Old 09-26-2011, 08:41   #61
chester
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Don't over think selection. All you have to do is show up and do the best you can moment by moment. I have seen some crazy train up programs posted on here that are complete overkill and a recipe for injury and overtraining. Make sure you can do 6-10 pull-ups minimum, run a 13:30ish or faster 2 mile, and score a 270+ on a strictly graded PT test. That is all you really need in my opinion.

Make sure you can ruck somewhere around a 13:00 pace without running. I got my pace down to 12:30 on easy terrain and I never had any trouble on the rucks. The guys that could only make a good time by running had a hard time because running with a ruck is a good way to get hurt and get sore joints. Some of the guys that smoked me on the first timed ruck were begging me to slow down on the transition rucks by the end of it, and I was just walking a comfortable pace.

Last edited by chester; 06-15-2012 at 06:55.
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Old 09-26-2011, 14:34   #62
slownugly
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Selected 10-11

Don't make waves, ride em. Ignore the rumor mill/G2 cult, they really just compound uncertainty and fear. It's childish, and for such a dynamic and evolving course, ultimately futile.
Have fun with it and keep smiling. You should be able to convince the Cadre that earning the tab is your life's ambition. Beyond that, your forecast efforts should be focused on what you can trade for veggie burger and wheat snack bread. Bon appetit!
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Old 10-11-2011, 22:37   #63
patton368
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selected class 10-11

pt test, dont fail it so practice doing qaulity pushups
train in a manner where your body is used to performing day after day, perform each event as hard as you can AND STILL BE READY FOR ANOTHER EVENT, that does not mean sandbag, what it means is do not destroy yourself by pushing harder than your body can recover from.
train without spandex,( get used to body glide, and petroleum gelly).
if your not good at math and english do a refresher, just research sat prep on ako or buy a book as these subjects will be tested, dont lie on your evals, if your tired in classroom standup, information will not be repeated and if you miss it you just shot yourself in the foot especially land nav.
do your best on all land nav events Do not sandbag, if you need extra help with the concepts any cadre will help you. no matter what advantage can be gained off useing the roads stay off them if you cheat you will be caught there were alot of sad faces when we left hoffman because they thought they got away with stuff and they really did not. use your compass inside of draws so as not to veer off course, before busting the draw walk laterally to it and most the time you can find where someone already busted it.
drink your ors packets and eat when they tell you to.
team week is ....well team week. if i could train for team week again i would focus more on my lower back,legs, and do farmer carries every other day. if you get hurt your still expected to pull your weight, your team will not be forgiving. if you dont have the ability to carry heavy stuff on your back and heavy stuff in your hands you will not complete team week,other than that be yourself and do your best.
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Old 05-14-2012, 18:05   #64
mud slinger
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TABE

I'm heading to SFAS in June and I've had to climb mountains to get to this point. My questions is what is the standard for the TABE test and what are the results used for? I'm sure it used used to help place an individual in a specific MOS. I have just never been told.
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Old 05-14-2012, 18:26   #65
The Reaper
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Originally Posted by pink0wski View Post
I'm heading to SFAS in June and I've had to climb mountains to get to this point. My questions is what is the standard for the TABE test and what are the results used for? I'm sure it used used to help place an individual in a specific MOS. I have just never been told.
To determine your educational level.

For example, have you read the board rules, filled in your profile, and introduced yourself yet?

TR
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Old 05-20-2012, 06:13   #66
mud slinger
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You are absolutely right. Thanks Reaper.
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Old 06-14-2012, 22:15   #67
joesnuffy
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Take care of your feet!

Take care of your feet!

Take care of your feet!

Don't be late

Don't be last

Don't be light

Don't listen to the rumor mill as it will just cause you to worry about things you have no control over in the first place. Just do whatever task is asked of you and be happy about it (or not thats your choice).

When you find yourself hurting and sucking don't say a damn word about it because 9/10 times everyone else is as well and they sure as hell don't want to hear about your aches and pains.

