# Navy SARC Physical Specifics



## GabrielG (Jun 28, 2015)

Hello again,
 I have a couple questions regarding the Navy Sarc physical requirements. I have done a lot of research online about Navy Sarc physical training and what is required of them, but unfortunately there is not a lot of specific information and my recruiter has zero information on the physical aspect. I am only the 2nd guy in four years to bring it up to my recruiter, so understandably I did not get much information from him. I did read on this forum under the "SARC Pipeline Mentor" post some great information, but not quite what I was looking for. Here are my questions, do Navy Sarc use the same PST guidelines that Navy Seals do. 25 meter underwater swim, 500 meter timed swim, pullups, pushups, curlups and a 1.5 mile run. I ask this because this is one thing I read online, but I have also read that they use the Recon Marine physical standards(being that they work with them in particular) which is it? The Internet can be so misleading. What swimming stroke is allowed in the Sarc swimming qualifications, I have read only breast stroke and Combat Swimmer Stroke, and another site says freestyle is allowed too. I am going to try to become efficient in all of these but it would be great to know which one or two to really focus on.  And lastly, do they do curlups or situps or both? This is very difficult to find the answer to, videos show curlups but online says situps(hands behind your head). Sorry this post is so long, but some detailed information would be fantastic. I am still a civilian and have quite awhile before more Corpsman contracts come in, and the extra time will allow me to really focus in on what I need to improve upon. Thank you all for your time and service.


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## CDG (Jun 28, 2015)

Quite the change from TACP to SARC.


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## GabrielG (Jun 28, 2015)

Yes I know, I personally never thought a change like that would happen to me either (I used to be terrified of needles). After much thinking and debate where I wanted to take my life I decided to try for Sarc. The medical aspect of the career along with being able to help out a team medically, really influenced me and I have always thought that one day a possible career working in a hospital after the military would be great. I know that is years from now, and I need to focus on the very first step of signing up in the military, but I always try to plan for my future. TACP would be an amazing career as well, but I have such a deep interest in medicine, it overruled  my interest in TACP, sorry. Thanks.


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## SkrewzLoose (Jun 29, 2015)

Caveat: everything to follow is from a guy who took plenty of PST and saw how the guys who made it through performed.
You seem to be very caught up in the minutiae, try looking at the forest. Work on securing your HM contract first. Have you seen what's involved in the full SARC pipeline?
That being said, have you been put into contact with an NSW motivator in your area? If not, ask your recruiter to help you with that. Maybe they'll have the answers you're looking for. Not trying to avoid your question or be a smart ass, but the motivator will be the SME who can help you move forward.
If you're taking a PST, there won't be a 25m underwater and the sit ups will be done with your arms folded across your chest, hands on the collar bone, elbows touching (or passing) the knees in the up position.
I'm not sure what your numbers look like now, but a good starting point would be:
10:00min
15
70
70
10:00min
I hope this helps.

ETA: It's always SARC and SEAL


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## GabrielG (Jun 29, 2015)

Thanks for the reply. Yes, you are right in that I am caught up in the small details to much (probably a flaw in my personality, love the small details). The HM contract is what I really need to focus on at this moment. I have looked at the SARC pipeline many times, it appears to be very difficult and long but it makes me even more excited each time I look at it. I have not been put in contact with an NSW motivator. I did not know they existed, sorry still new to what the Navy procedures are and how they operate. I will definitely do some research on NSW motivators. Thanks so much for the physical specs, I currently am at 62 pushups, 15 pullups, 70 curlups, and my 1.5 mile is in the low 9's. Fastest is a 9:02. Unfortunately, my swimming is not that great. I was never taught how to properly swim (just the basic breast stroke, although it's still probably not being done properly) that's why I wanted to know which stroke or stroke's they allow, so I can spend a lot of time in the water. I have been practicing the Total Immersion swimming method which is freestyle, but I am still in the beginning phases. Sorry, but confused by "ETA: It's always SARC and SEAL". Thanks for the quick reply's and all of the great info.


