History TrainingFromHell / RealLife

* The sport of gymnastics is infamous for this. Perhaps the most heartbreaking story is that of 1970s-era Soviet gymnast [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErTP5-1K9x4 Elena Mukhina,]] who came out of nowhere at the relatively advanced age of seventeen to [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcJ4DdfBc8A completely dominate the 1978 World Championships]]. Mukhina pioneered skills so far ahead of her time that, two decades later, her balance beam dismount from that Championships would be used by Chinese gymnast Liu Xuan to win Olympic gold -- and this in a sport where five years can render a routine obsolete on the world stage. In 1979, the Soviets were still reeling from Romanian phenom Nadia Comaneci's dominance in Montreal, and with the 1980 Olympic Games scheduled for Moscow, it was paramount to them that they regain their supremacy in the world of gymnastics. As a result, Mukhina, who had suffered a broken leg, was pressured back into training long before she had healed, put on a brutal diet, and pushed to her breaking point. With the Soviets desperate to win at any cost and Mukhina hailed as their best hope for victory, she was forced to include increasingly dangerous skills in her routines -- including the Thomas salto, a complicated floor skill that ends in a 3/4 forward flip into a forward roll. It was almost never performed by women, who simply don't have the power to attain the height needed to complete the skill safely; even the smallest over- or under-rotation could mean catastrophic injury or death.[[note]]This skill would later be banned for women altogether.[[/note]] Mukhina pleaded with her coaches to remove the skill from her routine, saying that she would surely break her neck attempting it, but they would not be swayed, declaring that she needed the astronomical difficulty to challenge for all-around gold. Just two weeks before the Games, however, Mukhina's prediction came true. Weak and exhausted, she under-rotated the salto. Her spine snapped, and she was rendered instantly quadruplegic less than a month after her twentieth birthday. She later said that her first thought as she lay on the floor was, "Thank God, I won't have to go to the Olympics."[[note]]In the end, it was Mukhina's best friend and training partner, Elena Davydova, who would win all-around gold in Moscow. Davydova remained very close with Mukhina until Mukhina passed away in 2006.[[/note]]

* The sport of gymnastics is infamous for this. Perhaps the most heartbreaking story is that of 1970s-era Soviet gymnast [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErTP5-1K9x4 Elena Mukhina,]] who came out of nowhere at the relatively advanced age of seventeen to [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcJ4DdfBc8A completely dominate the 1978 World Championships]]. Mukhina pioneered skills so far ahead of her time that, two decades later, her balance beam dismount from that Championships would be used by Chinese gymnast Liu Xuan to win Olympic gold -- and this in a sport where five years can render a routine obsolete on the world stage. In 1979, the Soviets were still reeling from Romanian phenom Nadia Comaneci's dominance in Montreal, and with the 1980 Olympic Games scheduled for Moscow, it was paramount to them that they regain their supremacy in the world of gymnastics. As a result, Mukhina, who had suffered a broken leg, was pressured back into training long before she had healed, put on a brutal diet, and pushed to her breaking point. With the Soviets desperate to win at any cost and Mukhina hailed as their best hope for victory, she was forced to include increasingly dangerous skills in her routines -- including the Thomas salto, a complicated floor skill that ends in a 3/4 forward flip into a forward roll. It was almost never performed by women, who simply don't have the power to attain the height needed to complete the skill safely; even the smallest over- or under-rotation could mean catastrophic injury or death.[[note]]This skill would later be banned for women altogether.[[/note]] Mukhina pleaded with her coaches to remove the skill from her routine, saying that she would surely break her neck attempting it, but they would not be swayed, declaring that she needed the astronomical difficulty to challenge for all-around gold. Just two weeks before the Games, however, Mukhina's prediction came true. Weak and exhausted, she under-rotated the salto. Her spine snapped, and she was rendered instantly quadruplegic less than a month after her twentieth birthday. She later said that her first thought as she lay on the floor was, "Thank God, I won't have to go to the Olympics."

* The [=SEALs=]. Two words. Hell Week: 132 hours of continuous physical activity. No, that is not an exaggeration. During Week 4 of SEAL training, applicants get only 3--4 hours of sleep. No, not 3--4 hours a day. 3--4 hours of sleep ''in that 132 hour period.'' In addition they are beaten by their instructors and undergo surf torture (a full body workout after being forced to lie in 65 degree water). (Still, these ''are'' the guys who managed to take out Osama Bin Laden. You can't argue with success.)

