Rucking - Cutting Waist Strap

[Marshall]

Hi, I found this paragraph on an article listed below:

"All rucksacks have a waste strap, you might as well cut this now because your first day at SFAS they will cut it for you and make your training a hell of a lot harder. Many recruits drop out because they are not prepared for this. Do it now and save yourself humiliation and time."

Source = http://www.associatedcontent.com/art...g2.html?cat=50

I don't typically pay much attention to articles that have such gems as "waste strap", but in this case there is a SIGNIFICANT difference (to me) in the difficulty between a long, heavy ruck with and without one. Is this true and something that should be taken seriously? If so, I need to lighten my load a bit and work on exercising my lower back muscles. With my small-medium build, 50-60 pounds can be difficult to support entirely on the shoulders during 4-5 hour rucks...

Thanks for your insight and opinions.

[Team Sergeant]

Looks like pure bullshit to me. You are what you read.

The guy's bio..... does it say "Graduate of the US Army Special Forces Qualification Course"?

Team Sergeant
(Graduate of the US Army Special Forces Qualification Course)



Bio:
I'm a donkey man.
Education/Experience:
The Streets, School of Hard-NOX
Interests:
writing, history, herbal medicine, herbal remedies, medecine, diseases, conditions, all natural remedies, all natural treatment, ireland, ancient ireland, irish tradition, symbols, irish mythology, mythology, medical advise, indian medicine
Motto:
If theres poop in a bucket and it doesn't stink, then don't sirt it.
William Mattingly's Favorites

http://www.associatedcontent.com/use...mattingly.html

[The Reaper]

Originally Posted by Marshall

Hi, I found this paragraph on an article listed below:

"All rucksacks have a waste strap, you might as well cut this now because your first day at SFAS they will cut it for you and make your training a hell of a lot harder. Many recruits drop out because they are not prepared for this. Do it now and save yourself humiliation and time."

Source = http://www.associatedcontent.com/art...g2.html?cat=50

I don't typically pay much attention to articles that have such gems as "waste strap", but in this case there is a SIGNIFICANT difference (to me) in the difficulty between a long, heavy ruck with and without one. Is this true and something that should be taken seriously? If so, I need to lighten my load a bit and work on exercising my lower back muscles. With my small-medium build, 50-60 pounds can be difficult to support entirely on the shoulders during 4-5 hour rucks...

Thanks for your insight and opinions.

I would quit wasting my time reading unsubstantiated BS from unknown internet sources.

TR

[JJ_BPK]

Maybe someone should ask Mr William Mattingly if he would like to joins us??

How Col. Beckwith Developed the Concept of Delta Force and Special Forces
April 14, 2008 by William Mattingly William Mattingly Published Content: 96 Total Views: 24,030 Favorited By: 11 CPs Full Profile | Subscribe | Add to Favorites Recommend (4)Single page Font SizeRead comments (2)


Colonel Charles Beckwith is one of the United States' most recognized colonels. He fought diligently in various wars and missions the United States has participated in, legally, and most likely, illegally. He is one of the founding officers of the elite unit inside the Army known as Delta Force, which for the longest time was a secret to the civilian population. Delta Force only came to popularity from its heroic work in Somalia, made famous by the movie Black Hawk Down. But Delta Force, unlike most civilians understand, is not the work of Colonel Beckwith. This article will describe how Colonel Beckwith gained the concepts to form Delta Force, based on his book, Delta Force: The Army's Elite Counterterrorist Unite.

Colonel Beckwith in 1960 went to England, with his wife and daughters, to participate in observing the British Special Air Services (S.A.S.), the equivilant in title to Untied States Army Green Berets, or Special Forces, except on a scale far above these units. The United States Special Forces units were not developed until 1958, far later than the British S.A.S.

During Colonel Beckwith's time with the S.A.S. he held the rank of Captain, earning their respect after several cultural barriers were broken. For example, in Britain the special forces hold very little care for their appearance or organization. Unlike the uptight Captain Beckwith, later to be Colonel, they were in his opinion, very undisciplined. But, Colonel Beckwith soon learned of their unusual ways and realized they were in fact the best soldiers in the world, beating him in nearly every competition until later in his training with them.