Do listen to what the cadre tell you they will provide you with the tools to succeed.

Do more than the standard at all times and never self asses yourself out, you never know what the cadre are thinking.

Make sure that everything at home is squared away before you leave otherwise it WILL distract you from the course and that's a NOGO.

Have fun and enjoy yourself

Take care of your feet.
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Old 06-14-2012, 22:27   #68
Sarski
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Originally Posted by joesnuffy View Post
Take care of your feet!

Take care of your feet!

Take care of your feet!

Don't be late

Don't be last

Don't be light

Don't listen to the rumor mill as it will just cause you to worry about things you have no control over in the first place. Just do whatever task is asked of you and be happy about it (or not thats your choice).

When you find yourself hurting and sucking don't say a damn word about it because 9/10 times everyone else is as well and they sure as hell don't want to hear about your aches and pains.

Do listen to what the cadre tell you they will provide you with the tools to succeed.

Do more than the standard at all times and never self asses yourself out, you never know what the cadre are thinking.

Make sure that everything at home is squared away before you leave otherwise it WILL distract you from the course and that's a NOGO.

Have fun and enjoy yourself

Take care of your feet.
You sound pretty squared away. Keep at it and good luck!
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Old 06-22-2012, 18:41   #69
mud slinger
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I just completed and was selected for class 9-12. I won't sit here and repeat information that is already on this site but I will give some information why people were not selected and or failed.

1. Poor physical condition. Failed PT test, Failed runs and Ruck marchs, Injuries that could have been prevented by just being in shape from the get go.

2. Eat " ALL " your food and drink " WATER ". You will burn more calories then you take in. A few people were just to exhausted to continue. It might be nasty but if you really want it you will eat it.

3. The medic is there for a reason go see him. People were dropped for something that could have been prevented if they would have just went when they noticed a problem in the first place.

4. Land Nav gets a lot of people. Trust your compass and know your pace count, never doubt your training and stay away from the DRAWS! stay off the ROADS! even if there is 10 mins to index.

5. Be a team player, add input and help out every chance you get. Don't sit around looking like a tool. Your peers will smile at you but will note everything you do.

Do your best on everything you do even if it is not a gate, cadre are always watching and everything you do is noted. My class started out with 327 and we finished with 125 making the selection rate 39%. You don't have to be a muscle man to get selected you just have to be in top shape and have a lot of heart and want it more then you want to breath. If you make a mistake bounce back by doing better then what you did before.

Good luck and remember NEVER QUIT!
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Old 07-02-2012, 15:48   #70
jurisdoctor
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Selected this last class (09-12) as well. Agree with everything mud slinger said above. A few of my own thoughts/words of advice:

1. I trained with a combination of alpine climbing and Crossfit/Crossfit Endurance. Worked for me. Personally I see little return on investment from miles and miles of "rucking." I'd recommend putting some of that time and energy into strength/strength endurance development so you can keep going without rest days for 17 days.

2. Similarly, focus more on full body movements that utilize the entire posterior chain and legs. You will do pushups twice: the PT test and log and rifle PT. Otherwise you're walking with a ruck, farmer's carrying heavy things, or putting it on your back.

3. People seem concerned with how much running to do in training. We ran less than 20 miles (not counting all the jogging around camp as you must run everywhere you go) and walked over 150 miles with rucks on. If you can max the PT test and run 7:00/mile for an unknown distance you are more than fine.

4. STAY OFF THE ROADS AT LAND NAV. Whereas you used to just get docked points or something for a roadkill, they are no longer so gentle. For our class they dropped anyone who got roadkilled unless they had an outstanding excuse.

5. Selection is four days. You've heard it said and its true. Gate week and land nav are just your entry fee for team week. As they told us, they don't even look back at those performances unless you are on the edge after team week. Work hard, lead when appropriate and be a great follower/team player. Also write clear, descriptive peer evals as those show the cadre you can articulate feedback and be part of a solution in a team environment.

