[Box]

I'm going to go against the grain on this one.

These guys are all steering you wrong. With the right pair of shoes, you won't even have to train before attending selection. I understand that focusing on a solid training regimen, proper diet, and plenty of rest might SOUND like a good way to get your mind and body prepared - but lets be honest - they are selecting EVERYBODY these days. Why focus on improving yourself when there are cool points to be made by looking good.

Sure - Rocky Balboa ran through the streets of Philadelphia wearing Chuck Taylors - Forest Gump ran from coast to coast to coast wearing a pair of worn out Nike Cortez - and yes, Quicksilver wore a pair of Adizero's - but those were just movies. In the real world, Rocky's grit, Forest's heart, and Quicksilver's supernatural talent were NOT what made the shoes work.
Product placement and great script writing made those shoes work.

Double that when it comes to boots. If you get a super-gucci set of boots that look operator as fuck - your ruck march times wont matter. There are no cool points for being able to say that you EARNED selection through hard work, focus, commitment, and sheer will. None of those words mean a thing if they compromise your comfort and we all know that the first test of a mans will is becoming uncomfortable.
Giving in to your discomfort is the first step on the road to Quittersville.

FUUUUCK that. I need my comfort. My feet need to feel good, and if I don't get my protein powder and pre-workout energy shakes - I ain't worth a shit. It's so much easier to take shortcuts than to just do the work.

When I went to selection, I went with the same pair of Saucony running shoes that I had grown accustomed to wearing and oddly enough, my Army issued jungle boots. It's a miracle that I finished the program and got selected. My Ill-conceived and unstylish footwear choices should have gotten me dropped at the first gate - I don't know what those idiots saw in me - but I just kept going. Even when my knees hurt. Even when I started getting hot spots on my feet. Even when my shoulders started aching so bad that I wanted to quit. Even when I saw guys with nicer shoes pass me on a run - I kept going.

Then one day, I passed a guy on a ruck march - even though he had a nicer pair of boots.
That night I found out that I wasn't the only one that had sore feet and shoulders. Even a few of the guys that had nice boots, and 17 pounds of moleskin all over their shit in hopes that it would prevent a loss of comfort...
...I found out that getting kicked in the nuts hurts. I found out that even if somebody tells you, "I'm going to kick you in the nuts" - It's still going to hurt, even though you have time to get ready for that kick in the nuts.
The real secret is taking that kick in the nuts like a man - catching your breath, then continuing to move forward.

My poor choice of footwear during SFAS could be why I never got a gig as a Fox News contributor and certainly the reason that I have never been asked to endorse a 'Call of Duty' video game.

SFAS is designed to be a kick in the nuts and you're not allowed to wear a cup. Don't forget about the "Assessment" part though. The assessment comes before the selection.
You don't just get "Selected" my friend - you get assessed. Your performance during that assessment is what decides whether or not you get selected.
Focus on THAT and you'll do fine. Let your mind start to wonder about your shoes - and you'll start to doubt your choices.
Did I buy the right shoes?
These shoes are kicking my ass !!
This is useless, I'm never going to make time with these shoes !!
Why am I even here - I'm never going to get selected because of these shoes.
Then your self doubt consumes you.
Then you quit.
...Buh bye.


Or you could just find something that fits properly, and run.
Run - Forest - Run.
Get up Rock!
Hey, I ain't heard no bell.
...ain't gonna be no rematch
...don't need one

THAT is how you get selected.
A solid training regimen
Proper diet
Plenty of rest
Hard work and determination

Everything else is just a sales pitch.