The Reason Why Navy SEALS Don’t train martial arts

If you look online about Navy SEALS, there’s a lot of misinformation and mythology following them. In some circles, they’re treated like Gods who are masters of combat. However, the reality is that SEALS are very skilled, elite soldiers as opposed to martial artists. It’s important to note this distinction too – as many people think the two go in hand.

Here, we shall look at the reasons why Navy SEALS aren’t required to train martial arts and why doing so could actually be counter-productive. So, if you’ve got it into your head that SEALS require compulsory martial arts training then you’d be sadly mistaken.

Why SEALS don’t always train martial arts

Whilst there may be rumors about SEALS surrounding martial arts, the same cannot be said for their tough training environment. In other words, being a Navy SEAL is incredibly tough. It’s no secret that most fail the enterance test but if you’re lucky enough to get in then it can still be a long, hard slog. This is said from a physical and mental state too, where being a SEAL is certainly not easy.

During training, SEALS are required to swim, run and crawl with heavy equipment such as backpacks and automatic guns. They’re expected to be physically strong enough to carry this stuff in all terrain. Because of this, it makes sense that they don’t learn martial arts as it would be considered a waste of time. If warfare took place without weapons, then this would be a very different story.

Having said this, the raw truth is that wars and battles are usually fought with guns and other modern weapons. This means that Navy SEALS don’t really train much in the way of martial arts as it’s almost irrelevant. In some cases, SEALS may undergo a quick crash course in hand to hand combat. Usually this looks a bit like Krav Maga, mixed with a few other marital arts such as Judo and boxing. In the big scheme of things though, this training is miniscule and most people don’t do this.

Navy SEALS can train martial arts if they choose

At the same time, SEALS are invited to train in a number of physical activies, including martial arts. These often involve stuff like boxing and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The point of this is often to improve fitness, build commerardary and also to keep busy. As a result, many SEALS choose to continue training martial arts long after retirement, as a fun hobby as much as anything.

One thing worth noting is that something like BJJ would be pretty wasted on a Navy SEAL though. For example, imagine an unarmed SEAL trying to fight an opponent with a pistol. All the skills in the world wouldn’t help the SEAL with a 10 meter distance. At the same time, if this scenario somehow removed weapons, then of course knowing martial arts would help. Although a rare situation, it certainly doesn’t hurt to have fighting skills that don’t involve weapons. Because hand to hand fighting is so rare, martial arts training can be pursued by SEALS, however it’s certainly not compulsory.

Navy SEALS are trained to kill, not fight

In BUDS training, the majority of scenarios are built around survival and killing the enemy. This means there’s a difference between killing and fighting. For instance, an MMA fighter could beat a SEAL in an MMA fight with rules. However, in a jungle or urban terrain with weapons, the SEAL would win every single time. This is yet another example of how fighting and killing are two separate entities. As mentioned, the chances of finding a SEAL without their knife or gun is very rare, by which time they may be dead anyway.

Are Navy SEALS good at fighting?

In short, it’s fair to say that Navy SEALS are very good at fighting. This isn’t to do with martial arts either. The reason for this is that they’re incredibly strong and athletic. Whilst they’re not as tough as MMA fighters, they’re still in incredible, physical shape. Therefore, if they did get into a fight then their fitness and athleticism should be enough to beat the average person.

Of course, a highly skilled martial artist are strong street fighter could beat a Navy SEAL. However, the main point is that they’re good at fighting without training fighting – due to sheer physicality. This is a rare case of when someone can be good at fighting without being trained which is a good example of how body size and strength is always relevant in combat.

Conlusion

Overall, it’s a bit of an internet myth that Navy SEALS are skilled martial artists. For the most part, they’re physically gifted specimins without relying on martial arts. Whilst you could make an argument for tactical shooting or minimal hand to hand training – it would still be a stretch to call SEALS martial artists. As said though, you’d still be foolish to fight a SEAL as most are physically quite intimidating and very fit.

In summary, the reason Navy SEALS don’t learn martial arts is because they’re usually too busy doing SEAL stuff which involves pushing the bodies physical boundaries and spending time figuring out how to kill enemies. Due to the modern nature of warfare, this often leaves very little time for a SEAL to train martial arts.

If you want to learn more about SEAL BUDS training then check out this journal that describes the training process in detail.