Event Feedback : 6-7 July 2013: Dandeli Boot Camp

This was a boot camp I just could not miss mainly because I had missed the previous two and was regretting it. I was all geared up for Dandeli for the amazing place it is especially during the rainy seasons and it surely did not disappoint. The last thing I wanted is an injury before the camp which would ruin my training and foolishly enough that’s what I got, a stupid gym workout led to a sore muscle which almost made me miss the entire camp. Had to pop in all kinds of muscle relaxeand an injection to even make it to this camp let alone train. So there it was no training just me going to the camp and watch the others sweat it out.

The camp was fun right from the time we started from Bangalore from our train. We had the first taste of the nightmares we were going to face- Swanand’s songs! The stay was organized at Milind’s and as usual amazing food throughours t our stay. The first day we headed out kayaking and rafting, something I could do because it mainly involved only your upper body. It was an amazing session of kayaking we went out and did close to 40 minutes of it and everyone around were toppling, climbing back and also getting lost.

This was accompanied by swimming for some more time and the most awaited Rafting but only around the first rapid. I had done this before everything was the same nothing new until probably the raft just decided to overturn throwing us all out of the raft. For the next 10 seconds none of us knew where we were, the water just drifted us to different corneof the river. Here was the first glimpse of Frank Sir’s training which was shown to us by none other than Krystal. The raft was on her and I got the first look at her when she was being rescued and there was absolutely no panic under so much stress which I feel all of us are training to achieve. The rest of the group was scattered all over the surrounding 100 meters. The rafting was followed by an immediate no T shirt training session for which I was annoyingly a mere spectator.

An amazing training session of rolling, crawling, jumping and climbing was followed by customary bruises, all of which I missed. We headed back home and was followed by lunch and the island visit was up next. The island visit had beautiful backgrounds with a not so beautiful us. The training session was intense here at least to look at because again I was a mere spectator and was cursing myself for it. It included a lot of running and training in the water was difficult but fun. We had a photo shoot for some time and returned back home. It was an incredible day, filled with action, drama and loads of fun. The night we got words from Sir which always inspires us and makes us come back week in and week out.

The next day was a surprise as we just decided to train in a field and it turned out to be an intense ground fight with mud as the element. It turned out to be a brawl in the mud and an absolute treat to watch these guys fight it out. I so wanted to jump in but it was not meant to be. After cleaning up we headed for an other session of kayaking, this time less drama but more kayaking. Here I witnessed Ruth’s superior fitness and balance compared to any of us. We headed back and had a nice bath and it was rest time from then on. Finished accounting the payments to be made and headed back to the train station.

Nothing of this would have been any fun if it was not for the amazing group we had. I met Sir’s family for the first time and they are the friendliest people you can find. Right from the start Ma’am was very friendly and warm to us. It always felt like we have known her forever and this was what made the camp awesome because we never felt like we were new here. Krystal is how our current young generation of kids should be: Bold, daring and if I can say Sir- Franklin Joseph. Sujay sir and Ottilie Ma’am, you are one fun couple and two awesome people. The talks of the night will stay in Dandeli.

Next up was Swanand and Sanjay who helped me walk the entire time and sometimes also carried me. As much as I hate thanking Swanand I think he is someone we all look up to in class. He is someone we all want to be like. I feel lucky to train with him every week. Sanjay training spirit has the respect of all of us. I made new friends in the trip: Ruth, Kishore, Shishir and Prabhu. I thank you guys for making this such a memorable trip.

Frank Sir, I can’t wait for the next camp because this was something I will not forget. We all are what we are because of your training and what you impart to us. It is something I cannot explain in words. The confidence and belief you impart to us has made us stick on to you. We will carry this organization through. Jai Hind.

When I heard the words “Boot camp”. The first thing that came to my mind is “Army Training”.

It was tough, but thankfully this boot camp included a fair share of fun as well. We trained in rain, water, mud and god knows what else.

But at the end of the day we enjoyed it.

Frank sir made sure that we had fun during and after training as well. Overall, it was a great experience and a memorable trip.

Training in nature is a very unique idea because the surprise element in nature is same or greater than the surprise element that happens in a crime situation. Training in nature tests and extends our patience since we might have to deal with situations where we are helpless and need to come out of situations all by ourselves.

Coming to the two day wonderful boot camp organized by Frank sir, mud fighting, trekking and running on hills, Kayaking, Rafting and Krav maga training in nature are very unique experiences I had. It was a learning experience and the lessons learnt like shock management, dealing with fears and stress in Krav maga class are actually put to test.

For two day camp in Dandeli we were put up in a home stay which offered us unlimited and delicious food to cope up with the rigor of the program. Outside training time Frank sir and his family mixed well with the students like family members and shared many lighter moments. Overall a very memorable experience for lifetime. Thanks for giving us this opportunity Frank sir.

It was great and fun to train in nature and participate in the water activities.
I want to thank once again all of the people that were there and specially, Shashank and Sanjay. All the best.