Navy SEALs, Marine Corps Recon, and other special forces divisions are elite fighting forces that receive extensive training for survival, resilience, and resourcefulness. Many of their skills translate directly into lessons that preppers can use to maximize their own security and survival chances.
The Importance of Physical Conditioning
We’ve all seen the training videos of Navy SEALs working out in the extreme to develop the toughness they need to survive. On the face it there’s a lot of truth here in that you need to be physically fit to survive in combat or operating behind enemy lines.
Applying the Lesson
In a SHTF survival situation, being physically fit is critically important. When a situation goes sideways you typically need to act fast. You need to get to the car to bug out before the city streets clogged with traffic, or you need to get the supplies into the house.
You might even need to get to the relief supplies to bring home your fair share before looters hoard them all.
Your chances of doing those things effectively go down drastically if you’re huffing and puffing after walking up a flight of stairs. Being physically fit means having the strength and stamina to make the most out of the opportunities that present themselves when a crisis strikes.
You don’t have to run on the beach carrying a log over your head to be physically fit enough to survive in a crisis. Half an hour of vigorous exercise a day, with some bodyweight and dumbbell exercises every other day is a great start.
As your physical fitness level improves, you can talk to a personal trainer about how to do more. Taking up a practical martial art like jujitsu or aikido might also be a good option to stay fit, while improving your self-defense capabilities.
Primitive Survival Skills & Bushcraft
Navy SEALs receive extensive training in survival skills and adaptive bushcraft. Many times, they do immersion training, where they go to an arctic, desert, or rainforest environment and they practice skills specific to that region.
Applying the Lesson
As a prepper, it’s not enough to simply be good at hunting, fishing, and tent camping on the weekends.
You need to be constantly practicing essential survival skills, such as fire-making, foraging, knot-tying, and making primitive shelters.
This isn’t about simply knowing how to do these things. It’s about practicing them to the point of understanding the little things that can go wrong. While also practicing the kind of skills applicable to the environment you’ll be surviving in. A good place to start is this complete guide on wilderness survival where you can find anything from how to make a fire even it’s raining outside to how to build a shelter to survive indefinitely if you need to.
When the cheap nylon rope from the hardware store frays too easily, you learn to use 550 cordage. When the magnesium rod in your fire-starting kit runs out, you know how to start a fire with a bow drill.
Having these skills practiced toward the point of mastery helps eliminate the little errors that could get you killed when a SHTF scenario does occur.
Developing Situational Awareness
One of the critical components of Navy SEAL training is learning to quickly observe, understand, and react to their surroundings. This heightened situational awareness often comes from something called the “OODA Loop” which stands for Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act.
Applying the Lesson
One of the things you can do to develop your situational awareness is to practice mindfulness and 360-degree vision.
This starts with something as simple as adding 15 minutes of practical meditation to your morning.
Then follow this up by walking barefoot outdoors for 15 to 20 minutes a day. This isn’t about any sort of hippie “Connecting with the energy of the earth.” Try to walk in places with minor obstacles, like the dog park where there’s poop hiding in the tall grass, or the woods behind your house where there are roots on the trail.
The goal is to pick a path that forces you to pay attention to every step and make it mindfully. Being barefoot, instead of wearing shoes, adds incentive to get it right because your foot will feel discomfort when you get it wrong. This helps re-wiring your mind to pay attention to every little action.
Related: Why You Should Think Like a Navy SEAL Instead of a Doomsday Prepper
In time, you can start to apply your own version of the OODA loop. Maybe you walk into a crowded grocery store, and you have to pick the best order of aisles, and the fastest-moving checkout lane to get what you need and get out fast.
As your mindfulness training improves, I think you’ll find all kinds of everyday life situations to make a game of it. This prepares your brain to make smart choices in the moment when a crisis strikes.
Adaptability & Setting Small Goals
Navy SEALs are trained to often break down seemingly overwhelming tasks into smaller, manageable steps that are easier to accomplish. This is the next natural progression that comes with situational awareness, as being able to take in the whole picture helps to set more effective micro-goals.
Accomplishing small steps like this also builds a sense of accomplishment. This builds a situational winner’s mindset. All the little victories add up to significant success. If a micro goal fails, they simply adapt to different strategies that will accomplish the larger goal.
Applying the Lesson
By breaking your own goals down into small steps, you’ll find them easier to accomplish. This builds emotional and functional momentum in ways that you can easily apply to your everyday life.
You can start small. For example, maybe practice by cleaning up the kitchen. Start with rinsing the dishes and loading them into the dishwasher. Wipe down the stove and turn the oven onto the cleaning setting. Keep piling up those little goals and keeping them in your mental inventory, until the kitchen itself is sparkling clean.
Being Resilient
A lot of people who struggle with wilderness survival merely lack the mental and physical resilience to handle discomfort. This goes beyond physical conditioning, but also the mental aspects of leaving one’s comfort zone.
