From early childhood, boys and girls received physical, mental, and spiritual training to prepare them to protect and provide for their clan members and community. One of the most rigorous practices was for boys to remain immersed in seawater for hours, where they were taught to conceive of themselves as one with the sea otter. When they emerged from the water, they were often beaten with switches to strengthen their bodies and spirits. Tlingit youth and men kept their bodies in condition in this way for hunting and warfare; this activity intensified when preparing for war.