by Stew Smith

To become member of the Air Force Special Tactics Team - Pararescueman, Combat Control Technician, or Special Ops Weatherman - you must be male, a proficient swimmer, and meet the physical standards of at least 100 points on the Physical Ability and Stamina Test (PAST). This job is open to officer and enlisted airmen. Here are the specific minimums to becoming a PJ and Combat Control tech:

- Swim 20m underwater (pass / fail)
- Swim 500m - within 16:00 (sidestroke or freestyle) (sub 9:00)
- 1.5 mile run - within 10:30 (sub 9:00)
- Pullups - 8 (20+)
- Flutterkicks - 50 in 2:00 (100)
- Situps - 50 in 2:00 (100)
- Pushups - 50 in 2:00 (100)

Once again - these are the minimum scores for the PAST - to be accepted into any Special Force it takes a higher score to be competitive. I would recommend being able to the numbers in parenthesis next to the minimum scores or shoot for a perfect score of 300.  See scoring chart below:

Points Scale for Pararescue PAST Note: You must receive a combined total of 270 points and complete the 20 meter underwater to successfully pass the PAST
Swim		Run
500m Time	Points	1 1/2 mile Time	Points
16:01 or higher	10	14:01 or higher	10
15:41-16:00	20	13:01-14:00	20
15:21-16:40	40	12:21-13:00	30
15:01-15:20	60	12:11-12:20	40
14:41-15:00	70	12:01-12:10	50
14:21-14:40	75	11:51-12:00	60
14:01-14:20	80	11:41-11:50	70
13:41-14:00	85	11:31-11:40	75
13:21-13:40	90	11:21-11:30	80
13:01-13:20	95	11:11-11:20	85
12:01-13:00	100	11:01-11:10	90
11:01-12:00	103	10:51-11:00	95
11:00 or below	105	10:31-10:50	100
		10:11-10:30	103
		10:10 or below	105

Points Scale for Pararescue PAST Note: You must receive a combined total of 270 points and complete the 20 meter underwater to successfully pass the PAST
Calistenics Note: Points are awarded for each area
Sit Ups Repetitions	Push Ups Repetitions	Flutter Kicks Repetitions	Points
1-5	1-5	1-5	3
6-10	6-10	6-10	4
11-15	11-15	11-15	5
16-20	16-20	16-20	8
21-25	21-25	21-25	11
26-30	26-30	26-30	14
31-35	31-35	31-35	17
36-40	36-40	36-40	20
41-45	41-45	41-45	23
46-50	46-50	46-50	25
51-55	51-55	51-55	26
56-60	56-60	56-60	27
61-65	61-65	61-65	28
66-70	66-70	66-70	29
71 or more	71 or more	71 or more	30

Points Scale for Pararescue PAST Note: You must receive a combined total of 270 points and complete the 20 meter underwater to successfully pass the PAST
Chin-ups
Chin ups Repetitions	Points
1	3
2	5
3	7
4	10
5	15
6	20
7	23
8	25
9	26
10	27
11	28
12	29
13 or more	30

Once in the PJ/CCT Candidate Course, you will be challenged physically for ten weeks in Lackland AFB, Texas. The first phase is known as Team Training and is 8 weeks long. It consists of extensive physical training with swimming, running, weight training, calisthenics and obstacle courses. Educational training such as medical and diving terminology, CPR, weapons qualifications, and dive physics are also part of the Candidate Course. Once a candidate finishes this phase of the training, he will have undergone some of the most challenging water survival training in the U.S. military.

Visit Military.com's SpecOps Center

After the Candidate Course there are two different pipelines to follow depending on if you want to be a PJ, CCT, or SOW. Here is the Special Tactics Team pipeline of training:

- US Army Airborne School - 3 weeks
- US Army Combat Divers School - 4 weeks
- US Navy Underwater Egress Training - 1 day
- US Air Force Basic Survival School - 2.5 weeks
- US Army Free-fall Parachutist School - 5 weeks

Para-Rescue Pipeline Schools

- Special Operations Combat Medic Course - 22 weeks
- Para-rescue Recovery Specialist Course - 20 weeks

CCT Pipeline Schools

- Combat Control Operator Course - 15.5 weeks.
- Combat Control School - 12 weeks

Spec Ops Weatherman Pipeline Schools

- Initial Skills Training, Hurlburt Field - six weeks.
- Air Force Special Operations Command Advanced Skills Training - six months.

Training is extremely challenging both physically and mentally, but if you graduate and wear the maroon beret (PJ) or the scarlet beret (CCT), you will be one of the most highly trained combat medics in the world, able to handle the most stressful situations with ease. Hats off to those who risk their lives so "That Others May Live."

Learn more about available Special Operations opportunities. 

*Refer to Navy SEAL article for workouts to prepare - This training is very close to BUD/S training.

More Air Force Special Forces Articles:

- Air Force Para Rescue
- Helicopter Rescue Swimmer Training
- Swimming With Fins
- SpecOps: Who's Toughest?
- All Air Force Special Forces Articles

With any download you buy you get over 40 hours of training personally designed for future students of the group AND access to Stew Smith for any answers to your training questions!

If you would like to buy the AF PJ Workout E-book that has worked for several clients of the StewSmith.com PT Club please visit the Military.com eBook Fitness Store. Download the e-book now and ace the Air Force PJ Training.

Many of my favorite PT programs to train for the Air Force Special Tactics teams can be found in the following Military.com links:

- Pullups / Flexed Arm Hang
- Pushups and Sit-ups
- Running 
- Swimming
- Prepare for Ruck Marches

Other Air Force Fitness Articles:

- Air Force Basic Training PFT Requirements
- Air Force Fitness and Weight Standards
- Air Force Pre-Boot Camp Workout
- Performing for the Special Forces
- Physical Fitness Test Anxiety

Stew Smith is a former Navy SEAL and fitness author certified as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association. If you are interested in starting a workout program to create a healthy lifestyle - check out the Military.com Fitness eBook store and the Stew Smith article archive at Military.com. To contact Stew with your comments and questions, e-mail him at stew@stewsmith.com.

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