“The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle.” General John Pershing, U.S. Army. No matter what their MOS is, every Marine is a rifleman. They are all trained to effectively engage targets out to 500 meters, perform basic battlefield maneuvers, and professionally maintain the standard issue service rifle. This is one of […]
sofrep
Aftermarket Rucksacks for Selection Preparation, Rucking and Hiking
We’ve gone over the rucking tips quite a bit and everyone preparing for selection should be very comfortable with a ruck on their back and be humping long distances. It goes without saying that rucking and land navigation is the bread and butter of special operations forces. If you can show the intestinal fortitude needed […]
New Push-up Technique Makes Things Easier, Not Harder to Grade
New Pushup Technique Makes Things Easier, Not Harder to Grade A story that was posted on Military.com yesterday was intriguing as it will no doubt, affect many soldiers in the Army, but especially those attempting to go thru Selection in the Army’s Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS) or Ranger Selection and Assessment (RASP). Beginning […]
Train For the Long Haul in Special Operations
We have mentioned this not too long ago but it probably bears repeating, especially now that the Selection courses are running and the next batch of candidates are gearing up to attend. You don’t have to be a marathon runner, a professional weight lifter or a bodybuilder to pass Selection. Not every Special Operations trooper […]
Iron Man? Russian Special Ops Going For Predator Camouflage
In the never-ending search for the next best technology, both the United States and Russia are searching for armor, camouflage, and exoskeletons to carry the next generation of Special Operations Forces into battle. And as they are both working on the latest upgrades for their troops, some of the newest technology looks like it came […]
Speed Up Your Recovery After the 12-Mile Rucksack March
Our Sunday daily workout piece to help our prospective candidates prepare for Selection featured a 12-mile rucksack march. And hopefully for those that followed it and conducted it, (it was a cold 40 degree, rainy morning here), followed our normal rucksack marching tips. Wearing the correct boots and socks, having the correct and comfortable clothes […]
Workout Routine in a Rut? Try the Georgia Throw Down Thursday Challenge
We talk often here about how Special Operations Forces are not athletes but tactical military members. That’s not to say that SOF troops aren’t athletic but that training an operator is much different than training a football or baseball player. However, certain aspects of each’s workouts have bled into one another’s training regimen. Some of the […]
Character Is a Very Important Discriminator During Selection
“Knowledge will give you power, but character respect.” – Bruce Lee “Just because you are a character doesn’t mean you have character.” – Winston Wolfe -Pulp Fiction One of the things that will be given a lot of weight during Selection is a candidate’s character. And it is going to show through during the events and tests […]
Rucking Practical Exercise, Dodge the Rain Drops
Against my better judgment today, I decided to throw caution to the wind and go rucking despite having an injured calf/ankle. Last weekend I was shooting a high school football game for one of the newspapers I work for. Yes, that O&I photography class is still paying dividends after all these years. So, near the […]
“The Catcher Was a Spy” Moe Berg, OSS, A Swing, and a Miss
Like most Special Forces guys, especially of my generation, I can’t get enough of OSS (Office of Strategic Services) from World War II. OSS was the “Greatest Generation” version of both CIA and the U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Berets) as both sprang forth from the extraordinary organization that General William “Wild Bill” Donovan built […]