F3 The F3 Denver Field Guide · Part 06, continued
What's Expected of a Q
You have the script. This is the rest of it: the plan you write the night before, the way you lead out loud, and the men you are responsible for while you have the Q. Nobody expects all of it on your VQ. You grow into it a rep at a time.
Plan it the night before
A beatdown that gets invented in the parking lot feels like one. The plan is how a Q serves, not how he shows off:
- Write a Weinke A written plan with purpose. Exercises, reps, the order, and what you do if the group is bigger or smaller than you expect.
- Start on time, end on time Respect every man's morning. He has a job and a family waiting on the other side of this.
- Warm up, always A brief warm-o-rama prevents injury. Stretching happens before the beatdown, not instead of it.
- Know the ground Where you will run, where you will stop, and whether it is lit at that hour.
Commanding the PAX
A Q leads out loud. The craft is simple and learnable:
- Command voice Loud, energetic, crisp. Minimize wasted words. "Aaaand... exercise."
- Counting cadence Enforce PAX responses and counting; it builds involvement and keeps tempo.
- Manage transitions Keep partnering up, lining up, and moving locations tight. Dead air kills a beatdown.
- Keep the energy up The group takes its temperature from you. If you are flat at rep eleven, so is everyone else.
Nobody gets left
You are responsible for every man who showed up, not just the fast ones. This is the part that separates a Q from a guy calling exercises:
- Watch the six Know who is falling off the back and go get him. Loop back, call a rest, or shorten the run. Never let a man finish alone.
- Name a sweeper On a run or a ruck, somebody stays at the back on purpose. Safety with a name attached to it.
- Battle buddy every FNG Pair a new man with someone who will stay next to him the whole morning and tell him what everything is called.
- Modify out loud Give the easier version before a man has to ask for it. "If your shoulders are done, drop to your knees."
- Name a CPR Q Ask in the preamble, then make sure the group knows who he is.
The power of the Q
A strong Q creates energy, safety, encouragement, creativity, accountability, and inclusion. He leads with purpose and preparation, knows his PAX and serves them, and leaves no man behind. That's why the Q rotates: it's the leadership rep every man needs.
- The role Lead with purpose. Know your PAX. Create an environment for growth. Live the mission before, during, and after.
- The payoff A great Q can change a man's morning. A great leader can change a man's life.
Session two, in one line