Ruck Up or Shut Up: The Comprehensive Guide to Special Forces Assessment and Selection

by David C. Walton

Ruck Up or Shut Up is THE comprehensive guide to Special Forces Assessment and Selection, the gateway barrier to entry to the US Army Special Forces...the storied Green Berets. This book is more than just a manual to get selected, this book is a prescriptive account of SFAS and a descriptive account of the culture, legend, and lore that surround SFAS.

Not everyone who reads this book will go to SFAS. There is still much to learn within these pages. There are great stories and lessons to be learned for just about anyone. For those who are already in the pipeline for Selection, these pages are a manual for what you can expect at Camp Mackall. For those on the path but not yet committed, you will likely find words of motivation and confirmation that will help you to commit. For those that are searching for something more, know that you have found it.

Discover what makes Special Forces special
Know what happens week by week at SFAS
Identify how to build hard feet and ruck like a pro
Learn why The Sandman never sleeps
Recognize the best training methodologies
Understand what gets you selected…and why

This book is for the hopeful few who will dare to try. You may not know what a Green Beret really does or precisely what it takes to earn the coveted title, but you feel the intense need to test your mettle. The good news is that if you are reading this book then you are headed in the right direction. Keep reading.

Then ruck up, we have work to do.

Genres: Military Fiction

340 pages, Paperback

Published April 12, 2023

Reviews

[Jerry Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable and informative.
Well written little book that sheds some light on how to prepare for SFAS. Equal parts entertaining stories from the author and very practical advice to help you succeed in the austere environment that is selection.

[Jacob Castro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was really captivated by this book. It taught me many things, had funny stories and challenged me. Good read.

[Jesse Jayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a prospective candidate training up to join the Army in the 18X program, this book was a must-have. I picked it up from the author in person at one of his Land Nav events (highly recommend).

This book has it all, every part of the SFAS pipeline, how it works, how you’ll be assessed by the Cadre at Camp Mackall, and it’s organized in a greatly digestible manner. It also includes tips for training prior to SFAS, advice for you and your family, as well as hilarious anecdotes where the authors voice shows through perfectly.

This is not another hacky military wannabe book, or some Seal biography with an egotistical author. This is decades of expertise refined into everything you need to actually go to SFAS, perform your best with the knowledge gained, and get selected. After reading this, knowing how brutal selection will be is only more motivating because it becomes clear that the ONLY thing that matters is your performance, and you can train that performance to give yourself no chance to do anything but succeed.

Absolutely must read for any potential candidate, Special Forces history fan, or family of a soldier or potential candidate.

[Jonathan Dunkle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I took up rucking, essentially long travel with a weighted pack, this year. Rucking is a staple of the armed forces and is a big part of the Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS).

I'm an overweight, middle-aged guy with no aspiration or inclination to join the military. Nonetheless, it is difficult to delve into rucking too far before encountering Dr. Walton, or TFVoodoo. He is cited as the expert in preparing for the SFAS and rucking. So I thought I would check out his book.

Despite not pursuing a career in the military, I found the book useful, insightful, and entertaining. The process of going through SFAS is just insane and takes a lot of hard work, preperation, and good fortune. It gave me quite an appreciation for the work involved in becoming an elite part of the armed forces.

For someone just interested in rucking better, there's some good material but it really is a handbook for preparing for the SFAS. If you're looking to become a Green Beret, I think it would prove to be a useful tool for you.

[Alexis Mae · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is about as deep as a mud puddle. Author peddles it like it has secret information to selection but it’s really just a couple good chapters that he repeats 3x to make into a longer book. I read it because he said there was information there for loved ones on how to support your selected soldier through, when really that was just 1.5 pages about how his wife is great and now sure why she deals with him.

And dear god man, get a fucking editor. The grammar is subpar but the font and font size are drastically different on all pages! And stop only posting on Reddit just to market this book.

2 stars because some of the stories were cool.

[Pedro Santiago]

mandatory reading for any 18-series aspirant

[Peter Locke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intense “guide” or rather suggestions/hints to SFAS