With that being the case, it’s no surprise that aggression is a valuable trait for anyone looking to enter the SOF world. Aside from helping conquer the enemy, aggression and violence are also powerful antidotes to fear. In other words, aggressive individuals have an advantage both in SOF selection and in the field once they become operators. 

But what if you’re not a “naturally aggressive” individual? Fortunately, you don’t have to be naturally aggressive to develop an aggressive mindset. In this guide, we’ll go over the key things you need to understand about aggression, as well as the key tactics to developing an aggressive attitude when facing an obstacle or enemy.

Before you can start building your aggression, you must understand how aggressive mindsets develop. Scientists have determined that aggression can be both rooted in genetics and learned from the external environment. When scientists compared people with genetic aggression to those with learned aggression, they determined that both groups' behaviors were nearly identical.

What does this mean for you, you ask? It means that you can develop an aggressive mindset without having a predisposition to aggression. In other words, you can learn aggression regardless of where you were born, how you grew up, or your experiences in life. With that established, here are three strategies for developing aggression in your daily life.

One of the best ways to push yourself to the limits of your performance is to find a powerful reason to fight. As a SOF operator, you’ll encounter situations that force you to put your life on the line. If you don’t believe in your mission or the meaning behind it, it’s unlikely that you’ll be willing to run towards the gunfire.

The first step to developing aggression is establishing a powerful reason to fight. If you’re in the military, this can mean fighting to defend your family or protect your country. In the civilian world, this can include driving factors like sending your kids to college or providing for loved ones. Regardless of your motivation, your reason to push forward must be greater than the fear of failure. If you’re not willing to die for your purpose, you will fail.

Although the era of military conscription is mostly behind us, there are powerful lessons we can learn from how historic militaries would weaponize soldiers who did not want to fight. When armies began conscripting soldiers or using penal battalions (units composed of prisoners), one thing became clear: men don’t like being coerced into war.

Forced military units were often disorganized, undisciplined, and would rout easily. Something had to be done to ensure that these troops would stand and fight. The solution: eliminating the possibility of failure. Military commanders would send their forced battalions to battle first and instruct their remaining troops to kill any retreating soldiers. As inhumane as this battle tactic was, it worked wonders in making forced militants aggressive. Cornered and unable to flee, the only way to survive was to kill the enemy. These penal and conscripted battalions would often become the most feared and brutal units on the battlefield.

The lesson to learn? That taking away your option to fail is an excellent way to develop aggression. When you can retreat with little consequence, you are less willing to fight because you know there is a way out. If you can take away your option to fail, aggressive action will be the only option you have. When facing an obstacle that you’re scared to challenge, find ways to eliminate the possibility of failure. This can even be as simple as posting your workout plans on social media to stay accountable and honest about your progress.

One of the best ways to develop confidence and aggression is to put yourself in aggressive scenarios often. The more regularly you force yourself into an aggressive mindset, the less foreign it will feel. 

There are several ways you can train your aggression regularly. These range from taking cold showers and purposefully doing things that make you uncomfortable, to playing sports where you must defeat an opponent or team. Although these are all great ways to develop aggression, one method trumps them all: combat sports. Entering physical combat with a trained opponent is a surefire way to develop your physical and mental aggression. Combat sports dilute the human experience of violence into its most simple form: you VS the enemy. Training combat sports regularly not only helps you develop aggression and confidence, but it’s great for meeting a group of people who will push you to improve and challenge yourself. If you join a combat sports gym and start participating regularly, you’ll see an immediate improvement in your aggression and willingness to face challenges.

Finding your tribe is crucial to your success as an aspiring SOF operator. When you surround yourself with people who will keep you accountable, you can stay on the path and overcome the training plateaus you’ll inevitably encounter. Become an OA aspiring operator today and join a growing community of future, current, and former SOF operators who will hold you accountable and help you improve. Visit our memberships page to learn more and get started today!