Survival preparation

Rotte

Rotte

Joined
Aug 30, 2008
Messages
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I've been thinking a little about preparing for survival. I think we would all agree that the most important aspect of preparing for survival situations is preparing yourself. Gear is great...surviving without a knife would really suck..but the reality is that it comes down to you.

After all, the only thing you are sure to have with you is...you.

I conceived three different elements to preparation: 1) knowledge/skills, 2) fitness, and 3) will.

The first may be the easiest: you can learn from reading, taking classes, and, above all, practice. This board is a good place to start.

Fitness requires more discipline, more consistent effort. And maybe some planning.

And will? How do you develop the will to survive? Most instructors will tell you that the will to survive is the most important survival tool. Is there a way to develop the will to survive?

So here is a question for y'all: how are you preparing yourself, in terms of these three elements, for a possible survival situation? I'm not talking about getting a bug-out-bag together or sharpening your knives or purifying water with a sock. How are you ensuring your knowledge and skills are sharp and your body and mind are ready?
 
I'd have to say as far as knowledge and skills go practice is the only real way to improve..anyone can build kits and horde gear..but with out practice it is all just stuff..

Fitness is something I take very seriously I've been honing my workouts over the past 12 years to give me what I concieve as an optimum full body workout..combingin running callesthenics, olympic power lifts and yoga into a series of 45 min workouts 4-5 times a week not including martial arts training

As far as will I guess persuing any discipline can build will..but for me I guess my martial arts training has helped me to realize the will within myself...anybody I think has will..they just need the proper motivation to reveal it...
 
1. Skills: Get together with like-minded others, and practice, practice, practice... I used to go out into the mountains with a sack full of kit, then try to 'rough it' without touching most of my kit. The kit was there if needed though.

2. Fitness: When I don't have time to go hillwalking, the best exercise I've ever found is a Versaclimber in a gym. You'll be running up mountains in no time, I was, literally! And I'm no lightweight runner...

3. Hmmm... For me, I think I was born with that. I've always had it. Never surrender! No matter what, I'll make it through. Now I have a wife, that would pull me even stronger but otherwise, it's just something that's in me.
 
interesting question...

skills: i get out in the woods fairly frequently to brush up on my skills, comfort level, and to try to learn new things through experience

physical: i run almost every day, and outside of track season i mostly train longer distances (3-4 miles) to build up my endurance. i work out my upper body through basic weight lifting: pushups, situps, a couple of freeweight exercises. after a little experiment the other day, i'm going to start incorporating more pullups and climbing-oriented exercises.

will: will is something that's very hard to consciously train...you can develop your will power through little things, like not scratching an itch or not yawning when you want to. you can make yourself run for 5 minutes after you are already exhausted, or you could make youself skip a meal even though you are hungry.

by doing these things you can show yourself that you have control over your body, and that's something that i feel is a big issue...mind over matter and all that. when you have confidence that your body belongs to you, it is easy to feel confident in yourself.

i know that i will survive most situations as long as i have my mind and most of my body. i have had a few nights in the cold or have spent time being uncomfortable...i am just 100% honest with myself and i know that i will come out on the other side just fine.

but how do you exercise your will? how do you strengthen it? i don't really know...i do look forward to hearing what everyone else thinks though.
 
great post!

Skills- is less about knowledge and more about practice. Practice is similar to fitness in the sense that it requires discipline and planning. Knowledge is also needed particularly in information retrieval. knowing where to get information on danger. I practice as much as I can. I keep myself trying new things and keep my mind sharp!!!!

Fitness- is my main priority in life, without health you ain't got much and what little you do have you will have to give it up soon. The only way to prolong your time on this planet is to be FIT.

Will- this is tricky, who can say I have an iron will. Situations can break will, I try to keep my kid's future as the guiding light of my will. This gets me moving quick.


Creativity- this is the only thing I can add to your post. Creativity is not knowledge or skills or will, it is that crazy thing no one has a clue where it comes but that light that clicks and you use some object met for one thing and apply it to a completely new situation. That is key!
 
Skills:
I have a boatload of gear-constantly refining and adding/deleting. I practice the basics of camping over and over: shelter, fire, water. I still struggle sometimes and that's why I practice. I have a TON of things to improve on: knots, traps, plant identification among them.
Fitness:
I have been involved in martial arts for almost 30 years> my instructor is my best friend and when his school closed a part of me died. I still practice, but am looking for a new school now. Tough to do since many places don't like someone with advanced degrees, but I have been around long enough to KNOW I am still a student. I do pushups and light stretching every day, and try not to eat much. At 43 I don't feel or look old.

