Doc,
Great thread. Appreciate your insightful words. "How can an SF Candidate best train his mind to prepare for training?" Better yet "How can a Special Forces soldier prepare himself for combat?"
Option 1 Experience. Unfortunately, we are in an unforgiving business. Training is the best way to prepare. Screw up in training and you can get sent home. Screw up in combat and someone gets hurt or killed.
Option 2 Modelling. Not photography...modelling behavior of people who have gone before you and been successful. These can be living Mentors or Warriors who have passed on. Study the biographies and autobiographies of the greats. You chose. With whom? Start with the Medal of Honor Recipients.
Option 3 Study. Study the academics behind your chosen profession. What happens to someone when they are put in a high stress environment physically, mentally and emotionally. Read LTC(RET) Dave Grossman's book
ON KILLING. It was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize because it was so well written. It breaks down the killing process to almost a simple mathmatical formula. It distinguishes between system the military uses to kill the enemy (controlled through discipline and orders) and the mindless "slay them all" desensitization that is happening through so many video games.
Beyond reading, there are three tape sets I highly recommend. In fact,
if I could add two hours of training to the SFQC, this first tape set would be it: THE BULLETPROOF MIND: What it takes to win violent encounters...and after by LTC(RET) Dave Grossman (
www.killology.com) It goes into the dynamics of combat...what happens to someone physiologically and psychologically...before, during and after a life threatening or killing experience. exactly what we need SF guys to understand BEFORE going to combat to help prevent or minimize the effects of post traumatic stress.
The second tape set would be
Tough Times Never last, but Tough People Do by Robert Schuller. Although this focuses primarily on police in life threatening and killing scenarios, it's still very applicabale to what we do.
Third,
The Winning Mind: Secrets to Survival Thinking by Dave Grossi. It details a number of situations where police were able to overcome being out numbered and out gunned.
Option 4 Combination. Do all of the above to rapidly accellerate your learning curve.
Warrior-Mentor