Yair, 19, from Jerusalem, joined Hamador Combat Fitness in Rishon Lezion three years ago. Today, he studies at the Bnei David pre-military academy in Eli and is slated to enlist next March in an elite combat unit.
“I believe this is my time to contribute to my country in the best possible way,” he said. “I want to reach the highest level in the army. I want to protect the next generation, defend my people so another disaster doesn’t happen to us.”
Yair is one of many Israeli teens who choose to begin training for military service as early as high school. Programs like Hamador Combat Fitness offer physical and mental training for boys and girls before enlistment, helping them prepare for demanding combat service.
The grueling workouts do not deter them. On the contrary, Yair said, they push teens to arrive at the IDF as ready as possible. “Everyone has their own ‘why.’ For me, October 7 made my ‘why’ much deeper. I understand there’s an enemy who knows who I am and wants to destroy me.” Two of Yair’s brothers fought on that day as well.
His comments come as new enlistment data from July–August showed that recruitment to all combat units surpassed 100%. Each draft cycle, the army sets quotas for how many soldiers it needs per unit, deliberately overbooking to account for those who may refuse their placement or fail training. According to the data, the turnout was impressive across the board.
Since the war began, Yair said, his training groups have nearly doubled. “The numbers almost doubled. You can see in everyone’s eyes that the country matters to them.”
'The army in this country is sacred'
As a religious Zionist student in Eli, he describes military service as both sacred and a duty. “For me, the army in this country is sacred. It’s a mitzvah to serve in the IDF. God willing, I’ll become a commander and contribute to the people of Israel in the best way possible. At my academy, 29 graduates have fallen in this war. We learn about them and talk about them; there’s even a memorial room. Emmanuel Moreno, Roi Klein and Hadar Goldin also studied here — big names I draw inspiration from and identify with their values.”
Roni, 17, from Rishon Lezion, also joined Krav Maga Fitness Division more than a year ago. After passing flight school exams, she will begin the prestigious course in January.
She started the program after October 7 and now trains twice weekly in group sessions and another two or three times independently at home. “Whether we like it or not, the war affected us all. For me, it made me realize: if not me, then who? You can’t think others will do it, that they’ll carry the responsibility for the country’s security. On the contrary, I want to carry that responsibility. I want to take on the hard missions and defend my people and my country.”
Beyond the physical progress, Roni said the mental fortitude she developed has been transformative. “The mental shift became part of my personality, how I function day to day. When I push myself out of my comfort zone, doing things I don’t want to do but know must be done — that’s what changed me most.”
Looking at her peers, she sees the same spirit. “Everyone around me wants to contribute in their own way,” she said.
'You get enormous value mentally'
Perli Menashe, 16, shares a similar story. “Since I was little, I knew I wanted to do something meaningful,” she said. She joined the Aharai program, which also trains teens for meaningful IDF service, in 10th grade at just 14. She now trains four to five times a week with sprints, sack carries, crawling drills and team-building exercises.
Today, Perli is preparing for the special forces selection for girls, after which she hopes to receive an invitation to tryouts for an elite unit. “We have a very large group of girls on my team,” she said proudly. “In the Ashdod district alone, there are over 300 participants, and my team is about half girls.”
She feels far more prepared now than two years ago. “Since the start of the year, I’ve cut a full minute off my running pace,” she said. But the mental gains stand out the most. “This isn’t just regular fitness training. Beyond the physical side, you get enormous value mentally.”
The war, she added, intensified her motivation. “I was shocked by what I saw on October 7. I wanted to join the fighters in Gaza, take part, contribute to my country.”
Meir Ben Yair, 16, is about to start 11th grade at Makif Gimel High School in Ashdod. Like Perli, he joined Aharai at 14. “I always felt this was my calling, that I needed to protect people. In Aharai, I found people who would help me develop toward that goal. What we’ve done together as a team has been incredible.”
His training includes intense physical drills and tailored preparation for tryouts for an elite unit. “My coach built my mental resilience in a crazy way. Without him, I don’t think I could’ve done this.”
For Meir, the war sealed his commitment. “I always had the motivation and the dream to be a fighter. I said I wanted to go as far as I could, so I joined Aharai. A month later, the war broke out, and it only increased my motivation. I realized that if we don’t do it, no one else will. In a country surrounded by enemies, no one has the privilege to say they won’t serve. Everyone needs to contribute their share.”