Progression of Physical Fitness through the military

By: Katie Shattuck

It kinda started from these guys:Sparta/Greece

• Perhaps known as one of the most ferocious warriors in history the Spartans civilization was built around the safety in which its soldiers provided.

• Even though physical training existed long before the Greek empire, the Greeks are most known for systematic physical training to prepare soldiers for war.

• Males around the age of 7 would begin a type of military/ athletic school that would begin preparing them for war.

• Rather then doing simulated test for physical apptitude, they would have boys and men compete in a kind of festival of sports.

• Running, wrestling, boxing, javelin, and riding were parts of this type of test to see if one was physically capable of serving in the army.

Next :The Renaissance Physical Culture

• Physical training progressed some in this time period. Changes in technology caused increased mobility as well as endurance was sought to be more important for combat readiness.

• Hieronymus Mercurialis, an Italian physician and philosopher was the first writer of the era to address the medical benefits of exercise and the application of exercise in war in his book De Art Gymnastica. Through his writings he made significant contributions to the development of gymnastics and gymnastic exercises that would later be used for many many years later when training soldiers.

A hop skip and a jump to France:

• The great importance and even absolute necessity of regular and systematic course of exercise became predominate in France as a way to preserve ones health.

• The popularity of gymnastics gyms had spread from Germany to France.

• In 1820 the Gymnase Normal Militaire was opened. It was a school that was meant to train teachers of gymnastics who would then train the infantry of the Royal Guard.

• It was also during this time that physical education become a part of early education in Europe.

On ward to America:

• During the colonization of America most physical exercise was limited more to strenuous labor than anything else.

• War time etiquette back then was like that of European warfare. The armies were mostly composed of militia. A physically acceptable soldier was one who was strongest and most fit.

• During this time there wasn’t really any physical training done with soldiers.

A little nudge in the right directionValley Forge:

• Up until this point there wasn’t much physical training done in the army.

• One such event that would later change this was when General George Washington directed Frederick von Steubens, a man of impressive military statute, to create a series of disciplines, maneuvers, evolutions, and regulations for gaurds.

• Steubens turned farmers with pitchforks into an effective military force through physical training type programs.

This lead toPhysical Education in America:

• Benjamin Franklin was a significant proponent of Physical Education in America. He thought Physical training should be implemented as part of regular instruction in schools.

Progress:

• Soon after this education became important. West Point was opened in 1802 with the importance of physical education to train future soldiers.

• This brought out an evolutionary period that began with Captain Alden Partridge.

• Captain Partridge was a huge advocate of physical development.

• He developed a program that implemented physical activities such as: fencing, swimming, skating, hiking, marches, boxing, and even football.

• The point was to make soldiers physically capable to be in battle through different vigorous activities.

Progress cont…

• Although significant progress had been made in training of soldiers through the European gymnastic methods there was still an ongoing problem of soldiers being recruited who didn’t have the physical capabilities to be soldiers.

• Many manuals would later be published to help address these issues.

• By 1898 more precise training techniques were put in place. The use of barbells and dumb bells were even being used during training.

Through the years…

• Many changes were made in the fields of training. Different military manuals were made to better the training aspects of soldiers even nutrition became an important part of the physical training regimen.

• In 1970 the first strength produced machine was made by Aurthur James. The brand name would become known as Natilus. This among other machines helped revolutionize fitness training in the military.

• Obstacle courses became popular and several fitness tests were made to test soldiers physically to the extreme.

• The Army Physical Fitness Tests became a service requirement in order to serve. This better helped the military to be able to distinguish between service men and women who were and weren’t physically capable of serving.

Currently:

The military training now is the most impressive in history. With the technology available the physical training possibilities are endless.

Information Gathered from:

• http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/cgsc/carl/download/csipubs/APRT_WhitfieldEast.pdf