Star chumps: Hilarious footage shows baffled Iraqi police recruits trying to perform star jumps during US Marine fitness training 

• e-mail

Hilarious footage has emerged of a unit of Iraqi police recruits struggling to keep up with their American instructors during a star jumps exercise. 

Designed to warm up the muscles and raise the heart rate, the concept of a star jump seems to surprise and confuse most of the recruits.

The video is thought to have been shot in 2007 and shows ten Iraqi police recruits doing star jumps with several American instructors in an Iraqi training camp. 

Arms in all directions, none of the recruits seem to get the concept of a basic star jump

Hilarious: The video is thought to have been shot in 2007 and shows ten Iraqi police recruits doing star jumps with several American instructors in an Iraqi training camps

With their arms flailing around and their wobbly legs, the recruits appear to struggle with the concept of the exercise.

In the foreground, the two well-trained US Marines  soldiers, dressed in white vests enthusiastically continue with the exercise, hoping the recruits will eventually take note.

The footage has attracted plenty of comments, with many viewers enjoying the humorous nature of the recruits attempts at the exercise.  

'These guys look absolutely flummoxed by the notion of a jumping jack, which they're seeing demonstrated in front of them by multiple US soldiers,' one user wrote.

Battle of co-ordination: One American instructor tries to give the new recruits a bit of direction

Amusing: Each recruit appears to have their own interpretation of a star jump

Struggling: Two enthusiastic American instructors try to show the recruits how its done

Confusing sight: Each recruits seems to struggle to grasp the concept of the basic training exercise

'Is there some cultural barrier I'm missing here? I've heard general reports of Iraqi army recruits being unmotivated, sure. But unable to put together a single decent jumping jack?

Another forum user pointed out that the term 'star jump' or 'jumping jack' wasn't correct. 

'There are no 'jumping jacks' in the military. We used the much more dignified term 'side straddle hops', they claim. 

Other social media users have suggested that the Iraqi recruits were struggling with the language and cultural differences rather than the exercise.