* The sport of gymnastics is infamous for this. Perhaps the most heartbreaking story is that of 1970s-era Soviet gymnast [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErTP5-1K9x4 Elena Mukhina,]] who came out of nowhere at the relatively advanced age of seventeen to [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcJ4DdfBc8A completely dominate the 1978 World Championships]]. She was hailed by the Soviets as the answer to Romanian phenom Nadia Comaneci, pioneering skills so far ahead of her time that, two decades later, her balance beam dismount from that Championships would be used by Chinese gymnast Liu Xuan to win Olympic gold -- and this in a sport where five years can make a routine obsolete internationally. In 1979, the Soviets were still reeling from Comaneci's dominance in Montreal, and with the 1980 Games scheduled for Moscow, it was paramount to them that they regain their supremacy in the world of gymnastics. As a result, Mukhina, after suffering a broken leg, was pressured back into training long before she had healed, put on a brutal diet, and pushed to her breaking point. With the Soviets desperate to win at any cost, she was forced to include increasingly dangerous skills in her routines -- including the Thomas salto, a complicated floor skill that ends in a 3/4 forward flip into a forward roll. It was almost never performed by women, who simply don't have the power to attain the height needed to complete the skill safely; even the smallest over- or under-rotation could mean catastrophic injury or death.[[note]]This skill would later be banned for women altogether.[[/note]] Mukhina pleaded with her coaches to remove the skill from her routine, saying that she would surely break her neck attempting it, but they would not be swayed, declaring that she needed the astronomical difficulty to challenge for all-around gold. Just two weeks before the Games, barely a month after her twentieth birthday, Mukhina's prediction came true. Weak and exhausted, she under-rotated the salto. Her spine snapped, and she was rendered instantly quadruplegic. She later said that her first thought as she lay on the floor was, "Thank God, I won't have to go to the Olympics."

* The sport of gymnastics is infamous for this. Perhaps the most heartbreaking story is that of 1970s-era Soviet gymnast [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErTP5-1K9x4 Elena Mukhina,]] who came out of nowhere at the relatively advanced age of seventeen to [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcJ4DdfBc8A completely dominate the 1978 World Championships]]. She was hailed by the Soviets as the answer to Romanian phenom Nadia Comaneci, pioneering skills so far ahead of her time that, two decades later, her balance beam dismount from that Championships would be used by Chinese gymnast Liu Xuan to win Olympic gold -- and this in a sport where five years can make a routine obsolete internationally. In 1979, the Soviets were still reeling from Comaneci's dominance in Montreal, and with the 1980 Games scheduled for Moscow, it was paramount to them that they regain their supremacy in gymnastics. As a result, Mukhina, after suffering a broken leg, was pressured back into training long before she had healed, put on a brutal diet, and pushed to her breaking point. She was forced to include increasingly dangerous skills in her routines -- including the Thomas salto, a complicated floor skill that ends in a 3/4 forward flip into a forward roll. It was almost never performed by women, who simply don't have the power to attain the height needed to complete the skill safely, and even the smallest over- or under-rotation could mean catastrophic injury or death.[[note]]This skill would later be banned for women altogether.[[/note]] Mukhina pleaded with her coaches to remove the skill from her routine, saying that she would surely break her neck attempting it, but they would not be swayed, declaring that she needed the astronomical difficulty to challenge for all-around gold. Just two weeks before the Games, barely a month after her twentieth birthday, Mukhina's prediction came true. Weak and exhausted, she under-rotated the salto. Her spine snapped, and she was rendered instantly quadruplegic. She later said that her first thought as she lay on the floor was, "Thank God, I won't have to go to the Olympics."

* The sport of gymnastics is infamous for this. Perhaps the most heartbreaking story is that of 1970s-era Soviet gymnast [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErTP5-1K9x4 Elena Mukhina,]] who came out of nowhere at the relatively advanced age of seventeen to [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcJ4DdfBc8A completely dominate the 1978 World Championships]]. She was hailed by the Soviets as the answer to Romanian phenom Nadia Comaneci, and pioneered skills so far ahead of her time that, two decades later, her balance beam dismount from that Championships would be used by Chinese gymnast Liu Xuan to win Olympic gold -- and this in a sport where five years can make a routine uncompetitive on the world level. In 1979, the Soviets were still reeling from Comaneci's dominance in Montreal, and with the 1980 Games scheduled for Moscow, it was paramount to them that they regain their supremacy in gymnastics. As a result, Mukhina, after suffering a broken leg, was pressured back into training long before she had healed, put on a brutal diet, and pushed to her breaking point. She was forced to include increasingly dangerous skills in her routines -- including the Thomas salto, a complicated floor skill that ends in a 3/4 forward flip into a forward roll. It was almost never performed by women, who simply don't have the power to attain the height needed to complete the skill safely, and even the smallest over- or under-rotation could mean catastrophic injury or death.[[note]]This skill would later be banned for women altogether.[[/note]] Mukhina pleaded with her coaches to remove the skill from her routine, saying that she would surely break her neck attempting it, but they would not be swayed, declaring that she needed the astronomical difficulty to challenge for all-around gold. Just two weeks before the Games, Mukhina's prediction came true -- she under-rotated the salto. Her spine snapped, and she was rendered instantly quadruplegic. She later said that her first thought as she lay on the floor was, "Thank God, I won't have to go to the Olympics."

