Welcome to SAS Survival
SAS Survival is dedicated to delivering the very best in Military and Civilian style training of all kinds. Our Team is made up of Ex-SAS and Para Regiment Instructors with combat experience ranging from the Falklands to the Gulf War, as well as a core of highly trained and experienced civilian instructors.
Our courses range from pure survival courses, to more military based events and includes such things as Fire Lighting, Shelter Building, Tactics, Patrolling & Fieldcraft, Map Reading & Navigation, Weapons Handling, Camouflage & Concealment, and Unarmed Combat. These courses have proved very popular for stag dos, hen dos, and birthday parties. We also run similar courses for various corporate clients either as fun days for their staff, or as teambuilding events.
SAS Survival also offers you the chance to experience first hand what it takes to become an SAS Trooper. We run ‘Fan Dance’ and ‘Long Drag’, two of the ‘highlights’ of Selection and even the Endurance phase. If you have ever wondered what it takes to be a member of this elite Regiment, are applying for the real Selection, or just fancy a challenge, these may be the courses for you.
We are now running training courses for airsoft teams. If you have a team and want to learn real military tactics to give yourself the edge in airsoft events, then get in touch.
Please click on the links at the top of the page to find out more. You can also find out about recent courses and events by looking at the
Newsletter page (
click here) or for older events on our
Archive page (
click here).
SAS Survival now has a new online store. If you want kit, memorabilia or anything military check it out NOW!
Who do I contact to book courses?
To find out more about our courses call Bob on 07870 611850
Fan Dance and Long Drag call Duncan Clark on 07979 691989
Latest Courses and Events:
Duncan Clark's North Ridge Adventure is up and running!
We are pleased to announce the launch of Duncan Clark's very own website:-
As well as being one of our instructors,
Duncan
runs his own company teaching mountaineering, and navigation courses. He is a qualified Mountain Leader and has been involved with the BMC (British Mountaineering Council) as a Mountaineering Club official and has trekked and climbed in the Alps, Andes, Himalaya and Africa, traversed some of the highest and remotest parts of the Great Wall and climbed the sacred mountains of northern Japan. We recommend that anyone hoping to develop their skills in this area should take a look at his website.
Because of his vast experience in this field we will be working closely with him in developing our endurance courses – Fan Dance and Long Drag. Please keep your eye on our Recreational Courses (click here for Fan Dance and Long Drag) page to keep up with any developments.
In the meanwhile anyone interested in these events can get details from
Duncan
and by clicking on this link:-
|
'Bigfoot' spotted in Wales?
Thanks to the quick reactions of one of our photographers we have what could be a rare sighting of ‘Bigfoot’ on our training area. Click here to go to our Newsletter page and find out more! |
When Parrots Go Bad!
On a recent stag do SAS Survival ignored that ancient piece of wisdom - ‘Never give a Kalashnikov to a giant parrot!’. Read all about it on our Stag Do page (click here). |
Recce-ing Dartmoor for Channel 5 series
Bob will be appearing in a new series on Channel 5. For more details (click here)
Paul Davies from the Royal Gurkha Rifles joins SAS Survival
We are pleased to announce that Paul Davies, a former captain in the Royal Gurkha Rifles will be joining our instructing team and, subject to availability, will be helping us out where possible, particularly with our Airsoft training events.
Paul is a long term friend and colleague of Bob who introduced him to the fine art of Thai-boxing. Like many people who associate with Bob, pretty soon the prospect of a career in the armed forces becomes a tempting one and Paul joined the legendary Gurkhas, where he served with distinction. Shortly before leaving the army he became an instructor and as such he can provide a standard of teaching second to none. For obvious reasons he will not be divulging the secrets of the British Army but will still be able to provide an overview of basic infantry skills which will be invaluable to serious Airsoft teams.
Thanks to Paul we have also been able to support the Gurkha Durbar at Dering lines in Brecon, a biannual event to raise money for the Gurkha Welfare Trust and the Army Benevolent Fund. To find out more about these worthwhile charities please visit the following websites:-
'Perfect Weapon' - Bob and Paul on National Geographic from 4th March 2008
Before Christmas, Bob and Paul worked on an episode of ‘Perfect Weapon’ for Oxford Scientific Films. One of six hour-long episodes, this particular episode looked at siege warfare and included a look at how a modern day SAS team would siege a building, something they have become renowned for the world over after the Iranian Embassy siege in 1982.
