The Military Pentathlon has its origin in military training. The top priority was the challenge of producing effective fighters with new training methods.

Changing the regulations and improving the competition sites and the equipment, has resulted in a type of sport that does not need to fear competition with civilian polyathletic competitions. Considering the many-sided demands made on the competitors, the Military Pentathlon is without doubt a prominent one amongst polyathletic competitions. It is comparable with the Decathlon, the Modern Pentathlon or the Triathlon.

The combination of:

• concentration and strong nerves for the rifle shooting (especially 10 shoots in 1 minute!)
• the ability, to tolerate an enormous muscle hyperacidity as it is the case with the 800 m runners; and also the take-off-power, agility and last but not least courage and the will to take risks in the 500m obstacle race,
• precise micromotoric and the ability to concentrate totally at precision throwing and the explosive power that a javelin thrower needs for the long distance throw
• above average endurance and willpower at the final 8000m cross-country race
• makes great demands on the sportsmotoric ability, concentration and the competitors psychomoral.

By way of explanation here are some comparisons:

• Successful marksmen in the Military Pentathlon get results up to 590 and more rings in the English Match (where 600 is the best).
• The best runners in the obstacle race are able to cover 800 m in approx. 1:50 minutes.
• The best time of the best obstacle swimmer in the 100 m freestyle competition is around 54 seconds.
• For a successful thrower in Military Pentathlon distances with a javelin between 65-75 m are realistic, provided they have good technical training.
• If one wants to establish himself at the top in the 8000 m Cross-country race, it is necessary to have a best time of 14:30 minutes for 5000 m on the track.

The best performances in the five disciplines rise continuously with regard to the athletic ability of the competitors each year. Improvements are especially noticeable in the long distance throwing, obstacle race and the endurance of the competitors. However the winner will not be the specialist in one or two disciplines, but only the perfect polyathlete, who reaches the highest possible performance in all five disciplines.