Will:
This is something I have honed over the years. Before I had children it was part ego to do the best at whatever I could. (except chase the dollar-I don't care about having a lot of money). After my kids were born and I went through a divorce and had to start over, I lost the ego part and realized that I wanted more than anything to make sure they had a role model and someone in a role model position CANNOT be a quitter.
 
Great thread Rotte. We discuss skills and tools ad nauseam on this forum, but rarely discuss other integral components of W&S skills.

1. Skills... knowledge is power and will make you capable of survival.
2. Physical fitness... without it you are done. I don't care how skillful you are, or how bad you want to live. If you are out of shape your body will be unable to perform the tasks necessary to survive. Your body is the only one you will ever have... take care of it.
3. Will. Besides muslim extremists... who the hell wants to die. We all have a strong will to survive, but without the requisite skills and physical fitness necessary to do so... fail.
 
This is a good thread !
1- Skills - I've been in the woods since I was able to walk by myself :cool:
My dad has taught my brother & me since we were wee little hillbilly's :D
I have a good selection of gear & knowledge on how to use it. Jut need more Practice :o
2- Fitness - This is my weakest point here. I used to be in good shape ( Shaolin Kung-Fu/ modern arnis, Basketball, hiking/hunting, weight lifting) But after the twins came along I started to slow down & put on severl pounds. Now I'm trying to shed the weight back off, I'm down to 215lbs from 220lbs Jan.1 & still working on it:D hope to hit 190lbs by summer:o I'm 6'1" so 190 will be nice :p
3- Will - I have my family to keep me going:thumbup:
 
I dont prepare. I just go out and enjoy the outdoors. Been picking up a lot of good info here, though.
 
I'm smart enough,fit enough and dog-gone it,people like me.
Seriously,I lived through Hurricane Andrew and a few lessor storms in Miami.
A few riots also.
I store food,water and cash.
Also have an attack dog,guns and ammo and a safe.

If you really want to talk survival now is the time to do it.
Food is CHEAP now.
Everyone should have a years worth of food for their family on hand.
Plant some fruit trees if you can,a garden would be good.
Canned food is cheap and stores almost forever.
Every week when you grocery shop add a little more to your supplies.
When you need it it won't be there and if it is it won't be cheap.
 
Rotte good ? .
After reading what others say LOL I know that will help me in getting more prepared.

Bryan
 
1. Knowledge/skills -- I've done a couple courses, both winter and summer. I try to read a fair amount (right now: "Lofty" Wiseman's SAS survival book) to get different ideas. Also try to read specific accounts of survival--amazing what some people are capable of. I also have the confidence developed from 30 years playing in the woods to draw on. But I still practice when ever I can.

2. Fitness -- my weak spot also. I was in fantastic shape...about 10 years ago. Not so much anymore. I think I just stopped focusing on this critical element as other life demands took precedence. I've restarted a circuit training program and am watching my diet more carefully--seems to be paying dividends quickly.

I was thinking of creating a "wilderness workout" using different types of exercises that may have functional relevance, i.e. squats, deadlifts, lunges, rowing, swimming, running, push-ups, rope climbing/pull-ups, and of course, 'roadmarching'. The Vesaclimber sounds really good. Any given workout could be a mixture of several elements, e.g. swim 200m, then pull-ups, then crunches, and then repeat. Keep mixing it up.

3. Will -- I don't know how you condition your will. Probably practicing applying your will helps. Many of the accounts I have read by survivors relate the importance of close relationships, spouse's, children, even friends. I suspect that the need to reunite, or not let someone else down may be a big factor in survival. Maybe also the knowledge that you can survive helps to strengthen your will. Never relinquishing hope. And keeping that in mind. Fortunately I was born stubborn.

4. Creativity / adaptability -- Good call Psy-ops. The willingness and ability to change plans and find fresh solutions. I think this can be practiced as well. Don't do things the same way, practice improvisation. If you made your last fire with a match, try a bow and drill. Giving your mind different experiences and problems to solve now may pay off later. I may try to do this more frequently.
 
Thanks Rotte,

When many people get stuck and they get what Psych researchers call "functional fixedness." This is when you look at an object and can't see any other possibilities other than what its intended use is.

