[recruits screaming]
Narrator: This is the confidence course
at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot
in Parris Island, South Carolina.
Narrator: Recruits attack the course
during week two of training...
Drill instructor: Get down!
Narrator: And must negotiate 15 obstacles,
which test them both physically and mentally,
requiring a combination of focus, coordination,
and, of course, confidence.
Recruit: You stay, I go.
Drill instructor: No, "I go, you stay."
Recruit: I go, you stay.
Michele Arnone: If they don't have confidence,
they can't really make any sound decisions.
If they're not confident in anything that they're doing
or they're thinking,
they might have a lot of missteps and slipups,
and it would affect things on the battlefront.
Drill instructor: In place, double time.
Recruits: In place, double time.
Drill instructor: Three, two, double time.
Recruits: Three, two, double time.
Narrator: On day 12 of boot camp,
recruits gather before dawn
in a compound known as Leatherneck Square,
where drill instructors go over proper
and safe execution of each obstacle.
Drill instructor: You're going right below
the top log, understand?
Recruits: Aye, sir.
Narrator: There's no set order
of obstacles on the course.
Groups of recruits start on different obstacles
and work until all of them have been attempted,
usually taking a few hours.
Many of the obstacles require pure strength,
especially in the core and upper body,
like on the difficult Reverse Climb.
Each group is monitored by a drill instructor
who has succeeded in each of the 15 challenges.
Drill instructor: Let's go. Go, go, go, go.
Say something back. Recruit: Aye, sir!
Narrator: And it's up to the instructor to determine
if a recruit is unable to safely complete the obstacle.
Drill instructor: You're on the first floor!
Narrator: In which case the recruit
is ordered to move on.
Drill instructor: Get your armpit up there.
Do it. Chicken wing, chicken wing, chicken wing.
I'm tired of watching you freaking fail.
You fail this event.
Nope, just grab your canteen and go.
You fail this event.
Recruit: May this recruit have one more try, sir?
Drill instructor: What did I just say?
Recruit: Aye, sir.
Drill instructor: What did I just say?!
Recruit: Aye, sir. Drill instructor: Go!
Recruit: Aye, sir!
Narrator: Some obstacles offer a purely physical test.
But others, like the Stairway to Heaven,
force recruits to slow down and contemplate each move.
The obstacle is 30 feet high,
and recruits aren't given any safety ropes or harnesses.
They go up and over and then back down
using communication along the way
to make sure they get down safely.
Recruit: I go, you stay.
Recruit: You go...wait, what?
Recruit: I stay, you go.
Recruit: I go, you stay.
Recruit: I stay, you go.
Recruit: Ready step? Recruit: Step together.
Christine Shealy: A lot of them are scared, they're timid.
So in preparation for that,
we build their confidence a little early on.
I think it helps them to see us demo it,
but it's different actually doing it.
It's gonna become like second nature.
It'll help them transition through boot camp.
It'll build their confidence
so when the other things come along, they'll be like,
"Hey, it might be hard, but I can still do it."
Narrator: One of the most challenging obstacles
on the confidence course is appropriately known
as Tough One, which provides another opportunity
for recruits to descend from a height of 30 feet.
That's if they can make it to the top.
Recruits must engage their hamstrings to ascend a rope
and then use substantial upper-body strength
to overcome a challenging climb
onto the obstacle's upper level.
Only then can they make their descent.
Kelvin Matta: You overcome this amazing obstacle,
and you're like, "Wow, you know, that was pretty tough,
but, hey, not too bad."
Narrator: Recruits aren't graded or scored
on the confidence course
like they are on the physical fitness test, or PFT.
It's simply an exercise in building confidence and strength.
Aswad Prim: This is the time where a lot of them gonna
find out where their shortfalls or whatnot are at.
A lot of them don't know that they can actually
maneuver the obstacle course.
It's to build their confidence,
do some things that they didn't think they could.
Drill instructor: Go low.
Recruit: Aye, sir!
Narrator: One of the signature obstacles
on the confidence course is the Slide for Life.
Recruits must slide all the way down a 90-foot-long rope
stretched out diagonally.
At its highest point, the rope is suspended 25 feet
over a small pond.
Drill instructor: Start sliding down the rope!
Narrator: They start their descent in a prone position,
but their journey is interrupted by a drill instructor.
Drill instructor: Lane two. Recruit: Aye, sir.
Drill instructor: Roll over. Recruit: Aye, sir.
Narrator: Who orders the recruit to roll over.
And after a few moments...
Drill instructor: Lane two. Recruit: Aye, sir.
Drill instructor: Come to a complete dead hang.
Recruit: Aye, sir.
Narrator: The recruits are ordered to drop their legs
from the rope and swing freely
in what's called a dead hang,
holding on with just their hands.
Drill instructor: Now put your legs up facing that way.
Narrator: After a few moments, the recruits
must use their core strength to swing their legs
back up onto the rope to continue their descent.
Drill instructor: Try harder, guys.
Recruit: Aye, sir! [grunts]
Narrator: But for some recruits,
this part isn't always easy.
Some attempt to use a pedaling motion
to generate the momentum they need
to get their legs back up to the rope.
But it doesn't always work.
Drill instructor: Get your feet up!
Recruit: Aye, sir!
Narrator: Drill instructors allow the recruits
a few attempts to get their feet back up on the rope.
But their patience is limited.
And for recruits who fail to do it,
there's only one alternative.
Drill instructor: Lane one, lane two, drop in the water now.
Recruits: Aye, sir.
Drill instructor: Drop in the water now.
[orchestral music]
Matta: That one wears you down completely,
'cause it's upper body and core and lower body.
That kills you, especially if you're tall,
you feel all your weight just go straight down
to your ankles when you're trying to switch positions,
and getting your foot back up there ain't that easy.
Narrator: Recruits that don't make it very far
down the slide for life get to fall into a safety net,
but they don't get to stay dry.
Failing this obstacle means you get wet no matter what.
Matta: If I fall from this obstacle and land in the water,
I'm gonna be wearing desert cammies,
and everyone's gonna know I fell in the water.
Narrator: This won't be the last chance
recruits get to navigate the confidence course.
They'll return around week nine to give it another try.
Prim: The second time they come through here,
they're gonna come with a lot more confidence.
They've been training; their bodies are more in shape;
they're more attuned to actually execute the obstacles.
From a mental aspect, they already got it,
they just don't know they got it.
But that second time around,
it's like they actually gonna put it to use,
and it's like they have something to prove.