Navy SEAL Training Video

This training video shows what it takes to become part of one of America’s Elite fighting forces.

Heart and Determination: Ingredients to Make a Navy SEAL

Do you possess loyalty? Spirit? An unbelievable sense of self-confidence? How about determination and self-discipline? Do you possess an unstoppable sense of tenacity and stick-to-it-ivness? If so, then you may well be on your way in becoming a US Navy SEAL.

The Recipe

This list may surprise some, considering a SEAL is the epitome of strength and endurance. Despite what the almost mythical reputation of Navy SEALs, they also hold the key to something much greater: heart. Size doesn’t matter, since it can be improved through training and conditioning, but there is one thing that brings all SEALs together, something that solidifies the bond of brotherhood in SEALs.

The word “SEAL” has many different meanings to people, but it is generally thought of with respect and awe. Extensively trained with basic warrior skills, a Navy SEAL is trained in modern technology and weaponry, as well as tactical planning and performance. SEALs carry the reputation of being one of the most fears military groups around the world.

Located in San Diego, the BUDs training program to become a Navy SEAL is made up of three phases, and each phase poses its own set of challenges for recruits. However, those challenges are more than physical in nature; they’re also a test of courage and desire. They’re a gauntlet of sorts, the one that separates excellent Naval men into superior Special Forces SEAL team members.

A Proper Mixture of Grit and Brawn

A Navy SEAL learns to rely on a combination of mental discipline, intelligence and common sense to get the job done in a complete and thorough manner. Not only does the BUDs training recruits require a certain amount of physical strength, he also runs high on heart that will get him through one day into the next. Being one of the toughest military training programs in the world, it takes endurance and determination to follow through for not only the SEAL recruit himself, but for his teammates as well.

Prior to arriving at the training location in San Diego, each recruit must pass physical examinations, as well as mental testing. Recruits applying for the BUDs training must score high enough on the written tests and pass physical training to qualify.

During the first phase of BUDs training, intense daily physical activity is expected of each recruit. Lasting a long eight weeks, conditioning includes activities such as running, daily exercise, and swimming. This training phase expects recruits to surpass “drown proofing” exercises as well as finish timed obstacle course runs in ever-shorter periods of time.

Learning the Meaning of Reputation

Hell Week is during the third week of Phase One, and has a reputation all its own. This intense training period is usually responsible for prompting many recruits to drop out of the program, as this five-day regimen of grueling physical, nearly non-stop activity is enough to collapse the bodies, and spirit, of many brawny men. At this point in the training, SEAL recruits begin to see that a SEAL does not run on endurance alone, but on heart and determination.

Whether a recruit struggles or not, they begin to look deep within themselves in order to find the strength to carry on. “The Only Easy Day was Yesterday” slogan is not merely a bunch of words. It personifies the Navy SEALs training process, and demonstrates that physical strength is not the only thing that a recruit can rely on since each day of the process grows ever more difficult.

A SEAL must possess three things: Determination, Stamina, and Heart. These three characteristics are what build the foundation of a Navy SEAL. Whether tackling the Spider Wall or Evolutions, state of mind is a great part of enduring. “It becomes a matter of breaking down the training process into manageable proportions,” says one BUDs graduate.

Each phase of the BUD training regimen is considered difficult and challenging, and recruits soon find out that size does not matter one iota. One thing that keeps them going: the heart and determination to become a Navy SEAL. Heart is the one thing that keeps driving them to the finish line, and fulfilling their dream, though at the moment it may seem more like a nightmare.

In the life of a Navy SEAL, the BUDs training program is one of the most intense experiences they will have in their life. It signifies a point in time when they cease to become civilian, or even Navy – they step past physical limitations and mental barriers to become a special breed of men called SEALs. Those weeks of grueling training teaches them not only physical and mental strength, but also about having the heart to continue and the determination to do so to the best of their ability.

Integrity

A Navy SEAL is anyone; shape and size do not discriminate. A SEAL can have different beliefs and come from a different culture, but the one thing that they have no matter where they come from is heart. A true Navy SEAL does not display a superior attitude or blustering arrogance, but rather use their physical and mental strength and heart for the good of the team.

Teamwork, integrity and camaraderie of men are vital in any military branch, and an honored Navy SEAL becomes a willing team member in their group. A trained SEAL gets through each challenge together, and makes friendships that last a lifetime. From the time a BUDs recruit goes through his training, his heart begins to think about the ones around him, those same men who are not only part of the team, but also his buddies and brothers.

Do you have the heart to become a Navy Seal? Having the determination and heart to go through the training program is the other half the battle. Carrying that with you throughout the rest of your life is vital to becoming not only the best SEAL you can be, but also an honorable person. Strength can be conditioned, and mental strength can be learned. It’s the heart that separates the SEALs from the rest of the world.