Bang. This was the third shot that the sniper student missed. One more, and he was done. Out of sniper school. A failure. I looked down and noticed that the student’s body position was still off despite my earlier coaching to correct it. The final round cracked off, and nothing else was heard—no sound of lead impacting steel at a distance, no "hit" uttered by the spotter. … [Read more...] about SEAL Sniper Instructor: It’s more important to be effective than right
In my previous article, I discussed how visualization—or what I call "paradise from the pain"—can help us get through challenging or difficult times by allowing us to live in the moment that comes after the pain or discomfort. But how do we do that? How can we train our brains to focus on what’s up ahead and not on what we’re experiencing now? Training a SEAL to tackle … [Read more...] about How a T-shirt got me through Navy SEAL training Hell Week (Pt. 2)
I was slouched over a stack of pancakes in the BUD/S chow hall, quietly experiencing the thousands of microabrasions that come with 48 hours of being wet and sandy. It was Tuesday night of Hell Week, and it was the first time the pain of it all had really settled in. It was the burning that was getting to me, as if the tiny nerve endings in my skin had started an orchestra to … [Read more...] about A T-shirt got me through Navy SEAL training Hell Week (Pt. 1)
When the contract for my first book, "Raising Men: Lessons Navy SEALs Learned from Their Training and Taught to Their Sons," arrived, I had already experienced success as a performance writer. I had written about how the principles of SEAL performance apply to all areas of life; produced papers and classes about mental management, adversity, performance health, leadership, … [Read more...] about A Navy SEAL Dad and His Challenge Raising Four Great Kids
If you’ve spent anytime on Loadoutroom.com then you already know that we have a unique perspective on gear. “Gear is life and life is gear” can easily sum up our philosophy as well as begin to describe our passion and approach. In an effort to “Step it up” a notch we have been working hard to build out an amazing writing team and today I'm going to introduce you to some of … [Read more...] about The Loadout Room - Kicking it up a notch
Courtesy of The Loadout Room - By Eric Davis Happy New Year SOFREP - It's been a while since I've posted here. I've been busy in Ethiopia and working on the Loadout Room. As we ramp for an amazing 2014, I thought to share some of our work that we thought you would value. Now I'm not saying that any of you put on some pounds over the Holidays, but just in case you did, … [Read more...] about Happy New Year- Now Lose That Gut The Spec Ops Way
A man survives underwater, for nearly 3 days, with nothing more than a pocket of air and a bottle of Coke. 29 year-old Ship's Cook Okene was on board the Jascon-4 tugboat when it was slammed and sunk by heavy Atlantic swells 20 miles from the coast of Nigeria. The ship settled at about 100’ below the surface and almost immediately became an underwater tomb for all but one of … [Read more...] about Nigerian Boat Capsizes, Cook Survives 3 Days in Air Pocket
"Tough. Deal with it. Adapt and overcome." If you’re new to SOFREP or uncertain about the kind of community that resides - no scratch that - “lives” here, look no further than the comment section of Human Performance – Advance by Adversity. Wait another hour or two and you’ll see more of the same in the comment section of this article. Fierce, loyal, dedicated, tenacious … [Read more...] about Advance by Adversity Part II - Human Performance
Filtered by frigid Pacific waters and forged through adversity, the Navy SEAL's are notorious for their feats of human performance and succeeding at all costs. The uninitiated describes them as "Winners," but labels like these obscure reality by covering up the muddy, battered and bruised truth about these men. Navy SEALs are born to lose, and that's what makes them … [Read more...] about Human Performance - Advance by Adversity
After only reading the list once, I was able to remember and recite every digit of every phone number that all 30 of my sniper students gave me before I taught them how to do the same. It would seem like I must have had a photographic memory, though, if that were the case, it wouldn’t explain how I was able to teach others to produce similar results. To be perfectly candid I’m … [Read more...] about Limitless Memory: Performance Secrets of Special Operations
They didn’t want anyone to say anything to you, but a few years ago 19 men quietly died for America. You never knew about them because they loved you so much that they didn’t even want you to know you were in danger. Nobody said anything to you because they didn’t want you to bear the burden of knowing they gave their life for you. You might remember some of the stories in the … [Read more...] about Lone Survivor & Unsung Heroes of Operation Red Wings Remembered
The idea of our own government spying on American citizens is a bit disturbing, and SOFREP has covered this in the past. While we can acknowledge this concern, as a society we can also learn to appreciate all of the ways our government tries to keep us safe. After spending a few years as a technical surveillance expert and over two decades as an overprotective father I've … [Read more...] about Spy Kit For The Average Citizen
