What are the most useful physical skills?

[jacob]

If you're fighting in a modern war?
If you're fighting in an ancient pre-gun war?
If you're a criminal?
If you're a refugee?
If you're a farmer?
If you're a hunter?
If you're industrial labor?

Bonus points for evaluation of bodyweight-to-weight preferences for roles above? Training methods that maximizes the above roles other than doing it?

[Jean]

Almost anything you do is pushing something away from the ground. Your legs do the work, your upper body only direct it towards what you're pushing.
So strong and enduring legs, whit the cardiovascular system that allows it to work extensively.
Riding a fixed gear was an excellent thing in this direction. I'm much weaker since I had it stollen.
Walking with a heavy backpack is good too.

[Ego]

Endurance to weather exposures, running, walking, standing, lugging, digging, repetitive motion and sleep deprivation.
(Training: Ultramarathon and similar)

Neither hypo- nor hyper- immune responses: Susceptible to neither allergies at one end of the spectrum nor cold/flu/parasites/bacteria/illnesses at the other.
(Training: International travel, purposeful exposure, shake hands with sick people)

Along with that.... ability to eat anything nourishing if necessary

Ability to create/repair/maintain life support apparatus, transportation vehicles and makeshift dwellings.
(Training: Lend a hand at fixing other people's stuff when it breaks)

Skill with a wide variety of tools, weapons, and technologies.
(Obvious)

Ability to obtain restful sleep while maintaining vigilance.
(Sleep in loud, unusual places)

Ability to go without food and (less often) water for long periods. Not dependent on medications or medical technologies.
(Fast and maintain health)

Ability to regain a clear head quickly after experiencing a traumatic experience (this is both physical and psychological).

Ability to appear either non-threatening or threatening depending on the situation.

[BRUTE]

deadlift

[C40]

Strong hands (grip) are important for about half of the scenarios listed. In some (like farming) the strength will come naturally over time, but in others (like some types of crime) if they don't train it, it's not there when they need it. Grip is often the limiting factor for strong people; they have the big muscles to move/bend/break something, but their hands aren't strong enough to transmit the strength.

But grip strength is not really a skill..

[jacob]

I'd classify grip as a skill in the same way as I'd classify deadlift as a skill. It's also referred to as "old man strength".

[Chad]

If you're fighting in a modern war?
Assuming modern war is something like we have seen in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, etc. over the last decade, the most useful physical skill is the ability to suffer. My argument would be that if you can suffer a lot then you can make a special forces, Seal, Green Beret, Ranger, etc. team. This means you are the hunter. This is better for obvious reasons. Also, because you are more highly trained, which helps you survive. Not to mention, you are never used for normal patrol. A side benefit is these guys appear to have a much lower instance of PTSD. Some claim it's because they are always the hunter/selector of when the battle happens 98% of the time.

If you're fighting in an ancient pre-gun war?
I would think endurance. If you are good enough to survive the first few minutes of battle, it would seem those with high endurance would win. The discipline and training of Roman legions allowed them to have an orderly progression of rested soldiers slide to the front, while the spent guys slid to the back of the line and recovered.

I think just watching an MMA fight demonstrates this trait.

If you're a criminal?
Hacking, bar none, so I would say intelligence. Though, I'm not sure that would qualify as physical, so how about smooth talking? Again, that might not be physical. Maybe dexterity/slight of hand?

If you're a refugee?
I would say there are 3 physical possibilities...suffering, endurance, and ability to talk others into doing what you want. I would say #3.

If you're a farmer?
A modern day farmer? Organizational/managerial skills. Difficult to survive as a small farmer now.

If you're a hunter?
Persistence. Maybe if you are out west it would be accuracy, as ranges are much longer than in the east. But, I would still think persistence is key. Just staying out longer in the proper spots than everyone else gives you huge advantages.

If you're industrial labor?
Modern industrial labor is probably intelligence. Lots of computers need run on the shop floors now.

Bonus points for evaluation of bodyweight-to-weight preferences for roles above? Training methods that maximizes the above roles other than doing it?
For almost all of those it's better to be slightly undersized than oversized. Sure, there would be super freaks who would be oversized, athletic, dexterous, and have ridiculous endurance (Jon Jones) who would dominate melee warfare. Other than that, slightly undersized is better as weight increases faster than strength.

