3 Ways to Develop Your Instincts Like The Special Forces
As a Special Forces operator, having strong instincts can be the difference between life and death. Being able to respond quickly and accurately in any given situation is key.
Honing your instincts requires discipline, dedication and practice, this is trifecta method of developing it.
Instincts are an invaluable tool for the Special Forces as we face dangerous missions head-on with little warning or preparation beforehand. Developing those instincts requires discipline, dedication and practice. If done correctly these efforts give the ability to respond quickly and accurately even during high-pressure situations where split-second decisions need to be made with a clear head and without hesitation or disarray.
Situational Awareness
The first step to honing your instincts is to practice situational awareness on a higher level. This means being aware of your environment at all times and knowing what’s going on around you in specific and deliberate ways. Pay attention to sensory details like smells, noises and changes in the atmosphere so that you can anticipate potential threats before they happen. This kind of vigilance takes time and practice but it will pay off in the end when you’re able to better prepare yourself for any kind of mission.
Understanding Human Nature
In order to hone your instincts, it’s important to understand human behavior – both yours and those around you. To read people beyond the surface and even be able to predict their actions and feelings. The more familiar you are with how people act under different kinds of stressors, the better prepared you will be when facing a dangerous situation in the field. Take some time out of your day to observe how people interact with one another in everyday situations so that you can better anticipate their reactions during high-stress moments on missions.
Physical and Mental
Finally, it’s essential that Special Forces operators train both their body and mind in order to hone their instincts – especially during dangerous missions where quick thinking is necessary for survival. Physical training helps sharpen reflexes while mental training helps sharpen focus in chaotic environments where distractions abound. Making sure that both aspects are equally trained will ensure that your body will react instinctively in any given situation without having to second-guess itself or take too long deciding what course of action needs to be taken next.
With thorough training and dedication, honing one’s instincts can become second nature -ultimately allowing you greater potential success on every mission you face moving forward, on and off the battlefield.
[INTEL : The Importance of Situational Awareness in the Field]
[OPTICS : Nellis Air Force Base]
![“Survival in any form for any environment is an act of prevention and or recovery, best enacted by preparation.” -Det V Cader The problem with survival prepping is the assumption that you’ll be home when the SHTF, if not then it was all for nothing. This is the solution: Standard “prepping” is the practice of stockpiling pertinent supplies and the training of survival techniques to be used for a possible lifestyle altering, large-scale catastrophe or SHTF event. The typical process is simple; slowly but consistently acquire food, water, weapons and other relevant equipment and store them in a singular central location such as a home or private “bomb” shelter. Just as important but far less utilized is the ongoing learning and practice of survival, defense and use of the prepped equipment. Having everything in one location has one fatal flaw, however. It assumes that you will be at that very location at all times or it will always be easily accessible and nearby to your present location. There’s no way of knowing when or where an “event” will take place. Meaning getting to your home base where all your survival prepping is stored may be impossible due to the nature of an “event”; mass gridlock traffic, land / infrastructure destruction, social panic and violence, restrictive martial law, vicinity containment, active combat / hot zones and public transportation collapse. The average person commutes to work or school 5 days a week far enough that they need to take motorized transportation, public or private. Then there’s leisure, recreation and errands time at other homes and facilities as well as being away on vacation. So all that survival prepping, across town or half way around the world can be lost or seized by another. For more than a decade I’ve been doing the “vagabond survival prepping method” of which evolved from stashing small city-specific go-bags around the world as part of my former operative profession. It wasn’t about survival back then but about professional utility and function. Equipment that wasn’t ideal to equip on my person at all times because of unnecessary baggage or non-permissive locales. As time went by and the more I returned to some of these “prepped cities”, the go-bags that were already stashed became better equipped and for more dynamic use such as urban / wilderness survival. To this day, I manage these hidden go-bags whenever I happen to be in their respective countries. That’s my way of survival prepping while vagabonding. These are located in a growing number of the cities I frequently visit in secure but relatively easily accessible spots such as; under a boulder access in New York’s Central Park, inside a tree stump in the Amazon Jungle and a derelict manhole in Bangkok – all of which have been my active stash spots for years. Unlike typical at-home-preppers, I don’t have the luxury of a long term address so I can’t hand pick the exact items I want off the internet to ship to. But this works out for me just fine as I build / upgrade my kits with readily available materials from the city I’m in. So if an “event” does take place (which will often affect major cities first and most), I’ll have my prep kit close by no matter where I am in the world. Instead of having to rely on a singular base a continent away. Due to the limited opportunity but unlimited variety of goods available while constantly traveling, each go-bag is completely different. Some by design and others by necessity. All are sealed to protect from the elements and hidden but easily “accessible”. Various Kit Items List: Backpack, Duffle Bag or Dry Bag MRE’s, Canned Foods and Vitamins Bottled Water and Energy Shot Water Treatment Tablets Prescription Contact Lenses Kevlar Vest or Shield Climbing Rope and Gear Euros and US Dollars Gold and Platinum Bullion Urban / SERE Kit Wilderness Kit First Aid / Trauma Kit SD Card w/ Data Smartphone Gas Mask Knife, Machete and other Weapons CB and Two-Way Radio Full Change of Clothes Multi Tool and Pry Bar Flashlight and Chemlights Sleeping Bag or Parka Solar Charger Some may consider renting a locker in a facility like train stations or self storage units. It’s not easy to maintain them for years at a time when you’re not even in the country for years at a time. Also, when considering an “event”, it’s logical to expect the loss of power grid and the mayhem in busy public areas. It’s best to stash them where no one will look in an area that won’t be too hectic but not where it will be too difficult to reach with limited transportation options. The vagabond survival prepping method isn’t limited to location independents and nomads, however. Consider your travel requirements of daily life and stash a go-bag in strategic spots accordingly; in your car, near your job, somewhere between your home and work, a friend’s place and near a hangout you frequent. Survival prepping doesn’t end with the acquisition of supplies and equipment, it only begins there and continues on with honing skills to survive and thrive. [OPTICS : Triple Aught Design Pack]](https://trdcrft.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Vagabond-Survival-Prepping-FAST-Pack-Litespeed-1-490x550.jpeg)
