekends, but after searching through all the pages the best I got on res vs. reg force BMQ is that they are "roughly" the same.  Does anybody know if Naval Reserves BMQ is component transferable (if that's even a real phrase)?  Sorry about taking up the bandwidth.
 
NP. Majority of the time it's faster if not easier to obtain the info from your CFRC/D or NavRes unit.
 
I have spent quite a few hours on this site reading countless posts that gave me lots of information. I’m fresh out of the shacks from my first weekend of BMQ and I wanted to contribute my perspective of what went on. I have to admit that MedTechStudent’s recent topic encouraged me to post this, as I noticed a different pace at which material was introduced for our course. Any input of comparison or how and other recruits can improve would be more than appreciated.

Thank you for reading!

Night 1
Arrival at the base is a huge confusion, since a lot of people had not been informed to mark their equipment ahead of time. Although it was part of the instruction the next day to mark individual articles, marking the big three (Rucksack, Duffle, Kit-Box) so they are identifiable is crucial. A lot of time was wasted sorting through the heap of kit with no names, and this cut into our timings as the evening progressed. Of course the staff was barking at us the whole time, and stressing the majority of the crowd out – but hey, its their job to make us perform under pressure. Then was the administration stuff to take care of, that took a while. Nothing else significant for that night, just lights out, and probably the best chance to get some sleep for the weekend.

Day 1
Probably one of the best items to come prepared for the course was a cheap digital wristwatch with an alarm. It helps immensely with following our timings, and more importantly to wake up before the staff comes charging in, yelling at us to get out of the sack. Timings are short so showers had to be quick. Get in, soap up, rinse, get out. 60 seconds tops. To all those that take a good long shower, forget it. It will just put the rest of the group behind, and you will look like the scapegoat. But it is first day of course, so everybody learns. We spent a lot of time learning the very fundamentals of drill, had short but very good meals, sat through some introductory lectures, and spent more time on the basics of drill. It was evident right off that we had to work as a team, and everybody stepped up. Make sure buddy beside you doesn’t fall asleep, make sure buddy beside you is dressed properly, and make sure to help somebody else out if you are finished. We had a good little surprise “attack” by our course staff that night. Although it is important to know that we are a team, I have to admit watching a bunch of grown men get chased outside in their socks and t-shirts by a female staffer half their stature was amusing - only for them to get yelled at for not putting their full uniform on before coming outside.

Day 2
We had our first PT this morning. It was short and sweet, rather an introduction than anything. We also had our first inspection which was a little stressful. Although the teamwork was still in full gear, and we all checked each other’s bunks over a dozen times, it wasn’t hard for the staff to find our mistakes. And man, were there mistakes. I’m just glad they didn’t throw my bed in the air. After an even shorter breakfast – at least there is some surprisingly awesome chocolate milk – we spent even more time pounding out some basic drill. I don’t know if it is because of the staff, the regimental recruits we have, or because we have an officer cadet in our ranks, but we learned a lot of drill in our first weekend. But it was rather satisfying at the end of the day to march around the parade square and not make (too many) mistakes. After a good clean-up of the shacks, we were issued our box-dinner and shipped on the bus to go home and boast about all the good stories from the weekend.

 
I am starting my basic week 1 this Friday, so thanks for posting! It's funny when you talked about marking or labeling your kit because a few people have told me to do it. However, we received no instructions. Anyway, thanks for the update.
 
I'm currently on the 7th weekend of BMQ here in Quebec, and already there are some minor deviations (we didn't receive most kit until the 3rd week or so).

We were told that our serial, 0901, was a "trial" serial and that a lot of new exams and plans were being tried out. Among them was the removal of the Field Exercise and the addition of the 2nd level C7 qualifications.