A burpee to a push-up with a box jump at the end is probably the best all around body weight exercise. Of course, it would help to tack on some pull-ups.

A slight cheat would be kettlebell exercises. The basic swing covers a lot of the above.

I'm sure there are holes in this, as I did it rather quick.

[Riggerjack]

If you're fighting in a modern war?
Hiding


If you're fighting in an ancient pre-gun war?
Hiding


If you're a criminal?
Hiding


If you're a refugee?
Hiding

If you're a farmer?
Depending on crop, Hiding. Or, if you're farming a government approved crop, filling out subsidy paperwork, so creative writing.

If you're a hunter?
Hiding

If you're industrial labor?
Hiding, in plain sight.

There seems to be a pattern to your questions...

[C40]

For modern industrial labor, it depends big time on exactly what you'd be doing. Good posture and ergonomic body positioning can be a huge benefit in a many industrial jobs. I suppose, along these lines, the first rule of all of those roles listed is safety "Rule #1: Don't die". So, yeah, hiding and safety skills.

[Toska2]

Knowing yourself/limit.

Getting careless or hurt when completely exhausted will happen.

Training frequently at both brute force and deft skill coinsides with knowing your limit.

I agree at being undersized at 160-200 but because weight increases faster than endurance (not strength). Proper body weight is easier on joints and caloric intake.

I would also agree with hiking 15 miles with ~33% body weight. Battle position is worth it. So is being able to arrive ready to go and leave when necessary.

[Toska2]

If you want to be fit like the "old man" be the "old man".

Cut and chop wood by hand. Milk cows by hand. Build a sod house. Set snares for rabbits. Scrape hides free of tallow.

*Be worn out at age 50 and die from dust inhalation in your 60's.

[FBeyer]

deadlift...

...standing presses and loaded carries.

Lift heavy shit from the ground. Put heavy shit in hard to reach places. Move heavy shit to new places.

[Farm_or]

Fittingly, I can contribute to the farming classification. I am the rare small time operator. It is not to be confused with the big time operator who basically drive a tractor all day long. Manual labor for them is picking up the phone to call the hired man.

There's many types of farms with escalation of labor required. The bottom must be the row croppers. I am in the middle as forage farmer and rancher/livestock grower. The top is the hardest working dairy farmer.

A small time hay maker moves a lot of small bales by hand. I invested in a loader tractor and grapple to cut down on that, but still do a lot of the manual variety.

Legs, back, shoulders, traps, triceps and biceps. Proper form is vital. Core strength is pinnacle. And endurance is essential.

I've "invented" an exercise that has really helped my core strength. It is awkward at first, but becomes old hat with practice: the plank modified push up. It combines the yoga plank isometric with a push up. Give it a try. I do three sets of ten, two to three times a week.

I've never found anything better for endurance than running.

[TheRedHare]

If you're fighting in a modern war?
-Endurance.

If you're fighting in an ancient pre-gun war?
-Endurance, as mentioned by others, when it comes to real fighting endurance is where it's all at. I've wrestled against one of my friends who is an actual wrestler, and even though I was bigger and somewhat stronger, he beat me 9 times out of 10 because he had such good endurance. Most people don't realize how weak, tired, and mentally afraid once they become fatigued.
-Training: endurance training

If you're a criminal?
-Reflexes. I'd want to have super quick reflexes so that I could pick pocket people in a second, and block an incoming punch or kick as fast as possible. I'm sure there are a ton of other things you could apply this skill.

If you're a refugee?
-Strength. In terms of a physical skill, I would say strength because: You probably don't speak their language, therefore you'll have to rely on other means of communication until you can speak the language. You'd want to give off non verbal communication. And having a great deal of physical strength will give off a signal to most people to not mess with you....if they do, you're probably going to be stronger which is a nice thing to have on you're side. If you needed to get a job, hard labor is you're best bet and you'll need a great deal of strength for that.
-Training: strength training.

