The Department of Physical Education (also known by its initials DPE) is the academic department that oversees the physical development program at the United States Military Academy

United States Military Academy

The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...

 at West Point, NY. DPE is headquartered in the Arvin Cadet Physical Development Center. DPE has 24 Military faculty and 25 civilian instructors and professors. The head of the department holds the ceremonial title of Master of the Sword

Master of the Sword

The Master of the Sword, or MOS, is the title of the head of the Department of Physical Education and the director of the program of physical instruction at the United States Military Academy at West Point. This position is unique in that the physical program at the academy is both academic and...

, known within the department as the MOS. This title dates back to when the Cadets at West Point were taught swordsmanship as part of their military & physical training. The current Master of the Sword is COL Gregory Daniels, who has held the position since 2004. Because of the department's tough and exacting standards and its role in evaluating physical fitness for the entire Corps of Cadets (and formerly the USMA faculty as well), DPE has for years been known euphemistically as the "Department with a Heart." DPE embraces this unofficial nickname, and it can be seen embossed upon its departmental coin

Challenge coin

A challenge coin is a small coin or medallion , bearing an organization’s insignia or emblem and carried by the organization’s members. They are given to prove membership when challenged and to enhance morale. In addition, they are also collected by service members.- Origins of the challenge coin...

. The department's stated mission is:

Duties of instructors

Instructors and professors in DPE have a wide range of duties and responsibilities. In addition to teaching one of the core physical program courses, instructors may also teach an elective lifetime sport and/or a cognitive exercise science or applied fitness course. Instructors also serve on additional committees such as the Competitive Sports, Testing, & Assessment committees, or may work with the department's operations & plans, or personnel sections.

Academic courses

DPE is responsible for teaching several core courses. To meet this requirement, the department is organized into four "committees". All 49 instructors are a member of one of the four committees. The current DPE committees are:

Committee	Course	Class Year
Military Movement	PE117 - Military Movement	Fourth Class (Plebes)
Boxing Boxing Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...	PE116 - Boxing (Male)	Fourth Class (Plebes)
Swimming	PE109-114 - Swimming	Fourth & Second Class (Plebes & Cows)
Combatives Combatives Combatives is a United States Army term for hand-to-hand combat training and techniques.-History:Militaries have long taught unarmed combat, both as physical conditioning and as a supplement to armed combat. Among the samurai of Japan, such combatives were known as Bujutsu...	PE115 - Self Defense (Female)	Fourth Class (Plebes)

In AY2009, the Combatives Committee will begin teaching Advanced Combatives to the First Class (Firsties).

Kinesiology major

In 2006, the USMA Academic Board approved DPE to begin offering an academic major for USMA Cadets. The Kinesiology major is taught by professors from DPE's Center for Physical Development Excellence in conjunction with the Department of Chemistry and Life Sciences. The first cohort of USMA cadets to declare as Kinesiology majors were from the class of 2010 and are currently in their 2nd Class (Cow) Year. Demand for the major is strong and applicants must pass a screening board to be admitted to the program.

Other activity courses

DPE offers a wide range of elective athletic instructional courses, known to the department as "lifetime physical activities" (LPA), that are taken as electives by the upper class cadets, primarily 3rd (Yearling) and 1st Class (Firstie) Cadets. Because of the strong seasonal changes at West Point, many courses are only offered at certain times of the year. Additionally, team sports that are strongly associated with a certain time of the year (i.e.: Basketball in the winter/spring) are taught at those corresponding times. Current DPE elective courses include: advanced close quarters combat (with striking weapons), advanced grappling

Combatives

Combatives is a United States Army term for hand-to-hand combat training and techniques.-History:Militaries have long taught unarmed combat, both as physical conditioning and as a supplement to armed combat. Among the samurai of Japan, such combatives were known as Bujutsu...

 (with ground striking), aerobic fitness, basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

, cycling

Cycling

Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...

 (road & mountain), lifeguard training

Lifeguard

A lifeguard supervises the safety and rescue of swimmers, surfers, and other water sports participants such as in a swimming pool, water park, or beach. Lifeguards are strong swimmers and trained in first aid, certified in water rescue using a variety of aids and equipment depending on...

, golf

Golf

Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....

, ice skating

Ice skating

Ice skating is moving on ice by using ice skates. It can be done for a variety of reasons, including leisure, traveling, and various sports. Ice skating occurs both on specially prepared indoor and outdoor tracks, as well as on naturally occurring bodies of frozen water, such as lakes and...

, judo

Judo

is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...

, badminton

Badminton

Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...

