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SOF Selection PT Preparation 3.15.2017

Back to the gym today, many of you will be dealing with the ice in the aftermath of the storm we had on the East Coast. So, we’ll deal with that accordingly.

Training:

More Preparation for the UBRR:

3 x 12 Lat Pull downs, behind the neck (go as heavy as possible)

3 x 12 Lat Pull downs, front

3 x 10 Dumbbell Side Raises

3 x 10 Dumbbell Front Raises

3 x 10 Dumbbell Shoulder Press

3 x 8 Shoulder Shrugs

4 x 25-meter Shuttle Run

3 x 3 Cone Drill (break up the schedule by putting a little NFL Combine work in)

Stretch well after completion

Passing SFAS – Land Navigation Tips for Finding Your Way in Hoffman

So, you’ve volunteered to be in Special Forces and you’re getting ready to go to SFAS. This is the time to prepare yourself for the grind that is to come. There are certain tips, such as the PT program which will help you attain the level of physical fitness that you’ll need to not just pass the course but to excel where the course isn’t as tough as you’ll see other people struggling.

Now, we get to the elephant in the room, the Land Navigation course and many students fail at either SFAS or the SFQC because they failed the land navigation course. The course is tough, it is the toughest individual land navigation course you’ll find in the US military.

In previous segments, we touched on Map reading, pace count, orienting the map and plotting your starting location as well as your point. Now we need to get to our points. Here are some of the tips for walking the course in the Hoffman area.

Fold Your Map – Sounds like a no-brainer but it is simple and saves a ton of time without having to unfold your map every time you want to make a map check. Fold it down to where it fits perfectly in your map case so that only the part you are traveling shows, it simplifies your task immeasurably. This way every time you make a quick check of the map, only where you are and where you are going next is visible.

A technique that many orienteers use while navigating is what they call thumbing. I’ve talked to some and what they do is to keep their thumb on the spot on the map where they are and it speeds in finding where you are while walking and doing a quick map check. The thought being as you walk along you move your thumb slightly forward to reduce the confusion of scanning for your location on the map, especially in the dark.

Navigating Techniques – So, you’ve plotted your starting location, your first point that you’re looking for. You’ve folded the map and placed it and your protractor carefully inside your map case. The next thing you must do orient the map into the direction that you are traveling. Now the terrain is laid out exactly the way it is in front of you.

Weapon tied down? Check. Compass tied down and easily accessible? Check. You should have a red lens flashlight a notebook that will allow you to write in it, even if it is wet in your pocket or map case. Ensure you have all of your gear and do a quick check of the area before you leave and don’t forget anything.

Pull out the compass and take a quick reading. If you can see far enough in the distance, do the cheek hold method where the notch is the rear sight, and the wire is the front sight. Pick out a point as far in the distance as you can and get to it as quickly as you can.

If you’re following a basic azimuth, rotate your bezel ring so that your North seeking arrow aligns with the bubble. So, say if you are traveling on an azimuth of 65 degrees, your North seeking arrow will be in the approximate 10 o’clock position, rotate the bezel ring so the bubble aligns with the North seeking arrow and it is a quick way to keep on your azimuth, especially in the dark. Also, remember that each click in the bezel ring is three degrees.

Remember, to read the red ring which is in degrees and not the black which is in mils.

Trust your map, pace count, and your azimuth as you move out on the course. During the practical exercises in the course, you’ll notice you’ll veer a bit in the dark. Everyone’s perception changes during hours of darkness and it will vary.

As you encounter ways around the draws, you’ll no doubt see where others have tread before you and those well-worn paths are a good indicator that this is the best spot to cross a draw…if you must. But the best rule of thumb for the course is to veer around them if at all possible. But if you do cross one, make sure you check your compass every 20-25 paces. It is so easy to get turned around in those, don’t let it happen to you.

In SFAS an instructor will be present at your points but you’ll no doubt come across green engineer stakes with a dog tag on them. If you do, do yourself a favor and stop and check them out. These are an eight-digit grid coordinate that is built in GPS. There’s no better way to check your location.

Don’t talk to other students. Don’t be a road runner. Nothing will get you in hot water faster than doing those things.

When crossing the roads, the rule of thumb is at a 90-degree angle….and they’ll be watching.

Take advantage of the practical exercises and learn the terrain and the area as best you can. Do try to do the minimum, it will cost you in the end. Talk with other candidates AFTER the course is complete every day and share notes and experiences about what you find on the course. It will come in handy. It is no different than doing a debrief of another unit when planning a mission.