* The sport of gymnastics is infamous for this. Perhaps the most heartbreaking story is that of 1970s-era Soviet gymnast [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErTP5-1K9x4 Elena Mukhina,]] who came out of nowhere at the relatively advanced age of seventeen to [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcJ4DdfBc8A completely dominate the 1978 World Championships]]. She was hailed by the Soviets as the answer to Romanian phenom Nadia Comaneci, and pioneered skills so far ahead of her time that, two decades later, her balance beam dismount from that Championships would be used by Chinese gymnast Liu Xuan to win Olympic gold on the balance beam -- and this in a sport where five years can make a routine uncompetitive on the world level. In 1979, the Soviets were still reeling from Comaneci's dominance in Montreal, and with the 1980 Games scheduled for Moscow, it was paramount to them that they regain their place as the premiere gymnastics country in the world. As a result, Mukhina, after suffering a broken leg, was pressured back into training long before she had healed, put on a brutal diet, and pushed to her breaking point. She was forced to include increasingly dangerous skills in her routines -- including the Thomas salto, a complicated floor skill that ends in a 3/4 forward flip into a forward roll. It was almost never performed by women, who simply don't have the power to attain the height needed to complete the skill safely, and even the smallest over- or under-rotation could mean catastrophic injury or death.[[note]]This skill would later be banned for women altogether.[[/note]] Mukhina pleaded with her coaches to remove the skill from her routine, saying that she would surely break her neck attempting it, but they would not be swayed, declaring that she needed the astronomical difficulty to challenge for all-around gold. Just two weeks before the Games, Mukhina's prediction came true -- she under-rotated the salto. Her spine snapped, and she was rendered instantly quadruplegic. She later said that her first thought as she lay on the floor was, "Thank God, I won't have to go to the Olympics."

* For a non-military example, learning how to be a professional traditional animator is this. There is a reason a Disney regular said it's easier to become a professional league basketball player than it is to be an animator worthy of working at any studio like Disney. To begin with, it requires absolute top-tier knowledge of drawing articulation in ''all'' forms of art (merely drawing in the Disney style or their characters proficiently or just drawing in a cartoon style will ''not'' cut the mustard--when legendary animator RichardWilliams first attempted to get a job at Disney, with his drawings of Disney characters being at Roger Rabbit level, he was promptly brushed off by a story artist and told to ''really'' learn how to draw--which resulted in him being told by another art instructor to go to the library and study Albrecht Durer for two years straight, which prompted him to abandon his animation desire for years and take up painting. And Richard himself has claimed it takes as long to train a pro animator as it does to train a diamond cutter--at least ten years of learning just about every form of art, both in drawing, painting, acting, theater, music, even the basics and advanced techniques of traditional animation, and much more (and by proxy, all of this practically mandates that a traditional animator be completely culturally literate). And to give an idea of how much dedication it takes to get there, one Disney artist, Mike Gabriel, spent the better part of a decade of getting solid art training, [[TheDeterminator drawing three to six hours a day every day]] studying Michelangelo, Leonardo, Burne Hogarth, and thousands of Muybridge photos and then lots of life drawing, being turned down many times before Disney finally gave him the nod. And that's not even counting learning the technical know how of working in computer animation, which is basically ''mandatory knowledge'' for anyone wanting to work in a modern studio.

