Physical Fitness Requirements from the French Elite Police

Teste sportive GIGN de France

G.I.G.N., Groupe d'Intervention de la Gendarmerie Nationale, is the special elite police of France and is known worldwide. Same as the GSG9, they were formed shortly after the Munich Olympic Games Debacle. They are trained especially for hostage rescue situations, but also military special operations, and will deploy into hostile war situations if needed.

Motto: "S'engager pour la vie"
Translation To enlist for life

Established in: "1974"

To join this unit, one must be a French Citizen and younger than 34 years at the beginning of the selection course. The pre-selection phase to be selected for the main course is one week long. The attrition rate during the selection phase is very high. Less than 10 % after each training course will call themselves G.I.G.N.

Chart Standards G.I.G.N.

#	Exercises	Pass
1	Parcour	Time criteria is given
2	Hand-2-Hand Combat	2 rounds of 2 min with boxing gloves
2	Sit-Ups	A minimum of 300 is required
3	Pushups	A minimum of 100 is required
4	Pullups	A minimum of 25 is required
5	Rope Climb	A 5 Meter Climb without using the legs required.
6	100 Meter Swim	has to be completed within 2:00 min
7	Distance Dive	50 Meters are required
8	F&H Tied	Swim 50 meters with your feet and hands tied
9	Tower jump	Jump from 10 Meters Height
10	8K Run w/ 20 KG Ruck	has to be completed within 60:00 min

Selection Process GIGN

Every year, at the same time of the year, usually about 100 - 150 Candidates present themselves at the GIGN center to try out to become a GIGN operator. After the first week of formation, the number of candidates usually drop down to 20-30. The selection course lasts 3 months. It is followed by another 8 months of special training, which if successfully passed, opens the doors to one of the operational teams. The first week, where the number of candidates is drastically reduced, is incredibly hard. A candidate will walk on an unstable plank, raised at least 20 meters above ground, where they then will be asked questions such as why are you here, why do you want to be a GIGN operator. They might also ask you to take off your harness, which you should decline. You might be rejected if you decide to follow this request. One of the main characteristics an operator should have is to, yes, sacrifice your life for others, but be intelligent about it. Not every situation needs that sacrifice.

The candidates will be tested daily. They are asked to sit in cold water for a certain period, crawling through mud or climbing a hill, just to roll back down. One thing that every candidate needs to know is that you are judged against another candidate. Even though you might pass all the challenges, you might still not make it. It depends on how you compare to your comrades and what character traits you bring to the table. With this being said, just because you might fail one event, you have the chance to usually make up the event.

Physical Requirements and Information from other units

For Other French Units, click below
Foreign Legion	Commando Marine	Fusilier Marins
For Other International Units, click below
F.B.I.	Eko Cobra	GSG 9
G.I.S.	B.O.P.E.	U.E.I.
For General Fitness information and MsigWarrior Blog, click here

Daily Routine GIGN:

Most members train hard on a daily. Some focus more on Swimming, Cycling, or Soccer. Some others tend to emphasize Boxing, Kickboxing, and Krav Maga. All have access to the GIGN shooting range, which is open 24/7 for the operators, and which most members use daily. They are considered by the SAS to have the best shooting school in the world.

Video Teste Sportive G.I.G.N.

9 Attributes of a GIGN Operator:

1. High Intelligence
2. Good Self-Assessment
3. Team player & Comradeship
4. Mentally tough
5. Good Mix of Athleticism
6. Ambitious & Audacious
7. "Never Give Up" Mentality
8. Self-Belief & Self-Reliance
9. Be yourself

G.I.G.N. Fitness Test

Tir De Confiance GIGN

The last event to be officially labeled a GIGN operator is the "Tir de Confiance", which translates to Trust Shot. The candidate wears body armor and holds a piece of clay at belly height, while another candidate shoots with live ammo onto the piece of clay. This event is a reflection of the self-confidence of the shooter and the team spirit of the other candidate. It's almost a rite of passage.