The series will premiere in the UK form Tuesday 4th March at 9pm and will be screened globally on the National Geographic Channel later in the year. You can view the promo clip of the series by following this link:-
Alternatively, thanks to Richard Grannon there are a few ‘filming of’ clips currently on Youtube including outakes and much buffoonery. Search for:-
‘Bob Spour SAS hostage rescue documentary 1’
‘Hostage rescue documentary 2 Bob Spour (outtakes)’
‘SAS hostage rescue documentary 3 (outakes and buffoonery)’
Check out Richard’s excellent site here:-
http://www.streetfightsecrets.com/
Upcoming Courses:-
Lost in the Woods
We have places available on our two day survival courses:
- 5th -6th July 2008 (PLACES STILL AVAILABLE)
5 - Day Bushcraft Course/Lost in the Woods
Fan Dance
'Fan Dance’ is one of the route marches undertaken as part of SAS Selection. It is approximately 15 miles long and takes in the highest peak on the Brecon Beacons, Pen–y-Fan. This walk is achievable to anyone with a reasonable level of fitness. Total cost £45 per person.
-
17th May 2008
-
7th June 2008
Long Drag
The finale of Endurance - a 40 mile march to be completed in under 20 hours. Total cost £205 per person.
(For more details click here)
Mini Selection
We are now running a mini Selection. This is a chance to experience, albeit on a minor scale, what it is like to go through the rigorous selection process of the SAS.
We are already taking bookings for Mini Selection 2008 for which we now have 2 dates:
No Doubt – No Fear
Bob will be running his popular self-protection seminars later in the year. These courses look at the physical and psychological methods of dealing with confrontations. Subject to availability, Karl will be on hand to give his perspective on the legal ramifications of using force to defend yourself.
Course dates TBC
SAS Survival FAQ.
Below is a list of answers to questions we are frequently asked. As a general rule of thumb our courses are as easy or as difficult as you want them to be. If in any doubt, please contact us and we will be only too happy to advise you.
Just what do we learn on the courses?
SAS Survival teach a wide range of skills, from military based all the way through to survival skills. Some of the courses offer military techniques of escape and evasion, fieldcraft, camouflage and concealment, patrolling and contact drills, how to track and not be tracked yourself, weapons familiarisation and shooting. On other courses you will learn the essential skills of survival - how to build a shelter, how to keep warm, finding food for free, knowing where you are, and map reading and navigating in different conditions. All of the courses are task orientated allowing you to think for yourself and work as part of a small team.
What will I get out of an SAS Survival Course?
SAS Survival courses are predominantly about having fun, whilst also learning skills and experiencing things outside of normal daily life. By doing so, you will learn more about yourself and gain greater confidence. This can be either simply spending the night out in the woods to the extremes of running up and down large mountains with your home on your back! … And who knows, perhaps those survival skills may come in handy if you break down in the middle of nowhere.
What kinds of people do SAS Survival Courses?
We have a wide range of people on our courses. Some people see it as a chance to meet and be trained by members of the SAS. We have people who perhaps wanted to join up and never got round to it, or people who want a taste of the military life without joining up for real. Some of our clients are ex-forces and want to relive their glory days, while others might be considering a career in the Forces, even the SAS, and want to get and idea of what they are letting themselves in for.
Do I need to be fit?
This depends on what course you are applying for, and what you want to get out of it. Obviously, the fitter you are the more you will get out of our courses, but unless you want to do the Fan Dance within the times required for SAS Selection, we do not require you to be a world beating athlete. (If this is the case, for example if you are thinking of joining the Forces or are going up for Selection, then we can advise you on what skills you need and how to build up your fitness).
However, most of our courses such as the Combat Missions do not require a great deal of fitness – if you can walk and hold a rifle then you are pretty much okay.
(If you have any medical conditions you will need to let us know).
What age do I need to be?
Our courses have people from all ages, and often the oldies give their younger compadres a run for their money.
What is airsoft?
Probably the simplest way to describe airsoft is that it is similar to paintball, but instead of paint pellets being fired, airsoft weapons fire plastic pellets, known as BB’s. Because they don’t leave an obvious paint mark when people have been hit, we rely on an honour system whereby people own up to being shot.
The other significant difference is that airsoft weapons
look and feel like real weapons, which is why we use them on our courses. There is a large community of people who play airsoft on a regular basis who are keen to use authentic military equipment and tactics. Subject to their availability, we have a core of very experienced airsoft players who regularly assist us on our courses (and a great job they do too!).
(Note: BB’s do travel at a fair speed and can sting when they hit the body, sometimes leaving red bumps. For your own safety we insist that eye protection must be worn at all times when using airsoft weapons).
What kit do I need to bring?
We will send you a suggested kit list, but generally all you will need is a suitable pair of boots, a sleeping bag, and a change of clothes – if you get wet during the day at least you will have dry, warm, kit to change into when you go to sleep. We also recommend tough gloves, particularly for our survival courses so you don’t get them shredded by brambles, bracken etc.
