I learned a few things thanks to the civilian I later learned was named Meiwaku. First, the back and front rows had the most room to do physical exercises. Second, Machibuse-sensei was willing to let you study the map while you exercised so long as you could perform the exercise properly. Third, most of the civilian kids couldn't do a proper pushup to avoid a beating. Kinpira struggled with proper technique, too, but Koukai was able to help him through it.
The most surprising thing, though, was that the Academy exercise routine was mild compared to the clan training regimen.