Navy SEALs prepare themselves to withstand adverse conditions, which builds their sense of resilience. It also breaks their desire to return to or get stuck in a comfort zone.
Applying the Lesson
The easiest way to build your sense of resilience is to take tent camping trips. I recommend choosing fun and interesting locations, something with a vista, cool sunsets, or something rewarding to do. This helps wire your mindset to feel that enduring hardships and discomfort comes with a reward.
Then increase the rugged nature of your trips over time. Maybe you take a camping trip where you bike or hike. Maybe you try winter camping or take an overnight ice-fishing trip.
Related: Civil Unrest Myths You Need to Stop Believing
Not only does this toughen you up in ways that improve your ability to function in harsh conditions. It also helps you dial in a new skill set to maximize your adaptability. Not to mention having some epic experiences to share with friends and family.
Emergency Medical Skills
Basic first aid and trauma care are critical components of a Navy SEALs training. They undergo intense medical training, to be prepared for virtually any situation. This gives them the ability to treat each other’s wounds as well as their own. Not to mention knowing how to properly stow medical supplies or hide their wounds in combat.
Applying the Lesson
Your own preparedness training needs to go beyond a simple first aid kit and how to use it. Everyone in your group should be certified in CPR. You should also have an extensive medical kit that includes things like a suture kit, slings, and the means to do things like create a splint or cast.
You should also check with the local American Red Cross chapter and nearby community colleges to see if they offer advanced emergency medical training. I also recommend having this book at home. One of the authors is a surgeon from Venezuela who developed some ingenious techniques that can be used when there’s no medical supplies available anywhere.
Water Sourcing & Purification
Navy SEALs are trained to be able to locate water in a wide range of environments as well as knowing how to filter and purify it. This includes rendering naturally sourced water safe to drink even if purification equipment isn’t available.
This includes techniques like collecting dew, capturing rainwater, using solar stills, and utilizing natural materials to filter water.
Applying the Lesson
You can’t trust that you’ll always have a LifeStraw or even a fire to boil naturally sourced water.
Ideally, you should familiarize yourself with both modern and makeshift filtration methods.
This includes practicing primitive water processing methods using multi-stage filters. Even a few water bottles full of gravel, sand, and charcoal can help filter water to the point where a solar still might be able to purify it.
Then when you go on the camping trips I suggested earlier, try your hand at different water collection methods. When you start feeling confident that you have several strategies that work, you can expand it to include different water storage methods. You can always try this awesome DIY device that extracts water out of thin air, perfect for a crisis or simply if you want to be more self-sufficient.
Having a Rendezvous Point
When Navy SEALs go into the field, they always have one or potentially multiple rendezvous points. These are places where every member of the team knows how to meet up if they get separated. Often, it’s a place with reasonable cover or where they can safely regroup to reassess the situation.
Applying the Lesson
This lesson is very important for preppers who can’t always remain in a central location. Let’s say one or two members of your family commute a significant distance to work or school. Then a disaster happens, and you lose communication.
If it’s bad enough that you need to bug out, having a place to regroup helps reunite you with your loved ones. You can then move on to a more secure safehouse or bug-out destination.
Discrete Communication
In stealth combat situations Navy SEALs often use hand signals or other silent cues to covertly communicate. This includes things like special hand signals, single code words, and using flashlights to communicate coded information.
Applying the Lesson
If a prolonged crisis strikes, you and your family members might communicate information discretely under duress.
Having some basic, unique hand signals everyone knows and being versed in Morse code is a good starting point.
You can find a post-SHTF communication blueprint from a guide of a former Navy SEAL he wrote to help people like you and me to get through any kind of disaster.
It’s also a good idea to make sure all the key members of your group have multiple-frequency walkie-talkies or emergency radios. Then establish protocols for checking in during emergencies.
Final Thoughts
Navy SEALs are trained to be able to handle anything a hostile environment throws at them. While you’re likely not going to be slipping behind enemy lines to take out a hostile or rescue an intelligence asset, there are still elements of SEAL training that can increase your own survival chances when SHTF.
This starts with going on more primitive tent camping trips. Each time, find a new skill to work on or a new adventure that pushes your comfort zone. Not only will you add more bushcraft and survival skills to your arsenal, but it will improve your physical fitness as well as your physical resilience.
Adding mindfulness and situational awareness habits into your everyday life will also help sharpen your mind. Not only are these skills advantageous in your normal life, but they can give you a mental edge when a disaster strikes in the future.
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The mentality of thinking outside the box is one of the forms of strategic thinking used by special forces around the world. A higher IQ guarantees strategic thinking and acquiring skills is more feasible.
Am 74 an cripple, what should I do, can walk an was a Boy Scout,forgot my nots, but still remember most of, don’t have a lot of money can you help guild me?
Try Pinterest, type in a subject like knots, prepping, survival or anything else you want to know and it’ll probably be on there either in video or words and pictures. Pinterest, like this site are worth their weight in gold for knowledge.