* For a non-military example, learning how to be a professional traditional animator is this. There is a reason a Disney regular said it's easier to become a professional league basketball player than it is to be an animator worthy of working at any studio like Disney. To begin with, it requires absolute top-tier knowledge of drawing articulation in ''all'' forms of art (merely drawing in the Disney style or their characters proficiently or just drawing in a cartoon style will ''not'' cut the mustard--when legendary animator RichardWilliams first attempted to get a job at Disney, with his drawings of Disney characters being at Roger Rabbit level, he was promptly brushed off by a story artist and told to ''really'' learn how to draw--specifically, told to go to the library and study Albrecht Durer for two years straight. And Richard himself has claimed it takes as long to train a pro animator as it does to train a diamond cutter--at least ten years of learning just about every form of art, both in drawing, painting, acting, theater, music, even the basics and advanced techniques of traditional animation, and much more (and by proxy, all of this practically mandates that a traditional animator be completely culturally literate). And to give an idea of how much dedication it takes to get there, one Disney artist, Mike Gabriel, spent the better part of a decade of getting solid art training, [[TheDeterminator drawing three to six hours a day every day]] studying Michelangelo, Leonardo, Burne Hogarth, and thousands of Muybridge photos and then lots of life drawing, being turned down many times before Disney finally gave him the nod. And that's not even counting learning the technical know how of working in computer animation, which is basically ''mandatory knowledge'' for anyone wanting to work in a modern studio.

* For a non-military example, learning how to be a professional traditional animator is this. There is a reason a Disney regular said it's easier to become a professional league basketball player than it is to be an animator worthy of working at any studio like Disney. To begin with, it requires absolute top-tier knowledge of drawing articulation in ''all'' forms of art (merely drawing in the Disney style or their characters proficiently or just drawing in a cartoon style will ''not'' cut the mustard--when legendary animator RichardWilliams first attempted to get a job at Disney, with his drawings of Disney characters being at Roger Rabbit level, he was promptly brushed off by a story artist and told to ''really'' learn how to draw--specifically, told to go to the library and study Albrecht Durer for two years straight. And Richard himself has claimed it takes as long to train a pro animator as it does to train a diamond cutter--at least ten years of learning just about every form of art, both in drawing, painting, acting, theater, music, even the basics and advanced techniques of traditional animation, and much more (and by proxy, all of this practically mandates that a traditional animator be completely culturally literate). And to give an idea of how much dedication it takes to get there, one Disney artist spent the better part of ''15 years'' of getting solid art training, [[TheDeterminator drawing three to six hours a day every day]], being turned down many times before Disney finally let him work there. And that's not even counting learning the technical know how of working in computer animation, which is basically ''mandatory knowledge'' for anyone wanting to work in a modern studio.

* For a non-military example, learning how to be a professional traditional animator is this. There is a reason a Disney regular said it's easier to become a professional league basketball player than it is to be an animator worthy of working at any studio like Disney. To begin with, it requires absolute top-tier knowledge of drawing articulation in ''all'' forms of art (merely drawing in the Disney style or their characters proficiently or just drawing in a cartoon style will ''not'' cut the mustard--when legendary animator RichardWilliams first attempted to get a job at Disney, with his drawings of Disney characters being at Roger Rabbit level, he was promptly brushed off by a story artist and told to ''really'' learn how to draw--specifically, told to go to the library and study Albrecht Durer for two years straight. And Richard himself has claimed it takes as long to train a pro animator as it does to train a diamond cutter--at least ten years of learning just about every form of art, both in drawing, painting, acting, theater, music, even the basics and advanced techniques of traditional animation, and much more. And to give an idea of how much dedication it takes to get there, one Disney artist spent the better part of ''15 years'' of getting solid art training, [[TheDeterminator drawing three to six hours a day every day]], being turned down many times before Disney finally let him work there. And that's not even counting learning the technical know how of working in computer animation, which is basically ''mandatory knowledge'' for anyone wanting to work in a modern studio.

* During Vietnam, Marine recruits in the east side of the country were sent to Parris Island. Gustav Hasford makes note of how hard it was in ''The Short-Timers'' and the film based on the book, ''FullMetalJacket''. One year before those take place, an assistant drill Sergeant managed to kill six people during a mud run[[hottip:*:It should be noted, this remains a controversial example, as outside examination posits that proper supervision by training staff would have prevented these unnecessary deaths]].

* A very downplayed, but possibly one with higher impact, is one of high schools in RedChina. To quote CramSchool: "[...]there are no cram schools in the usual sense in Mainland China. As high school funding in China is directly proportional to college admission rates and the prestige of the colleges the students get into, high schools have the incentive to be the cram school ''too''." Well, officially every school day has 8 periods of 55 minutes each, plus an hour of lunch break, but for most schools there's one period before, and several hours after school there are compulsory Study Halls, and school ends at ''nine''. God forbid if that is a BoardingSchool; many of the practice will be considered as child abuse in the West: sleep allowed for less than eight hours, homegoing only allowed twice a month, etc. Since EveryoneHaveStandards, and even in China start to wonder if this is training ground for amoral CombatPragmatists...\\