Get used to moving at night and make night movement a breeze. It will serve you well once you get in one of the operational Groups.

Move with a purpose but never out of control. Land Nav is like Selection is to a smaller extent. It can be a lot more difficult if you’re not using your head. Think everything thru and don’t let doubt creep in. Your training will get you thru this. Thousands of students have done it before you and you can too.

You get familiar with a bunch of landmarks out there on the course. I researched thru several social media pages and made note of what different people mentioned. Many of the names remain from my time.
Five Points
Puppy Palace
Lake Baggett
Bones Fork Creek
3 Wire Road…and some new names
Jurassic Park
Scuba Road
Dagobah (I don’t know who named this area in the north, but he deserves an impact award) My personal favorite.

Photo courtesy of DOD

Passing SFAS – Plotting and Planning Your Route in Land Navigation

In previous segments, we touched on Map reading, pace count, orienting the map and plotting your starting location. Now we’ll get into the plotting and planning of your route. A proper plan makes getting there a heck of a lot easier.

Plot Your First Point: Okay in our previous segment, we’ve checked and then double-checked our location so that you know exactly where you are starting from. Now you plot your first point the exact same way.

Read to the right and up and using the 1/50,000 map scale, carefully plot your eight-digit grid coordinate to where you are going. Remember, four-digit grids get us to within 1000 meters, six-digit grids to within 100 meters and an eight-digit grid gets us to within 10 meters. Double check your plot and ensure you’ve got it right.

Now measure the distance between the two points. Remember this is straight line distance and not walking distance. Your actual traveling distance will vary from point to point depending on your route selection and the terrain that you’ll encounter.

Planning the Route: There are two basic ways you can get to where you’re going. Either will get you to where you’re going but for your purposes in SFAS, one may prove to be a better option. Again, don’t go with what everyone else is doing, always do what is right for you.

Dead Reckoning – Is a system that is done in two steps. The first is getting an azimuth from your starting point using your map and protractor and determine the distance to where your point is located at. The next step is to use your compass and your pace count and apply what you’ve already learned and walk to your point by staying as close as you can to your azimuth.

Your position can be checked from time to time using both resection or intersection when the terrain features are available. Dead Reckoning has some advantages; it is easy to teach the neophyte navigator and in open terrain, especially in grassy areas or desert type regions, it is easier to stay on the azimuth. It works well also when the distances to be covered are short.

A distinct disadvantage of this method is when you’re facing the terrain you’ll be subjected to in the Hoffman area. Thick vegetation, intermittent streams, draws and swampy areas make Dead Reckoning a dicey proposition. However, it can and does work. I know several SF guys who plowed thru the Land Nav course using this exact method. I wouldn’t recommend this but it can be done at times and will work. But perhaps the second method is the better way to go.

Terrain Association – Is a bit more difficult to plan but is much less forgiving of mistakes and as a rule a helluva lot less time consuming than Dead Reckoning. It requires a more detailed map study of where you’re going and how you plan to get there but the time spent planning your movement is better served than trying to plow your way thru the draws.

The advantages of terrain association are obvious. If you veer off course in Dead Reckoning, you are in trouble. But using terrain association, your position is easily checked and adjustments made on the fly.

Selection and identification of terrain features are key here. Plan your route using handrails as a guide and ensure to plot checkpoints along the way. Ensure your map is oriented and use the available terrain as a guide. You won’t be following a specific azimuth per se, but more of a cardinal direction to your checkpoints using your map to guide you.

You can use the roads both the improved and the unimproved as a guide but the best advice is DON’T BREAK THE RULES! Parallel the roads but not too closely. Make sure that plot a backstop on your route that you can identify as having gone too far.

A word of caution about the roads in Hoffman. There a lot of them out there, and many are not on the map. While there are exceptions…You’ll become familiar with “Five Points” but for the most part, those are at times difficult to judge. Just be careful.

Always remember and the instructors will drill it into your head, that if you come upon a hardball road. Stop. You won’t be crossing any of those in the course but a few of the points may be near them so you can use those as a handrail at times.

But surer than the national deficit going up, someone in your class is going to cross a hardball road. It used to happen in every class and don’t be surprised to hear about it from the other students. Just don’t be “That Guy”.

Plot checkpoints along the way to ensure that you are on track and on target. Choose an attack point that will put you no farther than 200-300 meters from your point. When you arrive there, that is the time to use dead reckoning and plot an azimuth to your point.

We’re almost ready to head out and attack the course. Remember everything you learned and the best advice is to practice, practice and practice some more. The more comfortable you are using your map, compass, and skills at terrain association now, the easier the course will be for you.