Once adapted to the British S.A.S. customs, Colonel Beckwith learned strategies to break men in special forces. He learned to place them in physically impossible conditions and see how they acted; testing to see if they had what it took to never give up. They would also ask S.A.S. impossible questions to answer, defining the person's morality in the situation. Finally, Colonel Beckwith observed the ability of the S.A.S. to accomplish long marches with 50 lbs. in amazing time, usually running.

These aspects that Colonel Beckwith learned during his time with the British S.A.S. have clearly filtered into our current Special Forces training and assessment, also known as SFAS. Another form of this is Ranger School, though its toughness is arguable when compared to SFAS and Navy Seal's Hell Week. It is without a doubt, Colonel Beckwith's determination that shaped American Special Forces.

Source: Delta Force: The Army's Elite Counterterrorist Unite. Charlie A. Beckwith and Donald Knox. Avon Publishing

[The Reaper]

Untied States Army Green Berets

I am just proud to be able to gain from his wisdom.

He might even be of age to vote, though it does not appear that he graduated high school.

His television reviews are GTG though.

TR

[Warrior-Mentor]

"A great website is http://www.fatiguesarmynavy.com."

BOY OH BOY! I can't wait to buy my gear from this web site now!!

[Marshall]

Thanks for the feedback guys. The article(s) did set off my BS alarm, but I wanted to be sure. I don't want to fail in an area I could have prepared for, but I REALLY don't want to tweak/injure my back listening to a load of fecal matter.

Appreciated.

[JJ_BPK]

Originally Posted by Marshall

I don't want to fail in an area I could have prepared for, but I REALLY don't want to tweak/injure my back listening to a load of fecal matter.

There is a book,, written by one of the QP's,, forgot his name??

I think you can find it referenced here: http://www.warrior-mentor.com/

Been told it's a good read...

[Marshall]

I'm already the proud owner of a copy, thanks. Is the "Warrior-Mentor" user on these forums the author / Lt Col Martin? If so, thanks for such a great read!

Although the information contained in the book was very beneficial, the workouts seem much less strenuous than even the "5 week workout" guide. I somehow feel I would be utterly pulverized if I showed up at SFAS having only done mild workouts and a couple of 10-mile rucks...

[Warrior-Mentor]

There's a piece of advice somewhere in there...

"Be prepared to go 12 miles a day with a ruck and do it day after day." (p.4-6)

Nothing says you can't increase the times or the distances if you're in better shape.



JJ Thanks for the recommendation. Best place to buy GET SELECTED is here:

www.specialops.org ...or ask for it at your local Clothing Sales or PX.

You can find it on Amazon, but you'll pay more for it.

[Calvengeance]

I wouldn't trust a guy that can't properly spell medicine with a tongue depressor.

Here at A&M, we do our humps without waist straps but I think that's mostly because everyone's ruck is broken. Should we keep doing it like that or try to start using waist straps?

[x SF med]

Originally Posted by Calvengeance

I wouldn't trust a guy that can't properly spell medicine with a tongue depressor.

Here at A&M, we do our humps without waist straps but I think that's mostly because everyone's ruck is broken. Should we keep doing it like that or try to start using waist straps?

A waist strap is to help secure and distribute the load of the ruck. Use it.

[Team Sergeant]

Originally Posted by Marshall

I'm already the proud owner of a copy, thanks. Is the "Warrior-Mentor" user on these forums the author / Joe Martin? If so, thanks for such a great read!

Never heard of him......

[Prester John]

FWIW- I have NEVER used a ruck waist strap. I bridle at the idea of being charged for TA-50, however, so I usually buckle the strap to itself back around the frame, tighten it and tape the ends.

Tighten your shoulder straps and find that happy arch in your lower back that allows your kidney pad to ride on the top of your ass. You should be running anyway, and 55 pounds isn't heavy enough to really worry about re-distributing that weight.

At least that's what has worked for me. Put it in your kit bag and use it if the feeling grabs you.

Doug

[Atilla]

I never used the waist strap on humps, not because I thought I was hard but because it seemed like a pain in the ass to mess with. Tended to follow Prester John's method. May reevaluate this as I continue with Mother Army but I just wanted to put in my DD $.02