6. For Officers: Bust it, hard. We had 21 Os finish and 13 Selected. Almost all those non-selects were outstanding guys and would have easily been Selected near the top of the list if enlisted. Not only that, but every non-selected O in our class (save one) got an NTR. The most common reason from those non-selected officers was that they weren't [good] leaders during team week.

7. Don't focus on stupid stuff. The cadre don't care if you blouse your boots, put your hands in your pockets, or show up to a formation in PT shorts and a brown shirt. You can be as "AR 670-1" fantastic as you want, but they want someone who is highly capable and professional, not someone whose uniform looks cleanly pressed.

8. Have fun with it. Its a good time, a lot of the events can be fun if you're physically prepared, and you have a lot of down time to get to know and learn from some of the Army's finest soldiers. Enjoy it.
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Old 07-06-2012, 06:16   #71
Mr_Lite
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Old 07-08-2012, 15:25   #72
Sir topham hatt
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I was also selected 09-12, the two guys above me were spot on!

Nothing can totally prepare you for SFAS. It will be the hardest thing you have done to date. You WILL think about quitting. The thing that counts is what you do with those thoughts, keep pushing.

Hit the gym as hard as you can. Find somebody that you think is in the best shape a person can physically be in, and workout harder than them.

Take care of those feet. I took all of the information on this board about foot care and applied it during my train up, and only really had problems the last couple of days.

Don't worry about the other guys in SFAS. Get to know people, and make some friends, but when it comes down to it, you are all you got out there. There will be some tough guys not breaking a sweat during any of the events, and there will be little puny guys (me) sucking hard 24/7. Both have an equal chance of getting selected.
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Old 07-12-2012, 20:38   #73
Cowgomoo
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Selected in 8-12

In addition to all of the other advice here, I would like to put emphasis on two things that I found were my weakest points.

1) Have a lot of forearm strength! I killed the PT test and all of the rucks but I was the second weakest on my team when it came to carrying water cans. Fortunately, there was always someone else who dropped the cans before I was about to so I never stood out for it, but I was mighty close to being "that guy" for not having much forearm strength. (The guy that kept dropping them got peered)

2) Learn how to tie knots before going. If you can tie a good knot, you can shine when apparatus construction begins even if your not leading the team when it comes to putting forth ideas. I sucked at knots so I was mostly a "grey-man" during construction and planning which didn't look good on my part.
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Old 07-24-2012, 09:36   #74
MikeKilo
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1. Canteen straws are great to hydrate and drop weight while you move. Bringing a camelback doesn't mean you get to leave your 2qts empty, you still have to fill them.
2. Bring the lightest possible boots you can. Preferably ones that dry quickly.
3. Bring a book. You won't trade it, but you will be bored.
4. Poncho in the top of the ruck with bungie cords ready. A wet rucksack is a heavy rucksack.
5. Don't bring a million pairs of everything. You don't need it.
6. Map case with dummy cord. I didn't bring one, and it was stupid.
7. The new ACU's that have button cargo pockets. The draw monster will have a harder time getting to your goodies.
8. Train with a 50lb rucksack and get the hell off the road. You won't develop the necessary stabilizer muscles by road marching. Then walk. Then walk some more. And walk until your feet are leather and peel every other week.
9. People say it takes 100% commitment to pass. I think a more accurate statement is that before you start SFAS, that you want nothing else in this world. If you do, you will not make it.

In the words of the CSM that inbriefed us, "If you weren't trying to G2 this course before you got here, you're a f***ing idiot. I don't do shit without trying to G2 the hell out of it."

Last edited by MikeKilo; 05-01-2013 at 00:30.
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Old 08-05-2012, 04:24   #75
Sir topham hatt
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1. Canteen straws are great to hydrate and drop weight while you move. Bringing a camelback doesn't mean you get to leave your 2qts empty, you still have to fill them.
I almost forgot about this! Bring canteen straws, if you don't...you will kick yourself in the ass daily. Don't make the same mistake I did.
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