So as you said to practice undoing this would be to continually challenge yourself to try things different ways. As many of us know, when sht happens you will be missing one key ingredient.

My grandfather a still living vet from D-day, he always drove to places a different way. He just had his 92nd birthday and we had a skype talk which he was able to figure it out. I try to emulate him as much as I can.
 
psy-ops said:
My grandfather a still living vet from D-day, he always drove to places a different way. He just had his 92nd birthday and we had a skype talk which he was able to figure it out. I try to emulate him as much as I can.
Click to expand...

Wow :eek: Thats AWSOME 'Ol Bud, give your grandpa howdy from me ! my heart & prayers go out for him !
 
I like reading true stories about people in survival situations and imagining myself in the same situation. Could I do it? What would be easier/harder for me than it was for them?

Also a good sense of humor is important. Being able to laugh at yourself and the predicament you're in will go a long way towards keeping you from panicking.

With that said, the idea of me dying in a survival situation and all the people on the boards and other friends laughing at me would help keep me going!
 
Cody Londin says you have to have a "party on" kind of attitude when the chips are down. I'm not sure if he would agree with my interpretation, but I would say he was recommending something like "militant optimism" as a way to fight panic, depression, or whatever. Also there is a book called "Deep Survival" which studies the mental and other factors that allow one person to survive while another one dies. I didn't think much of the latter, but you might want to give it a look. I think there is one story of a guy who was going through a divorce, because if he died his ex would have gotten everything and if he lived she only got half. That gave him motivation to live. Pretty funny. :)
 
According to some experts, physical and mental training will increase your will to survive. It will also give you a better "survival mindset" (the actual term they used in the training).

According to these guys ( I can't remember their names but they make excellent videos on disaster and workplace violence survival) every little bit of training that you undertake will store in your Brain Housing Group and when the chips are down you'll remember you are trained for this and will be less likely to panic and more likely to survive. They also talk about remembering why you will survive, like I have a picture of my wife and son to remind me.

So in answer to how do you train your will, you train your will by training your mind and body ( educate your self and practice what you learn, keep in shape). One thing I can say from experience ( which I may not be the only one to find this out) just being at a decent healthy weight will make you feel a lot better and increase your chances and will to survive anything.

David
 
Very thought provoking questions Rotte! I think we can understand the need to gather and learn the knowledge to survive, and putting that into practice is how we train. Keeping your body healthy and fit is always easier said than done, but just as important. I've been in some extremely stressful situations and your body takes a beating, however, I would say that your "will to survive" is as important as the conditioning of your body.

To me, your "will" is your personal, internal drive to succeed or survive. You must have something to live for and you really need to condition your mind to focus and not give up. I've done several very hard military exercises, road marches, Ranger School prep, SERE training, etc. The mind is usually the first to give up, not the body.

Individual sports are a great way to build confidence, strengthen your mind and develop that desire to win; wrestling, Martial Arts, paint-ball, boxing, etc. My son has excelled with rock climbing. It's a physical activity, but you really need to control your mind in order to keep you body moving. You have to think several steps ahead, calculate, focus and remain as calm as possible so you don't tire. It's really a good activity in my mind and there are several others as I mentioned. I truly believe you have to induce a certain amount of mental or physical stress in order to "exercise" and develop your "will". We often refer to it as your "intestinal fortitude":D or mental toughness...whatever you refer to it as, it's your desire to win or live.

I also like the addition of creativity and adaptability. These are extremely important traits to have. I would guess any game or that requires constant thought and strategy would be good...even board games such as Chess. Some of the most talented in this arena are some of our very own knife makers here on the forums! There are several activities for groups and staff that work to develop creativity and adaptability. We have a training area that exercises leadership and creativity. It gives a small team an obstacle and several items (boards, rope, barrels, etc.) and they have to work together to maneuver over the obstacle. They are actually quite fun, exercising your physical, mental, and leadership and team work abilities.

The development of your "will" starts at birth. My son will often get into a project and run into a road block. Of course the easy thing to do is quit or say "I can't", but my job is to work on his ability to remain calm, take a break and tackle the problem from a different angle. I love the old trick of holding a quarter up to your nose with a newspaper behind it which represents your problem...you focus completely on the quarter and can't read the paper. As soon as you pull the quarter away, you then can focus on more than just that "problem" in front of your nose. Great post!:thumbup:

ROCK6
 
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