Kenneth,
First thing is attitude which you have a good one because you want to learn. Good job. Next, I would say look around and what do you need as opposed to a nice to have? What skills do you already know? Can you cook? Can you sew? Can you teach skills like knots? Can you build a fire? Do you have tools but cannot use them anymore? Do not let ego tell you I can do this!, when you cannot. Having the know how and useful skills to teach, build fire, boil water and keep it clean will help in a community of people. Evaluate yourself and start there. I know I can food sitting down. Many things I can do I just didn’t realize until I was to do this. Evaluate yourself and start there.
If this is ever a true time of not good!, there won’t be an internet to check youtube. Print off articles or directions, recipes, first aid… Evaluate yourself.
First thing would be to secure your living space. Know where things are in the dark, then do as the others say looking on the internet. I would also have a firearm you can handle for protection, depending on your circumstances. Make one room a safe room, even if by pushing furniture to block your door. Have some supplies in there also. Maybe you know, or can find someone to help you.
Do what I do. First start with what you have. Plan to shelter in place. Focus on food, medicine, bills, and put your full faith and trust in The Lord.
Kenneth,
Main thing and I neglected this. Many apologies.
Make certain your soul is prepared.
Remember that if you use an AC unit for a water condenser, such an arrangement is a breeding ground for Legionnaire’s disease.
Thus, you need to boil the water that comes out that way. Legionella bacteria will be killed if the water is treated by boiling.
Just finished reading the autobiography of Harry Constance, Good To Go. Great book by a Vietnam era SEAL. I had to research a bit to make sure it was a real person telling a real story, he is a real life Rambo.
With the physical training component, you can bundle other things together. For instance, if you walk around your neighborhood as exercise, you can practice situational awareness. You can see how well you dress yourself for different weather situations. We’re having a cold spell right now, so bundling up to stay warm is different from dressing warmly enough for walking without overheating. Walking when it’s raining or snowing can help you assess your foul weather gear. Practice your footing when your walking path is wet or snowy.
Go on your walks with a backpack to see how well you can carry weight.
I live at the bottom of a pretty good hill. Two older ladies were going to do the pilgrim’s walk in Spain and often parked their cars across the street from my house to practice walking uphill. They first walked with no gear, but as time went in, they added backpacks and then increased the weight of their packs. Their preparations for their trip allowed them to enjoy their el Camino trip fully.
Going for a neighborhood walk also can provide a chance to work on using a compass if you don’t know how to use one or see your skills are rusty. You already know the area, so you can build up your proficiency in using one before you take it on the primitive camping trip to test out or hone other skills.
Lot of good info , and comments
reality Prepare for the area or situation of your own
Plan: Read, plan , prepare as you have ability or resources
prepare : as you have monitery ability or resources
program : set standards you commit to or rely on and wont compromise
learn to stand up , stand tall , stand alone , stand for your true beliefs , convictions
Do not follow others or crowd of idiots, morons, democrats who will surely fail you and lead you astray
Read, Plan , prepare for who you see as a good mentor , not arrogant fool
So much STUPID , Fools out there , who Run on Ego and Social Acceptance
Stand Alone , Learn how to control your reaction , emotion , self in situations
Discipline yourself by saying NO , Walking Away , Stepping Back , Thinking about something for a period of time .
Then you will be able
like a good soldier you must Practice Discipline
Dont Accept second best
Always Look ahead , Then your reward will come tommorrow
when the ship is sinking, the System is Failing , The Judgement is Coming , then you will have what you need to stand tall .
NOT arrogant , proud, idiot , Thug mentality
I have saltwater batteries to power my lights and to recharge my Lithium Batteries so that they can recharge the Cell Phones and Tablets. That takes a load off powering other electric devices like the Refrigerator. I also have one room that I use as a Safe room in which all forms of power are shut off in the rest of the house and redirected to the safe room. This significantly reduces the electrical needs. My computer is reduced to a HDMI Dongle and I have a 5 volt, 15 inch monitor to view and use my computer. I save all my work files on a 2 Terabyte USB drive and plug it into the 5 volt HDMI computer Dongle. For viewing movies I have a 5 volt projector that projects up to 40 inch screen with clarity. Fans are 5 volt. Swamp Cooler is… 5 volts from TEMU. In other words, I have most of my emergency power devices at 5 volts so that the more energy sucking devices like Refrigeration and for cooking can last much longer. I also have Battery Banks w flow through working like UPS to allow for solar energy to keep it charged and further extend the power supply. My Duracell Power station is used first as it has the external batteries to extend the power output, and each of the 4 lines can take a surge up to 1400 watts which is enough for powering the hot plate as well as well as the 750 watt radiator for heating the room. Note: you can reduce heat or cold using Emergency Mylar Blankets placed at the windows. reduce heat from the outside with shiny side out and retain heat to inside, shiny side in.