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## Molinaro (Jun 30, 2015)

The 500 yard swimming portion of the PST for SARC must be completed using either the breast stroke, the side stroke or a combination of both, and some screeners have let candidates use the combat side stroke. I got that info from a SARC recruiter this afternoon.


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## Scholar (Jun 30, 2015)

@GabrielIG ETA= edited to add, and the purpose of his edit is to tell you to fully capitalize SEAL and SARC. Something that the mentors on here talk a lot about is "attention to detail". Using good grammar (ie capitalizing acronyms especially of kickass sof groups) is a great first step in that journey. Hope I'm not speaking out of turn here. 
Scholar


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## Scubadew (Jul 1, 2015)

@GabrielG -  I've used the CSS for every PST I've done. I feel it saves a lot of energy that can be better spent towards the pull-up and push-up portions of the test which you will be expected to crush. Just remember that your times will improve if you just keep grinding. Good luck and stay with it.


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## Ooh-Rah (Jul 1, 2015)

Scholar said:


> capitalizing acronyms especially of kickass sof groups)



Did you mean "kickass *SOF* groups?" :-"


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## Scholar (Jul 1, 2015)

Ooh-Rah said:


> Did you mean "kickass *SOF* groups?" :-"


Oh God..... Yes


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## buzzkill.0621 (Jul 1, 2015)

What about kickass SOFT groups?


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## Hillclimb (Jul 1, 2015)

Just learn all of the strokes, and be good at them: Sidestroke, breast stroke, and crawl stroke.

I did a lot of the Total Immersion drills and it significantly improved my crawl stroke. The book teaches you to focus more on quality strokes/glides vs RPM(strokes per lap), which also transfered over to my other strokes. It's a great read, and even just spending 10 minutes a day on the drills/technique work, then hammering out your side/breaststroke work will pay dividends in the end

I did a 27:24 1500m crawl stroke after that book and a few YouTube vids. I was previously swimming a 33:00+


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## GabrielG (Jul 1, 2015)

This is all fantastic information. I will definitely be practicing everything mentioned above, including the capitalization of SARC and SEAL Thank you all!


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## Marcus (Jul 10, 2016)

Hey guys,

This thread most closely resembles what I'm looking for so I will post on here, hope that's alright. 

Pretty basic question but I'd like to have the right info before I contact a recruiter. Let's say I get a contract for corpsman and get the opportunity to test for SARC after/during A school. If I were to fail out, would I be reclassified to another MOS entirely? Or would I still be able to fulfill the original corpsman contract?

Thanks in advance,

Marcus


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## TLDR20 (Jul 10, 2016)

Marcus said:


> Hey guys,
> 
> This thread most closely resembles what I'm looking for so I will post on here, hope that's alright.
> 
> ...



You would already be a corpsman, and would probably have been to FMF school. Chances are almost 100% you would stay a corpsman.


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## Scubadew (Jul 11, 2016)

You'll stay a Corpsman either way.


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## Devildoc (Jul 11, 2016)

Been there.  Yes, you are already 8404 and will go to a billet with the Marines.  More than likely but not always to the infantry; and depending on why/how you failed out, you may be in a position to reapply.

Or if you fail because you are a dirtbag you may end up as a dental tech on a Navy base.  Don't be a dirtbag.

The SEAL motivators are good to go for aspiring SARCs; or depending on how close you are to a base, you can always hook up with someone in the community as well.


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## Scubadew (Jul 11, 2016)

Devildoc said:


> Been there.  Yes, you are already 8404 *and will go to a billet with the Marines.  More than likely but not always to the infantry*; and depending on why/how you failed out, you may be in a position to reapply.
> 
> Or if you fail because you are a dirtbag you may end up as a dental tech on a Navy base.  Don't be a dirtbag.
> 
> The SEAL motivators are good to go for aspiring SARCs; or depending on how close you are to a base, you can always hook up with someone in the community as well.



