Course Director:       Dr. Jeffrey Coelho

Office:                    ACPDC 3rd Floor

Phone:                    938-6523

E-mail:                    jeffrey.coelho@usma.edu

 

 

WHY MILITARY GYMNASTICS?

 

            “The common threads that link the best of Army physical readiness training throughout American history can be traced to the military and medical gymnastics developed over the centuries by physicians and warriors in both Western and Eastern cultures”

(Thomas, 2000, p. 11). 

            The United States Military Academy (USMA) and other service academies have a long history of gymnastics instruction.  Gymnastics in one form or another has been offered at the USMA since 1838 and continues to be an integral component of the physical education curriculum.  Through physical education and activities such as gymnastics, the USMA teaches cadets to become leaders, teachers, and promoters of physical activity in both military and civilian venues.  The need to produce physically fit, confident officers - soldiers who move well on the battlefield is one of the leading reasons that the USMA offers gymnastics and movement instruction. 

Army Physical Readiness Training

            The lack of fitness of men drafted for military service during the World Wars motivated many colleges and universities to require physical education activity courses for all students.  These mandatory activity courses were often referred to as the “service,” “general” or “basic instruction” program (Barrow & Brown, 1988; Oxendine, 1985; Wuest & Bucher, 1995).  While many colleges and universities have reduced or eliminated these programs because of budgetary restraints, curricular restructuring and other reasons, the USMA continues to require physical education activity courses for all students.  The basic instruction program at the USMA, which includes gymnastics, swimming and survival swimming, boxing for men and self-defense for women, combatives and  a variety of lifetime sports, is an integral component of each cadet’s overall physical educational experience.  Cadets learn basic movement skills that will prepare them for an active military, professional and personal lifestyle.  The program strives to provide future officers with the physical skills, self-confidence and knowledge needed to be successful in their career in the Army and beyond. 

            Post-war Army Physical Readiness Training (APRT) programs, initiated to improve civilian and soldier physical fitness levels, are often ineffective because many youth deemed acceptable for military service from a health standpoint still lack the basic motor fitness and psychological discipline necessary for combat readiness (Krause, 2001; Thomas, 2001).  The current APRT doctrine, which continues to stress the health-promotion model developed during the 1980’s, lacks the functional fitness emphasis and mental training necessary for the extraordinary requirements of war (Krause, 2001; Thomas, 2000).  Functional fitness for soldiers includes not only the health-related components of fitness: cadiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility and body composition; but also the motor fitness components of agility, balance, power and coordination.  To be effective, an APRT plan should integrate functional fitness, combat-related physical training and the development of the mental confidence. 

The recent war on terror has emphasized the significance of physical training for functional fitness.  Terrorist training camps are discussed in newspapers and on television (Anaonva, 2002, Miklaszewski & Windrem, 2002).  Video clips of Al Quada terrorists running across balance beams and traversing horizontal ladders illustrate that modern terrorists are training for functional fitness to prepare for urban warfare situations.  To meet the current threat, the United States must prepare its officers and soldiers to excel on the complicated battlefield of the 21^st Century.  Recently, General Ellis, a four-star Army general, emphasized the importance of physical readiness in combating terrorism.  Ellis stressed that “Our soldiers must always be physically ready for anything” (Minarcek, 2003). 

European immigrants brought highly developed systems of warrior-based PRT to the United States in the mid -1800’s.  Gymnastics, along with a spirit of self-discipline, confidence and duty to county was the foundation of these PRT systems.  The Army adopted the German system in 1885 when Herman J. Koehler, a German Turnverein gymnast, was appointed Head of the Department of Physical Education at the USMA (Degen, 1966; Thomas, 2000).  Gymnastics remains a valuable component of the physical education curriculum at the USMA.

Thoughts from Cadets 

(from unpublished research study by Coelho & Fielitz, 2004)

Cadets often described experiences in the gymnastics course that improved their confidence by affording them the opportunity to complete challenging activities and “to perform under pressure”.  Many cadets initially felt some of the activities were beyond their ability but were later able to accomplish the task.  For example, one cadet wrote:

This class has provided me with confidence to believe that I can do things I never imagined I would do. One of the best days in my cadet career was the day I learned the [vertical] ropes. At West Point , I find it is really easy to pass but it is really hard to excel at anything and getting a five on the ropes was the first time I did anything perfectly the first time here. It made my day and improved my confidence.  I also now want to go to air assault school.

Some cadets believe the general confidence gained in class would transfer to other activities and situations.  For example, a cadet wrote:

During gymnastics being able to be confident about your own physical abilities is something necessary to be a confident officer. Gymnastics gives cadets a way to see what they are capable on and work on improvement if necessary.

Another cadet described her experience on the IOCT:

At the beginning of the round I wasn't able to finish the IOCT.  I would get caught up on the shelf, monkey bars and rope. I could not finish it because by the time I got to the rope I was totally exhausted. With hard work and dedication I was finally able to finish the IOCT. It built confidence in me that if I tried hard enough I was able to accomplish things I thought I never was going to be possible.

Cadets often described activities included in the gymnastics curriculum that contributed to their development of courage and ability to overcome fear.  Confronting and overcoming fear contributed to the development of confidence and fear management skills.  For example:

In almost every task we did (especially high bar, and long horse) we had to confront a physical fear.  After we realized that we can do these tasks with relative ease as long as we go into it confidently we are better able to confront other fears.

For some cadets, the fear of heights was a concern.  One cadet wrote:

Rope climbing.  I would not generally say that I am afraid of heights; however, they do make me tighten up.  Through gymnastics though, I was able to push myself past this fear.  

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