In our next segment, we’re heading to Hoffman.

Photo courtesy of DOD

SOF Selection PT Preparation 3.13.2017

Monday is Fun-day! Special Operations Selection is not easy and demands a lot of upper body strength and stamina. Let’s get the week off to a good start.

Training:

More Preparation for the UBRR:

Warm Up – 3 x 25 meter shuttle run

100 x pushups (no time limit but go as fast as you can)
100 x situps (no time limit)
100 x crunches
3 x 20 dips
5 Mile Ruck with 45lb minimum under 75 minutes
Rope climb (if you have access to one)

Stretch well after completion

Passing SFAS – Orienting the Map and Pinpointing Your Location

In previous segments, we touched on Map reading and the importance of your pace count. Now we’ll move on to the next step in finding your way around Hoffman. That begins with orienting your map and then plotting your start point on the course.

Prior to Starting Out:
Orienting the Map – This makes map reading and using the available terrain features much easier to read. What does it mean to have the map oriented? The schoolbook answer is: A map is oriented when it is in a horizontal position with its north and south corresponding to the north and south on the ground. In layman’s terms, it means when you’re holding the map in front of you, the terrain matches up exactly as it is shown on the map.

It makes it much harder to try to read your terrain features upside down or sideways. If you are using an Army lensatic compass, remember that a compass measures magnetic North. So, don’t forget your declination diagram which is located on your marginal information at the bottom of your map. Most military issue maps take the guesswork right out of it and tell you how to convert the declination of azimuths from grid to magnetic and from magnetic to grid next to the declination diagram.

It sounds simple but many people mess this up and start off on the wrong foot. Don’t be Ned the Navigator. Take your time and do it right the first time.

With the map in a horizontal position, take the straightedge on the left side of the compass and place it alongside the north-south grid line with the cover of the compass pointing toward the top of the map. This procedure places the fixed black index line of the compass parallel to north-south grid lines of the map.

Keeping the compass aligned as we said in the last paragraph, rotate the map and compass together until the magnetic arrow is below the fixed black index line on the compass. You’re close but not there yet!

Now rotate the map and compass in the direction of the declination diagram.

If the magnetic north arrow on the map is to the left of the grid north, check the compass reading to see if it equals the G-M angle (if memory serves me well it is 8 degrees for the Hoffman area) given in the declination diagram. Voila! The map is now oriented. Take your time and try to pick out the terrain features as they lay out in front of you. Just be advised, in the Hoffman area, the terrain features aren’t as distinct and are a bit harder to distinguish.

In certain areas, you’ll be able to orient your map using terrain features. And when the terrain allows, it is quicker and easier to navigate using the available terrain. If you’ve ever navigated in the mountains, you’ll find this is much easier and you’ll find that this way is much more preferable than dead reckoning. And it definitely comes in handy when having to call for fire in a jiffy…(that is for another time perhaps)

Creating a Start Point – Now the map is oriented in the direction that you’re going to be walking and the next thing is you must create a starting location. The starting point is where you are standing at. Now pull out your handy, dandy Army protractor. But wait.

Don’t lose your protractor, always keep it secured inside your map case until you need it and ensure it is in there before taking off and hitting your points, especially at night! Nothing worse than losing a protractor during land navigation. While you can get by without one, it makes things unnecessarily much harder. So, take the few seconds to check.

Now read the grid lines to the right and up and make sure that you’re using the 1/50,000 scale for the map, which is in the upper right corner of the protractor. That will automatically ensure that the protractor is facing the right way and isn’t flipped over.

Remember a four-digit grid, gets you to within the grid square or 1000 meters. A six-digit grid to within 100 meters and an eight-digit grid gets you within 10 meters. A good rule of thumb to remember is to forget about where the plastic is cut out of the protractor. Always align the 0’s and check it twice. Ensure you plot it twice to get the exact spot.

Now we have a starting point, and the next time out we’ll look at plotting and plan a route.

Photo courtesy DOD

SFAS Getting Yourself Ready: Know Your Pace Count (Part 4)

Read Part 3 here

We talked in the last segment about Map reading and touched upon some of the tasks that you’ll have to be proficient in. Now let’s get into more of the nuts and bolts of navigation.

Pace Count: Knowing your pace is very important because there are going to be times, that you’ll need to know how far you’ve traveled, even if you can read a map like a pro. At times the terrain will dictate that.

First set up a 100-meter course on flat terrain. Walk it three times and every time your left foot hits the ground count it. Take the total number of steps you’ve walked and divide by three. That is your baseline pace count. If you’re on a track or a football field, take a spool of 550 cord and mark out 100 meters. You’ll thank me later.