, racquetball

Racquetball

For other sports often called "paddleball", see Paddleball .Racquetball is a racquet sport played with a hollow rubber ball in an indoor or outdoor court...

, rock climbing

Rock climbing

Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...

, scuba diving

Scuba diving

Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....

, skiing

Skiing

Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....

 (x-country & downhill), snowboarding

Snowboarding

Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...

, soccer, strength development

Weight training

Weight training is a common type of strength training for developing the strength and size of skeletal muscles. It uses the weight force of gravity to oppose the force generated by muscle through concentric or eccentric contraction...

, tennis

Tennis

Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...

, & volleyball

Volleyball

Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...

.

Cognitive courses

In lieu of teaching the course formerly called Master Fitness Trainer by the Army, DPE now teaches two classes of exercise science. The Plebes (Freshmen) receive PE150, The Fundamentals of Physical Fitness. This course is a 19 lesson course in the basics of health and wellness. Cadets learn basic exercise physiology such as the differences in skeletal muscle fiber types, the effects of low and high-intensity training, nutrition, and healthy lifestyle choices. The course is very much geared towards teaching an individual how to achieve personal life-long fitness. All Cows (Juniors) take PE350, Army Unit Fitness, which is also 19 lessons. This course briefly reviews the physiology principles taught in PE150 and then applies them to training small units such as squads and platoons. The course is more focused on planning and assessing fitness goals at the small unit level. Both courses require the Cadets to complete the Cadet Fitness Challenge (CFC), a unique test of all around body fitness that DPE has given since 1999. The CFC tests all components of fitness and it is exceedingly difficult to achieve a score of 100%. In the 10 years that DPE has given the CFC, to over 10,000 Cadets, there have only been 30 max scores (.3%).

Testing

DPE is responsible for conducting the Indoor Obstacle Course Test

Indoor Obstacle Course Test

The IOCT is a test of full-body functional physical fitness administered by the Department of Physical Education at the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY. DPE considers the IOCT to be one of the best evaluations of total body fitness given in the Army...

 (IOCT). This fitness test is mandatory for all Cadets and must be passed in order to graduate from the Academy.

IOCT

The IOCT is a test of all-around functional physical fitness

Physical fitness

Physical fitness comprises two related concepts: general fitness , and specific fitness...

 administered by DPE in the historic Hayes Gymnasium

Hayes Gymnasium

Hayes Gymnasium , completed in 1910, is the oldest section of the current Arvin Cadet Physical Development Center at the United States Military Academy...

. Hayes Gym, built in 1910, is the oldest part of the newly renovated Arvin Cadet Physical Development Center. Cadets legend says that the air inside of Hayes gym is full of asbestos left over from 1910, making breathing difficult during the running of the IOCT. Many current and past graduates and faculty consider the IOCT to be one of the best evaluations of total body fitness given in the Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

. Cadets who earn an A- (2:38 or less for Males and 3:11 or less for Females) are authorized to wear the IOCT Badge on their athletic shorts.
The IOCT is similar to the obstacle course seen on the TV show American Gladiators

American Gladiators

American Gladiators is an American competition television program that aired in syndication from September 1989 to May 1996. The series matched a cast of amateur athletes against each other, as well as against the show's own gladiators, in contests of strength and agility.The concept was created by...

, with a quarter mile sprint at the conclusion of the course. The IOCT is given in the winter months, with a make ahead date before the Christmas break, then the primary date in early February. Large crowds of cadets, tactical officers, and other onlookers gather for the running of the IOCT. The newfound popularity of fitness methods such as CrossFit

CrossFit

CrossFit is a strength and conditioning brand that combines weightlifting, sprinting, gymnastics, powerlifting, kettlebell training, plyometrics, rowing, and medicine ball training...

 and Parkour

Parkour

Parkour is a method of movement focused on moving around obstacles with speed and efficiency. Originally developed in France, the main purpose of the discipline is to teach participants how to move through their environment by vaulting, rolling, running, climbing and jumping...

 have caused a renewed interest in the IOCT.

The IOCT is often referenced in articles concerning high intensity human performance, especially involving obstacle courses. This is due to the large amount of available date due to the lengthy history of the course. It has been administered, almost without changes, since 1944.

Test sequence

The Test consists of 11 events performed sequentially: low crawl under barrier, tire footwork, two-handed vault

Vault (parkour)

In the discipline of parkour, a vault is any type of movement that involves jumping or leaping over an obstacle while putting weight on it with one's hands. Parkour vaults enable the practitioner to quickly and efficiently pass over railings, tables, walls, and platforms.There are many types of...

