(SpecWar Club members performing pull-ups as part of their routine PT)

            The Special Warfare club exists to provide potential candidates the opportunity to train specifically for a career in the SEAL or EOD communities. The immediate goals of the club are to mentor junior midshipmen and give them advice on how to properly work out, most notably for the SEAL Physical Screening Test (PST). In addition, proper mentoring includes presenting the kind of lifestyle and attitude necessary for success in these highly competitive communities. Finally, the club should stress the importance of attaining leadership positions and maintaining high grade point averages, both of which are crucial with respect to service selection.

            Typical club activities in the past have included pool meetings and calisthenics workouts. At the pool, focus is given to proficiency with the combat sidestroke, the predominant form of swimming at BUD/S and inn EOD training. In addition, supplementary training such as underwater knot tying, water treading exercises and lifesaving drills have been completed. Calisthenics include high repetitions of pushups, sit-ups, pull-ups and lower body exercises. These types of workouts solidify the importance of conditioning the body to the stresses that it will experience in formal training. In addition, club events will include runs, some of which will be in combat boots and camouflage. Runs in hard-packed and soft sand are beneficial because they condition the body to become better prepared for the challenges of BUD/S.

            The SPECWAR club is fortunate enough to have prior enlisted officer candidates who have experience in both the SEAL and EOD communities. These individuals serve as a wealth of knowledge and a useful tool for prospective candidates. They contribute workout ideas to the club and can give outstanding advice related to swimming form, running conditioning, and training in general. Also, they can tell junior midshipmen about their own time spent in training and on active duty deployments. For anyone interested, the SEAL community is open only to males as per Congressional mandate. The EOD community however, is available to both males and females.

-MIDN 1/C Crawford
SpecWar President