There is no doubt that MMA training is the most rigorous physical training in any sport. But while many fighters can dominate in the ring, dominating on the streets is a whole different ball game. Most fighters never experience the kind of grueling training programs that many of the special forces and law enforcement endure. These officers, soldiers, and secret agents go through training that would make Chuck Lidell look like a slacker.
There are many elite police and military forces around the world, each with its own training program. It is very hard to say which is the toughest. All of the listed organizations are preeminent in the required demands and skills of their members. Any fighter or physical fitness buff that is interested in reaching the peak of physical fitness could learn a lot by studying their methods.
TOP 5 TRAINING PROGRAMS IN THE WORLD
5. LAPD & NYPD
Yeah these guys made the cut over many special forces all over the world but believe us they deserve this ranking. The Los Angeles and New York Police Departments have the most challenging tasks of any police force in the world. They must maintain order in a large, active, densely populated, and often dangerous cities that are spread out over a very wide area. This necessitates that LA police training be more rigorous than some police training programs and NYPD must focus on terror threats. Training includes extensive training in defensive navigation of an urban setting, terror threats, riot management, firearms, and in LA, high-speed driving.
4. Shayetet 13
Yeah, these guys definitely made the list. They created their own category of martial arts! This is Israel’s most elite counter-terrorist forces. They specialize in hostage rescue, which puts them in the highest of high risk situations. They own the brutal martial art of Krav Maga and are experts in hand-to-hand combat skills. Since they live in one of the world’s most dangerous regions, members of Shayetet 13 must be prepared to use their deadly skills at all times.
3. Spetsnaz
How could you not put Vladimir Putin’s Alma Mater on this list? Spetsnaz, includes a variety of Russia’s security and special forces units, the word means “special purpose forces.” Members of these units are expected to be in top physical condition and ready to engage in combat at any time. They are placed as bodyguards for high-ranking government officials. For this reason, they are often trained in extremely uncomfortable and even painful circumstances. Spetsnaz willingly endure torture and punishment to become accustomed to pain and thus less likely to crack under aggressive interrogations, no joke!
2. MI-6
We just had to put James Bond on the list. He is employed by MI-6. This is Britain’s intelligence agency and is responsible for counter-terrorism, security and gathering top-secret information. Agents for this elite unit are given comprehensive training in hand-to-hand combat, and improvised weaponry. In addition to combat training, recruits learn those classic spy skills like undercover surveillance, evasive driving and explosives handling.
1. Navy SEALs
Yeah that’s right, The Navy SEALs are renowned for their daring courage and physical fitness. This is the premier elite military force, consisting of only around 2,000 members at any given time. Twenty-one weeks of basic training are devoted to conditioning, combat diving, and land warfare. Those that make it through go on to parachute training and then SEAL Qualification. Qualification lasts for twenty-six weeks and includes extreme weather training in Alaska. Graduating from this grants one the SEAL rank and then, a lifetime of training.