Stew Smith Fitness News

Often I get great ideas from readers who are training to become Special Operators. Many times it is difficult to find a place to swim or with someone competent enough to watch you while you do underwater swims. My rule has always been – NEVER SWIM ALONE – PERIOD. And do not try to push 50m underwater or drown-proofing without trained personnel observing for safety. However, I received a great idea the other day from Jason – check it out.Stew - Reading about underwater swims and how the Naval Special Warfare Command discourages the practice without proper supervision has caused...

I often get asked about the Tactical Air Control Party of the Air Force Special Operations Command. We, at StewSmith.com Fitness, do not have a specific workout program for TACP, but after researching TACP and training a few TACP candidates through the Heroes of Tomorrow program, here are the recommendations we have developed: The PFT Bible - Military PFT to get TO the training and advance into the Army Ranger / SF Workout to prepare for the rucking events during the training. This combo will more than adequately prepare you to get TO and THROUGH Air Force TACP Training. However The...

The Special Warfare Combatant Crewmember (SWCC) of today is the product of years of history. Since 1963, when one of the father's of Special Warfare - Phil Bucklew commanded and developed the Special Boat Units of today to specifically support the SEALs and UDTs during the Vietnam War. Since then, the "Brown Water Navy" has distinguished themselves and are now one of the three components of the Naval Special Warfare Command (SEAL Teams, SEAL Delivery vehicle (SDV) Teams, and Special Boat Units). These high-tech, high-speed boats make up the maritime component of the U.S. Special Operations Command.SWCC PST Standards:  Your...

A new system used by Naval Special Warfare has been helping to screen recruits before they get to SEAL or SWCC training. It is called the Spec War Draft. Please do not get this confused with Vietnam era draft. It is more like the NFL draft process and the PST is now considered the Spec War version of the combine. But yes you have to compete to get to go to BUD/S or SWCC - no more minimum standards will get you to SEAL / SWCC training. See email from a young man confused by the terms being used:"About the...

Often I receive emails from military and law enforcement personnel concerning how fair a fitness test is and does it accurately measure someone’s fitness level. For instance, here is an email from on police officer who is seeking candidates for his department’s SWAT Team:I am about to open up tryouts for a few SWAT Team positions and am trying to develop a fitness test that will help the Team select the best candidates to attend our training program. Any suggestions?There two things most military and law enforcement groups try to measure: Basic Fitness / Health and Physical Potential to Succeed...