If you're a farmer?
-Endurance; same as pre-gun war.
-Training: endurance training

If you're a hunter?
-Body control. Seeing how animals are highly sensitive to things like sounds, you'll need to have great control over you're body so that you don't make a sound when moving closer or when siting still. If the animal hears you, they gone.
-Training: dance classes. Yes, dance classes. If you get really good at dancing, you'll be able to have really good control over your body. I taught myself break dancing when I was a young teen and it has been a very useful skill in fighting, balance, sex, and hunting

If you're industrial labor?
-Muscle recognition? I'm not sure if that's the term, but industrial labor will mostly likely have you doing repetitive tasks.

[Sclass]

If you're a hunter?

Bonus points for evaluation of bodyweight-to-weight preferences for roles above? Training methods that maximizes the above roles other than doing it?

I've really taken a hit in my eyesight. bifocals don't work for me when I hunt.

As for training, my dad used to take me hiking and we'd just sit still watching things move. The more you do this the more you dial in your "derivative" filter in your eyes. Predators are great at seeing slight irregular movements in the brush. You can really turn this on by quietly and patiently gazing at the forest when you think nothing is there. The game freezes up when you arrive, then they relax and start moving if you settle down. Whale watchers and birdwatchers seem to learn the same skill. I guess it would be good for warfare but luckily I've never tried that. My SO notices I have the ability to pick out a thief in a crowd though. I think it is the hardwiring in my head built up from a lifetime of hunting.

The ability to shift ones eyes from close focusing to far in a split second and focus your dominant eye independently from the non dominant gives you that split second response between aligning your sights, targteting moving prey, then firing that comes with practice. This is good for still hunting as opposed to using a hide which is a totally different game.

Probably not what you wanted to hear. How about strong pecs and lats to hurl a javelin?

If you're industrial labor?
Hiding, in plain sight.
...

Too good.

[7Wannabe5]

Modern war- sex, typing
Ancient war- sex, cooking
Criminal- sex, typing
Refugee-sex, typing, cooking
Farmer-cooking, typing, sex
Hunter-cooking, sex
Industrial labor-typing, sex

[Riggerjack]

Sclass, good summary. All of that applies to hiding, plus stoicism. The right places to hide are not the comfortable places. You don't get there by waking, you get there by swimming/crawling, etc. Once you get there, you spend hours/days wet, cold, uncomfortable, then maybe you get the opportunity.

Not as glamorous as the pitched battle, but way more personally effective.

[Ego]

Okay, so most of us are running away or randomly lifting heavy shit, Rigger is hiding, 7Wanna is having sex and typing (simultaneously?) regardless of what's going on and Sclass just wants to watch, preferably with one eye focused up close and the other looking way off into the distance.

We're doomed.

[7Wannabe5]

Well, my answer was likely influenced by the fact that I am currently reading "World Made by Hand", a novel of the mixed-topian post-peak oil future by James Howard Kunstler.

All the trustees were men, no women and no plain laborers. As the world changed, we reverted to social divisions that we'd thought were obsolete. The egalitarian pretenses of the high-octane decades had dissolved and nobody even debated it any more, including the women of our town.

So far, most of the female characters seem to be mostly either trying to figure out how to cook something tasty from slim pickings or offering themselves up for sex as reward for acts of heroic altruism performed by the male characters, or in hopes of kick-starting reproduction of depleted human population. However, one of the more villainous characters had put his gray-haired mother to work as administrative assistant helping him keep count of coup, so I kept the "typing" in the mix.

[Riggerjack]

Okay, so most of us are running away or randomly lifting heavy shit, Rigger is hiding, 7Wanna is having sex and typing (simultaneously?) regardless of what's going on and Sclass just wants to watch, preferably with one eye focused up close and the other looking way off into the distance.

We're doomed.

Reminds me of a time when I was in the Army. Another guy and I were arguing, in a group, and it was getting pretty heated, then he said, "What're you going to do, kick my ass? You can't kick my ass. You're big, but I can run. So I'll stay just out of your reach, til you run yourself out, then I'll turn around and kick YOUR ass!" I don't think I've laughed like that since. But solid strategy. There's a time to run, and running doesn't exclude fighting. But since I am no runner, I will hide.