Now wait until dark and walk the flat course again, three times. Your pace count will probably increase in the dark, keep a notation in your notebook that should always be in your pocket. Mark down what your pace count is for daylight on flat terrain and your night pace count.

Now take your 550 cord out in the woods and try to find some rougher, hilly terrain. Lay out the 550 cord and walk the course again three times in the day and three times in the dark. Did your pace count increase with the difference in terrain? It should have.

Now put a rucksack on and repeat the steps in both the flat terrain and the rough hilly terrain, day and night. Your pace count should increase a bit with a heavy ruck on especially once you start hitting hills and thicker vegetation.

Remember to use your Ranger beads every time you travel 100 meters. Slide the lowest bead to the bottom. Most of them come with nine beads after you slide nine down, the next 100 meters brings you to a klick and you can push them all back up to the top. I recommend using them or making your own out of 550 cord, it is a valuable tool and comes in handy so that you don’t have to remember exactly how far you have to go and how far you’ve gone.

Things to remember if the weather turns to shit, and it will, rain, snow or sleet will cause you to take shorter steps and increase your pace count. So will exhaustion. As you get tired during the course or during a field training exercise, your level of exhaustion will increase your pace count even if moving during daylight hours in fairly open terrain.

In time, you’ll become a seasoned pro at this and will know just by the conditions that you are dealing with what your pace count will be. And it will change over time. My pace with just web gear on flat terrain was 62 back in the days of Phase 1 at Camp Mackall.

But with a rucksack and a heavy load, it went up to 73. But I noticed after I had been in Group for a while and your rucksack becomes a part of your body, my pace counted lessened to between 68-69 depending on conditions. You’ll find that you will have similar results.

Another tip on pace counts. If you plot your point and you have 4 kilometers (klicks) between points, don’t try to keep a pace for the entire distance. Pick out a terrain feature or road intersection as an attack point. Use deliberate offset (More on that later) to find it. Keep your pace count to that attack point and make a notation with a grease pencil on your map case.

It is a great way to check your pace and see how close you come out. By the time you finish SFAS and the SFQC, you’ll find you pace counts and distances are coming really close to the distances when you plot them on your maps.

Remember, keeping a pace count is just an added tool at your disposal. Knowing how to read a map and the surrounding terrain features is an easy way to quickly, and confidently find your way anywhere. And if you can navigate in Camp Mackall, you’ll be able to navigate anywhere.

But failure to keep a pace count can really hurt you if become disoriented, especially in the dark. It is a valuable tool that every successful SFAS candidate should use while you’re out on the course.

So, your boots are good? Check. Got your rucking down pat? Check. Your map reading skills are up to par? Check. And now we have our pace counts down…right?

In our next segment, we’ll continue with some more Land Navigation tips.

Photo courtesy of DOD

The First Few Days at Selection

The first few fearful days at Selection are nerve-racking but eventually subside. The first few days at selection are disorienting and scary because you have no idea what’s coming and how you can prepare. You’ll become a number over night. You’ll be addressed as candidate followed by whatever number you get. God help you if you get to number one. To my knowledge number one has never made it and been selected.

There will be no sense of control over your schedule, how you’re treated, what you wear (you’ll be instructed to wear what they tell you). The only thing you can do is perform and whatever is asked of you. But, that’s not always enough for most. Many lay on their cots and try to figure out how they can pass this thing they call selection. But, the truth is the best thing you can do when you’re laying on the cot is relax.

Stop worrying about what could be and just live in the moment when you need to. No one is going to jump out at you like a horror movie and beat you. Whatever outlandish rumors you’ve heard aren’t true. It’s still an army leadership training course. Be a student and pass above the Army standard 70%. You do not have to be a marathoning bodybuilder to make it in SOF. To get in, you just have to finish selection and get selected.

My advice, something I wish I had done – take a book and – read it. You’ve got the choice between a Bible, the Ranger handbook or a novel. There will be plenty of Ranger handbook’s floating around, and you don’t need it to get selected. Take a great novel. Find an escape; there’s a lot of down time between training events. For that reason, something that takes you to another time or place but is motivating might work. For example, a game of thrones of other adventurous fantasies might get your mind off of selection but still into a motivated state of mind.

Although, at first selection is awful and you’re unsure what is happening to you. You eventually get used to it and selection is where you are – and not a prisoner. You’ll even know a little bit about the cadre and their personalities. It will become less mystifying and more predictable and follow the course of events you’ve heard of and read about.

Featured image courtesy of DoD.