A&S 17-3

[J.]

Gentleman,
I'm happy to say that A&S is in the books and I was selected. It was an awesome experience and although challenging I can say the feeling I have now is well worth it. I'm excited to move forward and continue to improve and challenge myself. If you have questions regarding preparation for the course feel free to ask, my training plan may not be right for you as everyone's body, schedule and capability is different but I will share what I did to prepare. Happy to be back.

*Note, In no way, shape or form will I violate my NDA or disclose any information that would expose MARSOC's selection processes and testing. If you come to me trying to "game the game" then you can go elsewhere.

 

[Kraut783]

Congrats J!

 

[Red Flag 1]

Well done, J!

Proud of ya lad!!

 

[Scubadew]

Congrats!

 

[AgroLion]

First of Congratulations J.

I have been on here from time to time mainly reading and trying to get as much information on training/preparing as possible. I am just curious as to what you did to prepare yourself? In all aspects running/rucking/etc but my main concern is the swimming side, as I never swam much aside from Swim Qual at recruit training.

 

[J.]

AgroLion, for strength and conditioning I did SOFLETE Strength Team 5 days a week. I ran 3-5 Miles every Tuesday and Thursday. I rucked once every two weeks. I also swam 3 times a week.

Now that might seem like a lot but I used the crawl, walk, run method. I did a self assessment of where i stood physically and started right below my max ability in all areas. Once you gain the confidence in the basics you should then move forward but not too far forward. I.E. Don’t ruck 6mi for the first time then ruck 12mi the next week.

I know a lot of people stress over the rucks but i’m telling you now, do not overtrain. Rucking causes a lot of stress on your body and can lead to injury if you overdo it. I never rucked more than once every two weeks when I prepared. When you do ruck make sure it’s at least 45lbs dry (w/o water, chow, etc.). Carry a dummy weapon, sledgehammer, or pvc pipe while rucking, get used to having a “rifle like” object in your hands.

Swimming is a big part of not just A&S, but the entire Special Operations Community. Swimming is all about confidence in the water. The muscles your body uses when swimming are going to hurt at first if your not an avid swimmer but as you continue it gets better. Again with the crawl, walk, run, don’t just hop in the pool in camis and try to swim 1000. Start slick, work up. Your goal distances are a timed 300m and 500m swim. Your should try to be as close to 6-7min and 8-9min as possible. I have long history with swimming so it wasn’t a problem for me. But if your are not so confident you should hit up your training tank and ask a MCIWS to watch you swim and critique it. Practice treading, timed swims, and swimming underwater.

 

[AgroLion]

Many thanks for quick and informative points J.

Best of luck in your endeavors.

 

[TimoteoDunkin]

God Speed as you make your way through the door brother.

For others to know, would a Water Survival Advanced course assist in performing at A&S?

 

[Hillclimb]

God Speed as you make your way through the door brother.

For others to know, would a Water Survival Advanced course assist in performing at A&S?

I never did WSA until ITC. I swam 5 nights a week, and after laps i did treading, underwater crossovers, walking a 16kg kettle bell from one end of the pool to the other, underwater suicide brick pushes on the lanes, tossed a brick into the deep end and raced people to retrieve it without surfacing while putting people in arm bars and chokes underwater.

Then you know the timed distance evaluations and strokes, so just time yourself on those and keep yourself honest.

You'd benefit more from just doing laps and water confidence activities in my opinion.

 

[TimoteoDunkin]

We appreciate the reply Hillclimb as well the input. We should incorporate what you did to better our performance none the less. I recently completed a WSA course and found it helpful in being under water as well reacting under stress.