Navy SEALS Known For Mental & Physical Toughness

Their well-deserved reputation is due in no small part to their rigorous training. The United States Navy Sea, Air and Land forces, more commonly known as the SEALs, are the best of the best. Known worldwide as one of the top trained military forces, the Navy SEALs handle any special operations the Navy sends their way. Many consider the Navy SEALs training to be as tough as it gets—but they’re only partially right. You see, within the Navy SEALs, there’s an even more elite group—the Basic Underwater Demolition SEALs (BUDS). These maritime warriors are in peak physical condition being trained to push their bodies and their minds to the limits.

Who Is Eligible For BUDS Training?

SEALs who enter into BUDS training will spend 30 weeks (more than half a year) training in the most taxing circumstances… with little relief. That’s for those who make it—which is typically only 20-30 percent of those who start BUDS training. Navy SEALs in BUDS training participate in land warfare, diving and parachuting.

The Navy SEALs are looking for specific individuals for this program—and there are no waivers. The BUDS training program is open to both Coast Guard and Navy personnel—officer and enlisted. Applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 28 and U.S. citizens. You have to be smart, too, with the ASVAB (Armed Service Aptitude Battery test) score to prove it. Along with a strong mind, you’ll need a strong body and be able to pass the Diver/SEAL physical screening test and have vision correctable to 20/20. You can have no criminal record or prior drug use.

In the Navy SEALs BUDS training, officers and enlisted personnel go through the same training together. It’s about being a cohesive unit throughout training and operations.

And So It Begins

BUDS training candidates must first successfully complete basic Navy SEAL training. Following SEAL training, individuals in the BUDS training will go to Coronado, CA to train in things like unconventional land warfare, diving, weapons, demolition and reconnaissance. BUDS trainees will push their minds and bodies to the limits learning about foreign internal defense and counter-terrorism.

The program begins with 3 weeks of physical training. That’s followed by a conditioning phase that lasts 7 weeks and includes water competency, mental tenacity, and team dynamics. All along, BUDS training candidates can expect extreme physical conditioning that includes everything from obstacle courses to calisthenics. All of this happens with very little time for rest or sleep.

The conclusion of this phase is aptly named Hell Week. For 132 hours, BUDS training candidates will be faced with non-stop action in circumstances that will challenge their mind and bodies—and certainly strengthen them as a team and as individuals.

Beyond Hell Week

Following Hell Week, the hopeful BUD SEALs spend the next 8 weeks learning to SCUBA dive and battle underwater, and that is as exhausting as it sounds! Fighting against the resistance of the water, the candidates must work hard and work as a team to accomplish their training mission. Of course, at every phase of the training, the exhaustive physical exertion continues.

In the final weeks of training, those who remain concentrate on land warfare. For 9 weeks, the Navy SEALs push through weapons and tactical training. They’re schooled in land navigation, rappelling and explosives. Candidates are asked to take their body to its physical limits. The final 3 weeks of BUDS training focuses on parachuting.

Those that complete BUDS training are one of the most elite fighting forces our country can call upon. The small teams are trained to execute even the most complex and dangerous missions, often in secrecy. So while you may never know what BUD SEALs are doing, know that they’ve got your back as they protect this country against our enemies. For more military career information check out USMilitary.com.