* A very downplayed, but possibly one with higher impact, is one of high schools in RedChina. To quote CramSchool: "[...]there are no cram schools in the usual sense in Mainland China. As high school funding in China is directly proportional to college admission rates and the prestige of the colleges the students get into, high schools have the incentive to be the cram school ''too''. Well, officially every school day has 8 periods of 55 minutes each, plus an hour of lunch break, but for most schools there's one period before, and several periods after school that are compulsory Study Halls, and school ends at ''nine''. God forbid if that is a BoardingSchool; many of the practice will be considered as child abuse in the West: sleep allowed for less than eight hours, homegoing only allowed twice a month, etc. Since EveryoneHaveStandards, and even in China start to wonder if this is training ground for amoral CombatPragmatists...\\

* A very downplayed, but possibly one with higher impact, is one of high schools in RedChina. To quote CramSchool: "[...]there are no cram schools in the usual sense in Mainland China. As high school funding in China is directly proportional to college admission rates and the prestige of the colleges the students get into, high schools have the incentive to be the cram school ''too''. Well, officially every school day has 8 periods of 55 minutes each, plus an hour of lunch break, but for most schools there's one period before, and several periods after school that are compulsory Study Halls, and school ends at ''nine''. God forbid if that is a BoardingSchool; many of the practice will be considered as child abuse in the West: sleep allowed for less than eight hours, homegoing only allowed twice a month, etc. Let us talk about [[http://ednewschina.com/?p=723 Hengshui High School]], Hengshui, Hebei, who was became memetic in this regard:
-->''I wake up at 5:30 every morning and am required to be out of the dorm by 5:45. I grab my books and go to gather at the track. After jogging[[note]]Hengshui High's [[http://v.ku6.com/show/CPHZtv-LwM4HqrhdsMXh0w...html memetic squadron run]][[/note]] ends, all classes are required to run up the stairs to their morning study sessions. At 6:38, the more than 80 students in my class all vacate the classroom in a matter of seconds (of course there are a seven or eight who don’t go to eat), just so they can get breakfast, since we have to be back in class before 7 to begin [study hall]. If we leave the classroom later than this, with being stuck in the crowded hall for 5 minutes, standing in line for 5 minutes, and 7 minutes to get there and back, we have at most 3 minutes for breakfast. I’ve been living at Hengshui for three months, and now I understand what human purgatory is.''\\
Well, PeopleHaveStandards, and even in China start to wonder if this is training ground for amoral CombatPragmatists...

** The most notorious failed Royal Marines officer candidate was Prince Edward, Duke of Wessex, who wimped out, much to the disgust of his father (a WW2 combat veteran in the Royal Navy).

** The final test [[SarcasmMode is]] [[TheSpartanWay just]] [[ThisIsGonnaSuck lovely.]] It starts with a 10km (6mi) march which must be completed in under two hours. Hopefuls must run through uphille and downhill through various obstacles like mud, water, sand, dirt, and whatever else happens to be in the way. You are given MASKA titanium helmet, AK-74M, and a heavy bullet proof vest with plates. This comes out to easily more than 60 pounds (27Kg) before ammo and ruck. During the march, you will be shot at, explosives will be detonated very close to you. And there will be a simulated chemically infected area, where you have to use gas masks while running or carrying your buddy for 2-3km (~1.5mi). You will also perform a series of tough physical exercises, such as duck walking up hills, doing endless pushups, and you never know when they will stop, nor when they will start.

** Without any breaks again, you will be tested on your capability to accurately firing various weapons. You do this while you are already tired and exhausted. They are the AK-74M, PKM, SVD, RPG-7, AGS-17, and more. You have to do this while fully outfitted and moving from a variety of distances and ranges.

* From the world of sports: Chinese sports academies. They scour the country for children with athletic talent, then sweep them up into the academy system (typically well before their tenth birthday). At the academies, they do Nothing. But. Train. For ''years''. I mean, they get some basic schooling, but every possible moment is devoted to the sport they were selected for. They don't get out until they see that sport's version of success -- if they make it that far. Many -- if not most -- burn out or prove to be unfit for the Big Time.
** This is a controversial example ''at best''. Chinese academies give those children who are talented a way of building on that talent in addition to their schooling, instead of soft UK-style (I live in the UK, before you ask) 'nurturing', where essentially you will always fail to reach any kind of elite level unless you have an EXTREME aptitude for the sport (or a boatload of cash from your rich parents for the best trainers -- that always helps). Hopefully one day all countries will take sporting excellence as seriously as the US or China.