IHPRA Newsletter
July 2008


Herman J. Koehler

Koehler's West Point Manual
of Disciplinary Physical Training

William G. Anderson

A Manual of Physical Training
for Boys and Girls


C. Ward Crampton

The Pedagogy
of Physical Training


R. Tait McKenzie

Exercise in
Education and Medicine


Carl Betz

A System of Physical Culture


Dio Lewis

The New Gymnastics


Dudley Sargent

Physical Education


Edward M. Hartwell

Report of the director
of Physical Training


Herbert Spencer

Education

A decade ago, students of physical training spent much time and energy
finding rare books on the subject.  Today many great resources are a few clicks away.
Here are a few examples.

 
Lost history of the bicycle
 
Pvt. Adam Larson
1980 - 2000

Adam Larson fell to his death at Fort Benning, Georgia
during of-the-ground training
at Army BCT on Saturday, Feb. 26, 2000. 
He was 19 years old.


Warriors must be able to
move efficiently off the ground.


OGT also builds
strength, endurance and mobility.

Whether close to the ground -

or on a high confidence structure,

OGT can be deadly.

Adam Larson fell from
the Slide for Life.

He could not get his legs
around the rope.
Most likely a core
strength/confidence issue.

The slide for Life
was developed during WWII

This structure was called
the Coney Island.

Women also climbed.

The structures were
often basic.
 

This is a Navy V-5 structure.

Training was rugged.
 

Climbing methods were taught
to sailors

 WWII warriors were
more prepared to climb.

Sophisticated playgrounds
were common in
the decades before WWII.
 

The concepts were heavily influenced
by early European models of physical culture.

Gymnasia like this
were found in the USA
before 1920

Here's another

One more.

High speed.

Very functional.

The German system most influenced the USA.

It was called the Turnverein.

This is George Brosius.

This is his nephew Herman J. Koehler

First USA
International Gymnastics Team.
Koehler on left. Coach Brosius
on right.

Koehler is known as the
"Father of US Army Physical Training."


This is Harvard College

Women's training
was quite advanced.

The equipment was simple
but functional.

In around 1920,
the old systems were replaced with sports and games.
The gymnasia were gutted for basketball.

WWII revised some
of the old functional training.

Hand balancing picked up steam.

There were still plenty of old teachers around.

Military gymnasia
rediscovered the past.


WWII work was demanding for all.

Many of the older baby boomers
profited from this shift to functional fitness.

Off-the-ground training
has regained popularity today.

Military units are slowly
learning how to teach it.

Alpine towers are the standard.

An amazing system

The Ranger community led
the way with developing inversion
boot protocols.

Army initial entry training
continued using the WWII climbing model.
Nets were eventually added

Young civilian men and women
spend little time off-the-ground.

Some of the training is
relatively safe.

Even basic tumbling
is new to many recruits

Risk increases with height.
 

With no consistent civilian instruction -

And minimal military guidance -

Off-the-ground training
will continue to be unnecessarily
risky business.
 

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