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Stew Smith Fitness News — team player

Teamwork Skills in U.S. Special Ops Programs

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Teamwork Skills in U.S. Special Ops Programs

When asked recently about the most important "non-physical" trait someone who is about to attend BUD/S or any other Special Ops selection program should have, it took a minute to decide on the "most important." Sure, you need mental toughness, a never quit attitude, and must be hard physically, but I think the most important non-physical trait is being a TEAM PLAYER. Of course, there are individual challenges and tests that you alone must conquer, but no one makes it through any selection program by themselves. You must be a team player and help each other get through training TOGETHER....

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Using Special Ops Selection Methods to Test Athletes

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A recent training opportunity with a high school baseball team allowed me to develop a challenge week with their coach.  Not only was the Challenge Test a team building gut check, but it had a system built in that helped calculate overall winners.  This system is the very same method we have used for decades to determine a total score in a physical screening test within the Special Ops community.  This allows for the selection board to determine who has the overall best score as well as the winners in individual events.  The screening test we use for Navy SEAL...

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Parent Seeking Information About SEAL Training for Son

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Often, I receive emails from parents looking for information about Navy SEAL training for their usually pre-teen / early teenage sons.  Here is an email from a Dad of a 13 year old boy who has wanted to serve in the SEAL Teams since he was 8 years old:Stew, I have a son (13), who has always wanted to be a Navy SEAL.  I know he may change his mind later but what can I do now to encourage him and set him up for success in a program that many "wanna-be's" don't make it? Having a young member of...

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