If you’re training for Special Operations or Special Forces selection, you’re probably weighing a simple but important question:
What is the best way to prepare for selection?
Is 1-on-1 coaching actually worth it?
Is it better to buy a program, work with your recruiter, or train with buddies?
I am Coach Dave. I’ve coached well over 100 athletes preparing for SFAS, BUD/S, RASP, A&S, BORTAC, and other high-attrition selections . Some athletes worked with me for a few months. Others athletes have worked with me for well over a year. In many cases, I continue working with them after selection and into follow-on training like the Q Course.
This page explains what working with me, SOFPrepCoach, actually looks like, who it tends to work best for, and how we can make sure it’s a good fit.
Who SOFPrepCoach Is a Good Fit For
Based on my experience coaching selection candidates, SOFPrepCoach works best for a specific type of athlete.
Serious, Committed Candidates
If you’re committed to selection and willing to prioritize training (at least 3–4 hours per week on the low end), coaching can ensure your effort is pointed in the right direction. You won’t have to guess what to prioritize, when to push, or when to pull back. You share feedback, performance, life updates, ship/selection date changes, or other information, and I adjust the training specifically to your needs. This allows you to fully focus on one thing: Execution. Execution. Execution.
Athletes Who Want to Optimize Limited Time
There’s no question selection prep will require 5 – 6 days of hard training weekly in the immediate 2 – 3 months out. That is non-negotiable for a successful prep. But, outside of those 3-months, 4-days of focused training is enough. Having an unbiased third party to allocate your effort and organize training across strength, endurance, and metabolic conditioning ensures you’re well-rounded and ready when it comes time to peak.
Athletes Ready for Accountability
I’m always there when athletes miss sessions, forget to log data, or when life gets in the way. Sometimes that’s adjusting the schedule. Sometimes it’s a nudge or push to lift them up and get back on track.
At the same time, coaching only works when the athlete is internally motivated. I am here to provide structure, direction, and accountability, but I can’t be your alarm clock each day to train. If someone isn’t ready for that responsibility, coaching usually isn’t the right fit at that moment. And that’s okay.
Athletes Stuck on Plateaus
For athletes who’ve hit a wall in any vertical, coaching can be a great choice. Many of the athletes I work with are in the intermediate stage where they’re at or near competitive scores in strength, calisthenics, and endurance. Having someone in your corner to organize your training to achieve the top quartile (25%) of performance requires appropriate volume, intensity, load management, and sequencing of your training.
Why SOFPrepCoach Only Offers 1-on-1 Coaching
Earlier in my coaching career, I did offer cookie-cutter training programs. I received good feedback, but it never felt right.
What I became frustrated by was the lack of personalization.
Cookie-cutter Programs can’t account for:
- Individual weaknesses
- Differences in recovery
- Work schedules and sleep
- Illness, injury, or missed sessions
- When and how to peak correctly
That’s why I exclusively offer 1-on-1 coaching now. I start every athlete with baseline assessments to gauge strengths and weaknesses, and I adjust training based on performance, recovery, and feedback. Every week, at minimum, I’m adjusting training.
This is the only way I can guarantee results for those who are willing to put in the work.
How the Coaching Actually Works
After we mutually decide training is a good fit, I’ll get you setup on TrainingPeaks, have a form to learn about your training schedule, gym access, and gym equipment.
From there, I’ll provide you with a set of baseline workouts to complete. I’ll review your heart rate data, weightlifting form along with sets and reps you hit. These baseline workouts give me a holistic view of your strengths and weaknesses. This is a snapshot of a few baseline strength workouts for an athlete who was recovering from a lower-leg injury. You can see, training is adjusted to his needs.
After completing our initial assessments, I’ll work backwards from your desired readiness data to plan tentative training blocks, each with specific goals. If I believe that your target date for selection is aggressive, or even unrealistic, I will not hesitate to tell you. This is because I care. I want you starting day 1 of selection fully confident in your performance and preparation.
At the same time, I’ve also found some guys were too conservative with their desired selection date. And I’ve shared we can target earlier dates to ship or go to selection as well.
What Does Training and Communication Look Like?
In TrainingPeaks, your workouts may look like this. I will share new workouts weekly, and I’ll expect that you’re posting workout comments daily and texting me in real-time for any important adjustments. For instance, this athlete was relatively close to his selection date. At this stage, communication is more critical than ever.
You’ll notice calf/hamstring and shoulder prehab work. I was able to make these adjustments because of the fantastic self awareness and communication of this athlete.
Based on your progress, fatigue, and schedule I will adjust, add, and remove workouts. On your end, if you’re unable to complete a workout, I always appreciate a heads up, so I can adjust the schedule.
This way, if work or life interferes with training, I can adjust, rather than anyone feeling guilty and racing to finish old workouts.
The method I use for sharing workouts and reviewing HR data and workout technique is TrainingPeaks. For real-time communication, I keep it primarily written over text. This allows me to get back as soon as possible and give timely responses.
SOFPrepCoach Reviews: Athlete Outcomes
The nature of this game for my athletes, as well as myself even, is that we like to keep our privacy.
No one wants their name or face plastered on the internet as a testimonial in this career field, nor would I ever request this of someone.
What I’ve done instead is anonymize and list below real messages from athletes I’ve coached.
In many cases, I continue working with athletes after selection and into follow-on training or schools.
Hear from My Athletes:
These messages include excited updates that athletes were selected, performance improvements (running/rucking/strength), and feedback regarding performance during and after selection
(In Training)
I also have some other testimonials on the coaching page, if you’d like to review.
SOFPrepCoach Billing, Cancellation, and Flexibility
Unlike many other coaches, I offer coaching billed monthly, month to month.
I typically work with athletes who are at least three months out from their target ship or selection date. That gives us enough runway to assess strengths and weaknesses, build the right adaptations, and put a proper peaking plan in place so training is progressive rather than rushed.
The month-to-month structure — with no lock-ins or upfront commitments — is intentional. It gives both of us flexibility as training, schedules, and circumstances evolve. If coaching ever stops making sense, it can be paused or ended. And if within the first month it’s clear the coaching model isn’t the right fit, I’m happy to issue a refund.
I’ve had athletes offer to pay six months up front as a way to force commitment. I’ve always declined. I want athletes working with me because the coaching is helping them, not because they’ve sunk money into it and are locked into an agreement.
Final Thoughts
There are many ways to prepare for selection, and no single path is right for everyone at all times. Group programs, free plans, and training with buddies can all work in the right circumstances.
1-on-1 coaching for the right person can be great.
My competitive advantage with SOFPrepCoach is personalization, ongoing feedback, and precise adjustments so your training matches your strengths, weaknesses, schedule, and timeline.
If you want to learn more about my training philosophy, check out the YouTube channel, my about page, and other training posts on the website.
If you want to learn more about whether Special Operations coaching makes sense for you, you can also review the coaching page.