If you want to bring along more kit then that is your choice.
What about food?
We supply 24 hour ration packs. If you have any dietary requirements please let us know. On our weekend courses we traditionally do a chip run to the local town on Saturday night. Depending on which venue we use, we have a nearby pub which serves food and are used to a load of army types turning up.
Can I bring my camera?
Yes, although you will need the permission of our instructors to take their photographs. For obvious reasons some of them are ‘camera shy’.
We also take photos and short movie clips of the events. We will send a copy to the party organiser to distribute amongst the group. We are happy to send them out to individuals but we will need to charge a small fee for this.
If clients are happy, we will use some of these photos on the website (along with any testimonials they may offer).
Will I learn classified information that will help me take over the world?
Sorry, no - unless your plans for world domination hinge around things like being able to cook nettles or to assassinate world leaders with plastic pellets.
Will I be ‘beasted’ (i.e. made to do lots of unpleasant press ups etc.)?
If you leave your rifle unattended, and it gets found by one of the instructors, then you may be asked to go on a little trot to ‘hug the tree of warmth’ (or even better, 'the tree of love'!), but otherwise, no. We want you to enjoy the events, not feel like you have been through boot camp. The exception to this is if you choose to go on one of our Selection Courses, or on our Escape and Evasion Course, where you may find things get a little more physical.
Will I be shouted at by lots of angry men with moustaches? 
Although we take our work seriously, and at times will expect you to ‘switch on’, we prefer to conduct our courses in a relaxed and informal manner. After all, we want you to enjoy your time with us. If you want to be shouted at by aforementioned moustachioed gentlemen we suggest you join a branch of HM Forces.
Do I need to grow a moustache?
No, although you may find one useful during our Escape and Evasion Course to hide such useful items as edible caterpillars. You may also feel left out in our impromptu ‘Village People’ sing songs – (and that includes the ladies!).
Can I do a SAS Survival Courses if I am a girl?
Yes. You can also do them if you are female. In fact, in our experience the ladies are usually more ‘up for it’ than the blokes!
How do I book on a course?
To make our courses viable we need a minimum of ten people. For groups - stag dos, for example - this usually poses no problem, however it makes it awkward for individuals. In the latter case, we will take details and availability from everyone who wants to do a particular course, and when we have enough people to run it we will offer places.
Once you have been offered a place you will then be required to pay your deposit within two weeks, and the balance to be paid in full four weeks prior to course commencement.
Bob Spour
|
Bob and Paul - Directors of Training |
Director and founder of SAS Survival, Bob has served extensively in the military spending many years with the SAS. During the course of serving with the latter he saw action in number of different theatres.
Bob is a highly qualified and well respected Martial Arts Instructor spending many years instructing Self Protection and Thai Boxing, and is the Chief Instructor to the Phraya Pichai Muay Thai Camps International.
A Licenced NLP Trainer with The Society of NLP , a member of the Association of Professional Hypnotherapists & Psychotherapists and the Professional Organisation of Stage Hypnosis; Bob has extensive experience working with individuals and groups in a variety of settings as diverse as sales, military training, drama workshops, and the comedy circuit in London. He also works with individual clients over a wide range of personal and professional development issues. He recently appeared on a Channel 4 programme demonstrating some of the techniques of NLP in the context of fear management.
Holding a degree in Drama and Theatre Arts Bob also worked as a professional actor and stand up comedian.
He is also a Survival Instructor, Corporate Trainer, Writer and NLP Trainer.
He has contributed to various magazines such as Arena, Time Out, Men’s Health and Fitness, Combat, Martial Arts Illustrated, and is a regular guest and co-presenter on Tim Shaw's Asylum, Kerrang! Radio.
He has worked on Numerous Computer Games as both an Advisor and Motion Capture Artist. Recent Games include: The Regiment, Rogue Trooper, Killzone, Killzone 2, Operation Flashpoint 2, 50 Cents and many more to come!
Bob has recently recorded several Unarmed Combat DVD's (SAS Fight Secrets, No Doubt No Fear, Combat Clinchwork, Functional NLP, Home Security etc). He recently appeared on 3 episodes of 'The Perfect Weapon' on National Geographic and is currently producing 3 other programmes. - For more details visit our Newsletter page. (click here).
Bob also likes to ride Harleys when he gets the time and recommends you visit www.boneshakerchoppers.co.uk for some of the best bikes about.
Paul
Assistant military survival instructor to director Bob Spour (since 1997), expert in self protection, Muay Thai Instructor, 2 years military service(special forces). Paul is also a director of the company.
