swcc
Being comfortable in the water is a generalized skill, but treading water efficiently is a very specific essential skill in SOF selection. There’s a right way and a wrong way. Treading with fins is straightforward and doesn’t require much discussion. It’s more about physical endurance than technique, as long as you have the basics of […]
Read MoreWater-based events in SOF selection are ruthlessly effective ways to reveal the interaction between mind and body. To a much greater extent than with things like running or doing lots of pushups, you can’t solve problems in the water by just physically trying harder. You have to try better, and this is highly dependent on […]
Read MoreI was still 17 when I enlisted in the Navy. My parents had to sign the enlistment paperwork for me since I wasn’t of legal age. This wasn’t without some resistance. I could have become a doctor. Or a lawyer. These are the two jobs that are supposed to be in your future when you’re […]
Read MoreWe were standing in ranks on the beach in Coronado, California, in front of the Naval Special Warfare Center. We were about to start an open-ocean swim, and each student was being inspected. Along with the mask and fins, we each carried an SRK dive knife, emergency flares and a UDT life vest. The vests […]
Read MoreBodies can be remarkably strong. They’re hard to truly break, and – given the right circumstances – easy to repair. Bodies of SOF candidates are even stronger. So, it should be no surprise that people usually fail out of selection not because of physical factors, but mental ones. The mind breaks before the body. Physical […]
Read MoreBy: Craig Weller In the early 2000’s, the Naval Special Warfare program for students who have been successfully screened into a special program and are awaiting formal training was called SCRUFT Duty. It stands for Screened Candidate Reported and Undergoing Physical Training. I spent six months in SCRUFTLand. We got up at three in the […]
Read More