7 Military Skills to Learn for Survival

When it comes to disaster survival and self defense, there's no better teacher than the men and women of the military.

Members of the armed services are taught to think quickly, shoot accurately and use the materials available to them in order to survive in a variety of situations — and they're able to do it all in extremely high-stress environments.

You may never be in an active combat situation, but it is quite likely you may someday find yourself in a high-stress situation that requires impeccable survival skills and thinking on your feet. If you don't have military training, you should take the time to learn these skills as best you can in order to protect yourself in the future.

Read on for some of our military survival tips, including how to fire your weapon with sniper-like accuracy or how to survive the cold like a Navy SEAL. Learn these skills and more without having to go through boot camp!

Let's get started with a few of our tried and true shooting tips…

1. Learn the Basics of Firearms

First or all, you should be aware of the basics on firearm safety. Secondly, know what you need it for. Next, choose which firearm is the best one for you. Keep reading and learn more…

First and foremost, you need to learn the basics of handling your weapon safely and effectively. This includes such knowledge as:

• Why you need a firearm
• Which firearm to use
• Caliber converters and adapters
• Basic firearm safety

Armed with these tips, you'll be shooting confidently in no time. Click here to read more.

2. Firing Up the Fundamentals

Everybody was new at something at some point. Don't get discouraged if you're not an expert shooter at first. It takes a lot of practice. With the will to learn and putting each lesson into practice you’ll be shooting like the best of them soon.

This infographic, courtesy of the NRA, will give you all the basic information you need to begin shooting for survival.

3. Handle an Air Rifle Seriously

An air rifle can be great practice for beginning shooters. But this weapon is more than just a toy — it can be great for self defense and as a hunting weapon in the absence of a traditional rifle.

As with any weapon, you need to learn the proper stance and shooting techniques in order to handle the weapon safely and effectively.

Click here to learn more.

4. Become a Superior Marksman

Lars K. Williams writes:

Although firing a weapon is a relatively easy task, hitting the target isn’t always so easy.  After 20 years of military service training hundreds of young men and women to engage and shoot their targets, I began to recognize a short list of common mistakes that prevented soldiers from qualifying as Expert Marksmen.

Here are a few tips you can follow to improve your marksmanship:

• Don't be too proud
• Maintain a good sight picture
• Watch your breathing
• Practice squeezing a trigger properly
• Anticipate the shot

Read the full article here.

5. Successfully Hit Your Target With a Distance of 1,255 Yards

With the Applied Ballistics App, calculating the elements and successfully hitting your target with precision even at a distance of 1,255 yards is as easy as ABC. Learn more about how this app can do wonders for your long distance shooting skills here.

6. Learn to Shoot with Both Eyes Open

Many of us were taught to close our non-dominant eye when shooting, but keeping both eyes open can improve your situational awareness and shooting accuracy. This is one of the most important military survival skills you can learn when it comes to shooting.

Click here to learn how to shoot with both eyes open.

7.  SEAL Out the Cold with a Unique Skill Set

Figuring out how to survive the cold can be a challenge for even the most experienced outdoorsman. The fact is, humans just weren’t made for the cold, and our bodies are very ill-equipped to handle extremely low temperatures.

But getting caught out in the cold doesn’t have to be a death sentence. There are precautions you can take and things you can do to make sure you survive the cold weather.

When it comes to survival, there isn’t anyone on Earth who are more in the know than the Navy SEALs. Learn more here.

Are you a current or former military member with survival tips to share? Let us know in the comments below!

And click here to read our interview with Army Ranger and NYPD Detective Ethan Mennen, who shares a little of his expertise.