Is your BMQ following the same plan RE: Field Ex/C7 COREN?

 
frostvelun,

    Thats interesting that your group wasn't issued kit until 3 weekends in. There were a handful of our guys that didn't have any kit issue this weekend; however, they had all been given rather short notice and their units did not have enough time to arrange an appointment with clothing stores.
    We were not "officially" told about field a field ex, or the C7 qualifications we would be acquiring. However, from what I gathered, from talking to the staff on their smoke breaks and from what they told us, we are including a field ex and we will not hitting up the range until the last couple weekends of our BMQ. This being said, I will try to remember to ask and or take a peek at the course calendar if I get a chance next weekend. Since we do have an officer cadet, and our course officer mentioned that there will be a rep from standards involved with our course, I would assume that it is going to follow whatever the traditional outline is.

ken_TO,

    Good luck this weekend! Just a little more information on where to label our items. Our course staff asked us to label the rucksack on the top of the back, the duffel bag along the button flap on the outside, and our box was where there was some discretion involved. There were about four different types of kit boxes issued to the recruits, so just make sure to put your name and last 3 of your SN somewhere easily distinguishable. Trust me, if you can find your kit quicker, than that gives you more time to help out another person find his. Give it your all, help out the other recruits, let other recruits help you out, and don't lolly-dag around and you should be just fine.
 
I'm an OCDT as well, actually (the only one in the platoon :P) but our BMQ standards are still messed, I think.

If your course is anything like ours, you should be issued a course calendar that explains the exact week-by-week schedule. If you wouldn't mind letting me know about the Field EX, etc when you receive one I would appreciate it very much.

Good luck on your course though. It isn't too bad, you just have to keep your head up and keep yourself and your section-mates motivated and it all comes together. :)
 
I just came back from my 4th weekend of BMQ and there are some differences from what you posted, but that's to be expected. No two BMQ courses are the same. From looking at my schedule, it seems the only time we go on a Field EX is near the end of SQ, with the exception of going to the rifle range but I don't think that counts.

My advice: stick with it no matter what. We lost a few people in the first weekend but no matter how bad it gets, never quit. Help your buddies out, don't half *** anything, and stay awake during class.  ;)   

at least there is some surprisingly awesome chocolate milk

I never drank the stuff before BMQ and now I love it.  ;D 
 
DreDre: I'm assuming you are currently on the weekend course in Connaught Ranges. I'm also going to take a guess and say your staying in the shacks.

Well I've done quite a bit of training and courses @ connaught so let me help you out.

  Right now its not to cold outside but once the temp gets low and the wind starts blowing ENSURE You stay warm. The problem with Connaught Ranges is ...well its a range. You have a massive field and during PT in the morning that field will blow the coldest air at you..its quite chilling actually. Depending on what your doing on PT dress appropriately because Connaught is notorious for its harsh winds. Also watch your step while marching/doing PT outside...Connaught also has random potholes on the floor.

  As for inspections what I can tell you is your never going to be "right" on BMQ. The point is to find mistakes and allow you to correct them and become a soldier. I know many of the staff instructing your course..there great soldiers and take everything they say in good..you will learn A LOT from them. Anyway A good way to at least impress staff during inspection is keep EVERYONE'S room tidy and THE SAME. If someones chair is on the table, than EVERYONE'S is..no exception. Try to get everyone to also have there uniforms tidy and boots as polished as they can get. Also ensure theres no dust ANYWHERE in your room, even on top of the closet..the staff will look there.

  Anyway i'm glad your enjoying your course. Remember this..week one in BMQ is always an intro, the real stuff really goes down in week 2.
 
dredre,

Good initiative on your part
I am looking forward to reading week 2
Keep us posted

Hey frostvelun,

Where is your BMQ?
I am in Quebec also, I am waiting for my medical and hoping to be in the winter BMQ, I can't wait!
 
the_girlfirend said:
Hey frostvelun,

Where is your BMQ?
I am in Quebec also, I am waiting for my medical and hoping to be in the winter BMQ, I can't wait!

We meet at Montreal Garrison and then head to St. Hubert for the weekend. I know this stands true for all of the Anglo units (CGG, RMR, Black Watch, etc) and a lot of the Francophone units as well. Our platoon is made up of two Anglo sections and two Franco sections but we really don't interact with the other language very often in the platoon.

There are a few guys from my unit who are headed on the winter BMQ as well, so maybe you'll meet some of them. The course is actually pretty fun sometimes.
 
Thank you for the reply, that is good to know
I live 5 minutes from the base in St-hubert... it will be weird if I do my BMQ over there...
my boyfriend will come scream my name along the fence to get me into trouble  ;D...
 
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