, 8' horizontal shelf, horizontal bar navigation, hanging tire, balance beam, 8' horizontal wall, 20' horizontal ladder, 16' vertical rope, and 350m sprint carrying a 9 lb medicine ball for the first 120m. Because of the unique level of athletic skill needed to pass the test and the tremendous level of effort needed to excel at it, the IOCT holds a special place in the hearts of all West Point Cadets and Graduates. A simple search of YouTube or Google video will return many videos about it, both serious and comical.
The IOCT is both feared and revered by the Members of the Long Gray Line and is seen as a link between Graduates of long ago and Cadets of today as the test has not changed much since 1948.

Competitive sports

DPE is also responsible for the administration of a robust competitive sports program at the Academy. All Cadets must participate in one of three athletic categories: an NCAA Intercollegiate Sports Team (called "Corps Squad"), an authorized Club Sport Team (called "Club Squad"), or an intramural sport team - known at West Point as "Company Athletics". About 20% of all Cadets are Corps Squad, about 15% are Club Squad, and about 65% are Company Athletes.

DPE's Competitive Sports Committee, headed by Dr. Ralph Pim, has been national recognized as one of the 15 Most Influential Sports Education Teams in the country by the Institute for International Sport. Dr. Pim's Committee oversees the Club and Company Athletic programs, while the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics (DIA) oversees the NCAA sports program.

Club sports

West Point currently fields 24 Club Teams in the following sports: Boxing

Boxing

Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...

, Crew

Crew

A crew is a body or a class of people who work at a common activity, generally in a structured or hierarchical organization. A location in which a crew works is called a crewyard or a workyard...

, Cycling

Cycling

Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...

, Equestrian

Equestrianism

Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...

, Fencing

Fencing

Fencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...

, In-Line Hockey

Hockey

Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...

, Judo

Judo

is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...

, Lacrosse

Lacrosse

Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...

 (W), Marathon

Marathon

The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...

, Martial Arts

Martial arts

Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....

, Mixed Martial Arts

Mixed martial arts

Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...

 (MMA), Mountaineering

Mountaineering

Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...

, Orienteering

Orienteering

Orienteering is a family of sports that requires navigational skills using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain, and normally moving at speed. Participants are given a topographical map, usually a specially prepared orienteering map, which they...

, Rifle & Pistol, Rugby

Rugby union

Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...

 (M&W), Sailing

Sailing

Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...

, Skiing

Skiing

Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....

 (Alpine & Nordic), Team Handball

Team handball

Handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass a ball to throw it into the goal of the other team...

 (M&W), Triathlon

Triathlon

A triathlon is a multi-sport event involving the completion of three continuous and sequential endurance events. While many variations of the sport exist, triathlon, in its most popular form, involves swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances...

, Volleyball

Volleyball

Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...

 (M), & Waterpolo. Since 2000, Academy Club teams has won 22 national championships, making West Point's club program one of the premier competitive club programs in the nation. In 2008, West Point had four National Championship Teams: Cycling, Orienteering, Men’s Team Handball and Boxing.A list of recent Club Team National Championships:

• 2011 - Cycling
• 2010 - Triathlon
• 2008 - Orienteering
• 2008 - Women's Pistol
• 2008 - Men's Team Handball
• 2008, 2009 - Boxing
• 2008 - Combat Weapons
• 2007 - Women's Team Handball
• 2007 - Cycling
• 2006 - Pistol

Company athletics

Every cadet who does not compete on a Varsity or Club sport must participate in a Company-level athletic sport. About 65% of all cadets compete in Company Athletics. The Department of Physical Education's (DPE) Competitive Sports Committee, headed by Dr. Ralph Pim, runs the Club and Company Athletics sports program and was named one of the 15 Most Influential Sports Education Teams in America by the Institute for International Sport. Each Company in the Corps of Cadets (total of 32) fields a team in the following sports:

Fall Season	Spring Season
Basketball	Combative Grappling
Handball	Floor Hockey
Football	Orienteering
Soccer	Rugby
Ultimate Frisbee	Sandhurst
Wrestling	Swimming

Each company fields a team entry into the annual Sandhurst Competition

Sandhurst Competition

The Sandhurst Military Skills Competition is a military skills competition at West Point that first began in 1967 with the presentation of a British officer's sword to the United States Corps of Cadets by the British Exchange Officer. Last year's event, dubbed SANCOM10 , was a two-day event...

, a military skills event conducted by the Department of Military Instruction in late Spring each year. Participation in Sandhurst

Royal Military Academy Sandhurst

The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...

counts as spring Company Athletic credit. Many companies train year-round for this prestigious event. The championship game of CA football and other outdoor events are held each year on Daly Field.