P Company vs SAS Selection: Which Is Worse?

About this video

A former British SAS soldier recounts his military journey from joining at age 15 as a vehicle mechanic through the Parachute Regiment’s P Company selection to ultimately passing SAS selection. He describes P Company as harder than SAS selection due to its relentless pace designed to break candidates quickly, while SAS selection focused on endurance over hills with heavy packs. The guest details his experience in various postings including Northern Ireland and Cyprus, and explains that SAS recruitment favored experienced soldiers from diverse military backgrounds rather than young recruits.

Key takeaways

• The guest argues that P Company (Parachute Regiment selection) was harder than SAS selection because it was designed to run candidates into the ground non-stop, whereas SAS selection tested endurance over weeks with progressively harder hill marches
• The guest recounts failing his first SAS selection attempt due to overtraining with too much weight, then succeeding after advice to train with lighter loads (30 lbs) to condition his body to carrying a pack rather than focusing on weight
• The guest explains that SAS recruited experienced soldiers (average rank E6-E7) from diverse military backgrounds including engineers, artillery, and armor, with about 50% being non-infantry, and that his selection had an unusually high 15-20% pass rate due to many candidates coming from disbanding airborne and commando units

Episode details: published June 7, 2026 · 9.8K views · 24:18 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Stories told by Mike Ritland’s podcast guests are the guests’ own accounts, attributed to them — not independently verified. Commentary is Ritland’s, presented as his analysis.

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