The Americans have always fought on a broad front, and its always gone wrong. The British military is taught how to think, not what to think. They don’t require some Colour Sergeant (or Gunnery in your case) constantly bellowing down their ear.

I caught a clip of “Commando: On The Front Line” where there where a couple of YO’s doing an exercise with the USMC, and on a number of occassions the US Marines had to stop and cool off in the river because they simply couldn’t keep up.

Back to training. before you do the PRMC, or POC, you must complete a 2.4 Km run in 12 minutes 30 seconds, take a one minute break, then another 2.4 Km run in 10 minutes 30 seconds.

With regards to your training. No matter how hard you push yourself now, and how fit you think you are, or where you think your limits are, it will very soon be made clear to you that you are wrong. Believe me there will be plenty of opportunities for your eye balls to blead during commando training.
To be honest, obviously you need to have very good level of basic fitness before starting, but you don’t need to try to be super human (you’ll be taught that!) All the physical training is progressive so you’ll start off in the gym, concentrating on CV, then progressing to the “bottom Field” then getting gradually more weight on you for phys sessions and also speed marches, no one is going to expect you to do a thirty miler in week 2!
To that end, there is really very little point in thrashing yourself now. If you have a good level of fitness it will obviously help you and you won’t stand out as being a biff! However what will really hold you up is if you’re carrying an injury before you even start, because it will for sure not get any better when you’re in training.
The best phys you can do in my opinion, is to concentrate on CV to prepare for the early part of training, but also do some yomping over moorland with weight and boots. It doesn’t need to be huge weight, but it will just prepare your body for things to come. Do not run with weight yet, there’s not need, they will bring you on to that, and you’ll only injure yourself.

As for SBS, it’s great to have ambition. However, you would not believe the amount of people who say they want to go SB at the start, but funnily enough they don’t ever do it. My advice to you would be take one step at a time, get Commando training cracked first and then have a think about it. There’s plenty of other paths you can take, particularly as an officer, and you’ll have a much better idea of them by time you finish training.

I hope this has been of help, I make no apologies if I was direct, get used to it! GOOD LUCK!!!

Thanks!

Your SEALS Get trained by our Special Forces, maybe thats why they are ‘real men’ because there is a bit of British in each of them, a welcome attribute i might add.

The Royal Marines & Para’s are the best 2 preparatives for British Special Forces, the SAS / SBS. Bear in mind that the SAS are considered by many to be the best fighting force on the planet, it kind of puts your SEALs to shame a bit doesn’t it?

From my time of service, the only thing i could decipher about the USMC is that it is a fraction of skill mixed with a fuck load of testosterone and American mentality.

I think the cost to train a USM costs in excess of $250,000, a British Marine costs $100,000. Yet if you look at the statistics of like-for-like encounters and deployments, the U.S have lost a hell of a lot more. I don’t know what the hell the U.S waste $250,000 on, it must be equipment and explosives, ammunition etc but it can’t be going to much use really.

Now lets look at the SAS. Estimates suggest that in total, a fully fledged SAS soldier costs about $3,750,000 to train. Now look at their death statistics, if i am correct, only 1 has died in Afghanistan and hardly any in Iraq.