Preparing for Ranger School is tough. There’s a lot to take in between packing lists, physical training, military skills, knot tying, and more. That alone is enough to fill your schedule. But for most people, what weighs heaviest is the anxiety. Ranger School is prestigious, challenging, and something many people want to complete. Stories from those who have gone before (whether they passed or not) only add to the pressure.
Maybe you’re a new lieutenant who knows you’ll be judged at your first unit based on whether you earn the tab. Maybe you’re a standout E-5 and everyone knows you’re headed for PRC or Ranger itself. The expectations are high, and that adds a mental burden.
Your goal is to stay focused on the mission. Some level of anxiety can actually be helpful. It can keep you disciplined, organized, and attentive to your training. You may have heard that stress, in the right amount, sharpens performance.
But it becomes a problem when it takes over. When the fear of failing clouds your thoughts. When you start second-guessing your training. When your mind never gets a break.
One technique we’ve found helpful is to sit down alone and talk out loud (it may seem odd, but its effective). Describe what’s ahead. Talk through your plan. Acknowledge, clearly and calmly, that if you prepare with hard work and follow a program, you are giving yourself a real chance to succeed. Thousands of people earn their tab every year. There is no reason you can’t be one of them. In fact, there are a thousand reasons why you can.
Another technique is learning when to turn it off. During the day, train hard. Do your job. Hit your RTTs. Prep your packing list. Knock out what needs to get done. But at the end of the day, deliberately shift gears. Give yourself permission to stop thinking about Ranger. This isn’t easy obviously, but deliberately making an effort to do it can help. If you spend your days working hard and your nights spiraling through worry, you burn out. Fatigue builds. You start to lose your edge.
Our Advanced Phase 2 Ranger Guide includes a full chapter on mental skills. It’s meant to be reviewed before school or PRC starts. That way, when you show up, you’re already equipped to manage the mental side. We walk through how to take it one event at a time, how to show up with confidence, and how to manage pressure in small pieces. Building these skills during your train-up makes you far more prepared once you arrive.
In the end, your job is simple. Train hard. Stay focused. Trust that your effort will carry you forward. Thousands of others have done this. So can you. Don’t let stress, rumors, or someone else’s story stop you from earning what you’ve already started working for.
The same advice can be applied to SFAS, Sapper School, or anything else important that's ahead. Go crush it.
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Blue / Green Training designs comprehensive fitness guides for military athletes. Our goal is to enable success and capture potential. Our guides include carefully designed fitness programming and explanations to help our athletes understand the concepts behind it all - something we haven't seen anywhere else. We inspire confidence in our athletes by teaching them effective physical training so they can continue their progress after our programming ends. We guarantee you'll get value from our material.
Blog related to : Ranger School, Ranger Tab, Ranger Training, Ranger Prep