The first thing the soldiers were taught to do, was to march.
The historian Vegetius tells us that it was seen as of greatest
importance to the Roman army that its soldiers could march at
speed. Any army which would be split up by stragglers at the
back or soldiers trundling along at differing speeds would be
vulnerable to attack. Hence right from the beginning the Roman
soldier was trained to march in line and to keep the army a
compact fighting unit on the move. For this, we are told by
Vegetius, during the summer months the soldiers were to be
marched twenty Roman miles (18.4 miles/29.6 km), which had to be
completed in five hours. A further part of basic military
training was also physical exercise. Vegetius mentions running,
long and high jump and carrying heavy packs. During the summer
swimming was also a part of training. If their camp was near the
sea, a lake or river, every recruit was made to swim. Legionary
in Practice Next in line, after the training for marching and
fitness, came the training of