Paul Davies
Paul, a former captain in the Royal Gurkha Rifles will, subject to availability, will be helping us out where possible, particularly with our Airsoft training events.
Paul is a long term friend and colleague of Bob who introduced him to the fine art of Thai-boxing. Like many people who associate with Bob, pretty soon the prospect of a career in the armed forces becomes a tempting one and Paul joined the legendary Gurkhas, where he served with distinction. Shortly before leaving the army he became an instructor and as such he can provide a standard of teaching second to none. For obvious reasons he will not be divulging the secrets of the British Army but will still be able to provide an overview of basic infantry skills which will be invaluable to serious Airsoft teams.
Thanks to Paul we have also been able to support the Gurkha Durbar at Dering lines in Brecon, a biannual event to raise money for the Gurkha Welfare Trust and the Army Benevolent Fund. To find out more about these worthwhile charities please visit the following websites:-
Duncan Clark
Since leaving the Regiment, Duncan went on to become a highly experienced and qualified Mountain Leader specialising in navigation training, survival and mountain skills. He has been involved with the BMC (British Mountaineering Council) as a Mountaineering Club official and has trekked and climbed in the Alps, Andes, Himalaya and Africa, traversed some of the highest and remotest parts of the Great Wall and climbed the sacred mountains of northern Japan. We recommed that anyone hoping to develop their skills in this area should take a look at his website:-
He has maintained a high level of fitness and frequently participates in long distance events. He recently ran the West Highland Way, a total of 95 miles from Glasgow to Fort William, in only 27 hours.
As a Master Practitioner of NLP he sees the great outdoors as a fun and exciting environment to develop the body and also the mind, giving people the practical skills to survive as well as building personal attributes such as confidence and motivation.
Because of his vast experience we will be working closely with him in developing our endurance courses – Fan Dance and Long Drag. Please keep your eye on our Recreational Courses (click here for Fan Dance and Long Drag) page to keep up with any developments. In the meanwhile anyone interested in these events can get details from
Duncan
and by clicking on this link:-
Karl Spour
Karl recently served with 1 Para in
Iraq
and is also a Survival Instructor, Military Trainer and eldest son of the Course Director. He is now a fully qualified NLP Practitioner under Richard Bandler.
He often assists Bob on his popular 'No Doubt No Fear' courses and his current role as a Police Officer with the Metropolitan Police means that he is on hand to answer legal questions, such as the use of reasonable force in a confrontation. This is a unique feature of this type of course. He also rides a Harley Davidson (like his old man).
Dai Edmunds
Dai is an unarmed Combat Instructor currently working with SAS Survival as an Associate Trainer and Assistant to Bob Spour having trained extensively in Edged Weapon Awareness and Self Protection. Dai is also a Weapons Specialist and Survival Instructor.
Emily Cox
’Em’ has been a member of The SAS Survival team for a number of years. She is an experienced hill walker and survival trainer. She also is a Self Protection instructor and regularly competes in Thai and western boxing. She also has a Phd in Mathematics. Her knowledge of the countryside and her ability to 'find food for free' is remarkable.
Dave Perks
Unarmed Combat Instructor, Actor and Senior Admin person for SAS Survival. Throughout his career as an actor he has worked with many companies role-playing for training and assessment centres. His clients include Severn Trent, Coors Brewery and Birmingham Medical School.
Andy Brown
Andy is a Survival Instructor and Self Protection and Thai Boxing Instructor, regularly competing in the sport. He is a very experienced hill walker and also a qualified Master Practitioner in NLP.
Bill deTorre
As well as being one of our survival instructors Bill is also am experienced diver whose qualifications include S.A.A. avanced Snorkeller/Dive Leader/Instructor. He has also spent many years in the martial arts and is a Sankukia Martial Arts Instructor (2nd Dan)
When not teaching on our courses Bill carries out a lot of invaluable work behind the scenes, particularly in helping repair and maintain the kit.
Bob, Paul, Andy and Karl
Airsoft Skirmish, 6 Mil and Team WMD.
On our Combat Mission Courses we are supported by Airsoft Skirmish and 6 Mil, who supply the Airsoft weapons that we use. They also have their own Airsoft team – Worcester Mad Dogs (Team WMD) who come along to play enemy for us. SAS Survival are always pleased to have them along on the courses, especially as they bring a touch of class to the events – mainly in the form of bottles of wine and deckchairs!
Anyone interested in becoming interested in Airsoft can visit their websites here:-
or you can visit ASCUK here:-
Team WMD - ready for action!
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Give us a call on 07870611850
or email: bob@sassurvival.co.uk
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