This isn't the case anymore. If you fail any portion of the pipeline you go needs of the Navy. It's blind luck if you end up with the Marines. Shout out to all the jump/dive qualified HMs working at hospitals


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## Devildoc (Jul 11, 2016)

Scubadew said:


> This isn't the case anymore. If you fail any portion of the pipeline you go needs of the Navy. It's blind luck if you end up with the Marines. Shout out to all the jump/dive qualified HMs working at hospitals



Fuck me.  Glad I got out when I did.  When I was a corpsman the thought of having to work in a hospital was enough to keep me motivated.

When I was in there were still DTs; I have heard of a couple HMs since the merger being assigned dental tech duties after failing which, to me, would be worse than a hospital.


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## Marcus (Jul 11, 2016)

Okay so you would stay a corpsman, but based on needs of the Navy they may keep you in a hospital and not FMF?

Forgive me if this is a dumb question, but if you were assigned dental tech or something of that nature is it then impossible to get reassigned FMF after? Or is that the end all-be all?


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## Devildoc (Jul 12, 2016)

Marcus said:


> Okay so you would stay a corpsman, but based on needs of the Navy they may keep you in a hospital and not FMF?
> 
> Forgive me if this is a dumb question, but if you were assigned dental tech or something of that nature is it then impossible to get reassigned FMF after? Or is that the end all-be all?



Based on the info above, yes, you could be assigned to a hospital or clinic; may be Marine base, may be on a a Navy base.  No, not the end-all-be-all.  You will still have an opportunity to get to FMF as billets open up, people leave, etc. when your 'tour' at the hospital is over.


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## Scubadew (Jul 12, 2016)

Marcus said:


> Okay so you would stay a corpsman, but based on needs of the Navy they may keep you in a hospital and not FMF?
> 
> Forgive me if this is a dumb question, but if you were assigned dental tech or something of that nature is it then impossible to get reassigned FMF after? Or is that the end all-be all?



Nobody is going to keep you anywhere. The great thing about being a Corpsman is that there are so many different jobs and locations available to you. If you have a high GPA in A-School you can pick your follow-on school/orders. You won't get assigned dental tech once you're in the fleet, you only get assigned a job out of A-School if you're unfortunate enough not to be able to choose your orders. If you're in SOCP (the Special Operations prep) while you're in A-School, you may be able to pipeline for SARC, Dive Med Tech, or Search and Rescue. The hands down best thing about our community is that you're needed everywhere (hospitals, clinics, schools, Marine units, NSW support, expeditionary units, etc) and there are many different schools you can volunteer for that will shape what type of Corpsman you will be.


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## Devildoc (Jul 12, 2016)

Scubadew said:


> Nobody is going to keep you anywhere. The great thing about being a Corpsman is that there are so many different jobs and locations available to you. If you have a high GPA in A-School you can pick your follow-on school/orders. You won't get assigned dental tech once you're in the fleet, you only get assigned a job out of A-School if you're unfortunate enough not to be able to choose your orders. If you're in SOCP (the Special Operations prep) while you're in A-School, you may be able to pipeline for SARC, Dive Med Tech, or Search and Rescue. The hands down best thing about our community is that you're needed everywhere (hospitals, clinics, schools, Marine units, NSW support, expeditionary units, etc) and there are many different schools you can volunteer for that will shape what type of Corpsman you will be.



Truth.  The only time I was assigned to a hospital was after I was commissioned.  As a corpsman I was in infantry, FSSG, NSW support, recon support (not a SARC), FMSS support, and I&I duty for MARFORRES.  I wore a Navy uniform at boot camp graduation, and not again until DCO school.


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## Marcus (Jul 12, 2016)

Scubadew & Devildoc

Thanks guys! This is great info. 

Alright if I PM either of you in the future for some more information?

Marcus


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## Devildoc (Jul 12, 2016)

Glad to help, and feel free to PM.*

*I have been out a while.  Scubadew likely has more timely gouge.  But happy to assist in any way.


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## Scubadew (Jul 12, 2016)

PM whenever.


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