Introduction: As a result of a single spinal injury seen at Frimley Park Hospital, we reviewed the injuries recorded at the Army School of Physical Training since December 1996.

Patients and methods: This was a retrospective review of all acute accidents and injuries recorded in the Accident Book since its inception.

Results: Over 75% of the injuries that were serious enough to result in soldiers having their training terminated were as a direct result of gymnastic events such as vaulting, trampolining and somersaults. These events were also responsible for most of the small number of career-threatening injuries.

Conclusions: This raises questions about the inclusion of gymnastic events in course training programmes, especially when considering its relevance to army training in general.