Selection

Spartan Selection Began At Birth and Lasted a Lifetime

Thanks to the film “300”, the Spartan lifestyle and their iconic Hoplite helmet has become a popular one among military age males and is frequently used ad campaigns or on t-shirt designs. But what was life like, as a Spartan male who would eventually become part of their military? We’ll take a quick look at […]

Remember Rucking is a Marathon and Not a Sprint

As we frequently do here at SpecialOperations.com, we post pieces on what many times are based on our messages or messages on Twitter. And this week I’ve gotten a few messages and questions concerning rucking. And when it comes to rucking, we get about 50/50 with our messages and/or questions regarding that or Land Navigation. And […]

Knot Tying and Lashing, A Needed Valuable Skill in SFAS

When you attend Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS), if, and a big if you make it to the final phase which is called Team Week, there are certain skills that you will need to have to make it thru. And any team without them will certainly have a rough go of it if not […]

“Keep on Ruckin’ It Only Gets Easier From Here”

In our daily Special Operations PT Preparation workouts that we publish, Sunday is our ruck day, just like going to church, it is our weekly ritual before the sun comes up kind of like paying homage to the Special Forces gods before we get on with our regularly scheduled Sunday activities, like coffee (Black Rifle […]

“I Went Thru the Last Hard Class” and The Ever Changing Standards

For anyone who is a member of the Special Operations Forces, regardless of what service or unit, there will always be the debate over the standards, whether they changed or have been lowered, and how they “need to get tougher.” And invariably, one grizzled veteran will proudly proclaim, “I went thru the last hard class.” […]

In Special Operations, Be a Self-Starter and A Team Player

We repeat these old adages constantly until they reach the point of almost being cliches at times but two of the most cardinal rules to follow if you’re looking at a career in Special Operations are being a self-starter and being a team player. If you fail at either one of those either in Selection […]

Decreasing Lower Back Pain, Workout More Effectively

Like many of us, I had issues with occasional lower back pain while in the military. Eventually, suffering a major injury that required surgery, that was in no way related to the normal workout routine that the Army conducts with soldiers doing PT. However, it wasn’t until many years later, I was doing some physical […]

Teamwork and Perseverance Pay Off In the Long Haul

One of the most common mantras you will hear in Special Operations is the absolute must of being known as a team player. The very essence of a successful special operation is with a team working together to accomplish their mission. With it, the missions don’t get accomplished and the units fail. And yet the […]

Getting Enough Shuteye in Selection? Never, But Here’s How to Maximize It

Sleep. We all crave it, especially on weekends. But do we ever get enough of it? If you are like the majority of most Americans, the answer is no. And when you are going thru Selection, it is a fair bet that you will not be enjoying the eight hours of slumber that doctors say […]

Passing Selection Means Being Well-Rounded and Durable

A lot of times we tend to overthink things as Americans when facing an obstacle or a problem. Many of us, when facing an issue, do as much research as possible…which is a good thing. But then we’ll take it to the nth degree and overthink things too much. And for those trying to pass […]