Is Boxing too dangerous for Service Academies? What say you?

SFC A.M. Drake — Tue, 06 Oct 2015 07:13:49 -0400

The New York Times published a investigative report this week about West Point’s longstanding requirement that cadets take boxing as a class for academic credit, a requirement shared by the Naval Academy and Air Force Academy. Military officials believe there’s no better way to toughen up cadets and midshipmen and give them the grit required for combat.

Unfortunately, data obtained by the Times clouds the equation. Boxing accounts for 20% of the concussions at West Point, almost 25% at the Air Force Academy and the Naval Academy (where it accounts for twice as many concussions as football).

If a cadet is too concussed to pass the class, he or she is required to repeat until they pass. In an era where we’re far more knowledgable about the damage caused by traumatic brain injury, there’s a question as to whether any benefits are worth the damage done to men and women who are training to lead our military.

Blame Teddy Roosevelt for the tradition. It was the president’s love of boxing that led West Point to add the requirement in 1905.

Should the service academies look for other ways to toughen up their students? Or is boxing a valuable way to build character? Sound off!

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 6 at 2015 7:20 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 06 Oct 2015 07:20:45 -0400

I think developing warrior spirit is important but I wonder if combatives is boxing for the next generation.

Response by Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS made Oct 6 at 2015 7:26 AM

Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS — Tue, 06 Oct 2015 07:26:12 -0400

Getting hit in the head is dangerous. Getting hit in the head while your brain is still developing, especially so (18-25).

We must weigh the benefits of teaching boxing, and of the sport of boxing vs. the disadvantages of injury and find out "if the juice is worth the squeeze."

We need a basic understanding of combatives as Service Members, but Boxing may not be the correct baseline anymore, as LTC Private RallyPoint Member said. We have other programs like the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program and the Army Equivalent.

Response by Cpl Jeff N. made Oct 6 at 2015 7:47 AM

Cpl Jeff N. — Tue, 06 Oct 2015 07:47:39 -0400

Perhaps if you are not skilled enough/tough enough to protect yourself in the boxing ring you may not be the right material for the US Military. Perhaps a GS position is a better fit for you. It is as controlled an environment to fight in as you can get. My guess is they use headgear too. I am also pretty sure they do this according to standard weight classes and the like to keep it "fair".

Combative's are a nice add on to the training agenda too. We have to stop trying to reduce everything we do to the lowest common denominator. "Protecting" everyone from any sort of adversity is not doing them justice for the jobs many are training to do, namely leading troops into combat. The more you sweat in peace the less you bleed in war. Perhaps that is just 20th century thinking and passé now.

Response by LCDR Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 6 at 2015 8:42 AM

LCDR Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 06 Oct 2015 08:42:08 -0400

When I was a Mid, everyone boxed Plebe Year...some of us, including myself, stayed on the club team into the second year. I was 135, but boxed welterweight...I seem to recall the lightest guy on the team was actually 150. During try-outs, there were only two of us even close in weight-Myself, and my room-mate. We knew to have any chance, we'd have to show a lot of aggression...so we agreed before the bout that we'd give 100% and shook on it. After a couple of intense rounds, the Major coaching us stopped the fight and said, "Well, you two are small fries-but mean as %$^!...you're in!"

Later on, I went four rounds with a kid who (unknown to me at the time) had been boxing since HS and eventually went on to Golden Gloves. He nailed me in the left eye, and I felt it in the right for three months-That eye still twitches sometimes :)

The Navy told me that if I got a knock-out after that, I'd be looking at problems for Pre-Comms...so I went into demonstration martial arts. They didn't use pads at the time in practice-but the reporting rules for injuries were a little different.

All in all, we invest a lot of money in training future officers...combative sports present real risks for permanent injuries, and that should be taken into account. However, it's an important part of the training and development of line qualified officers to handle stress, physical pain and fear-not to mention the development of thinking "under fire". It's a toss-up, but I think we would be losing a lot to remove these programs for the Academies all together.

Response by Sgt Spencer Sikder made Oct 6 at 2015 8:46 AM

Sgt Spencer Sikder — Tue, 06 Oct 2015 08:46:13 -0400

Interesting that with all the science/speculation about TBI and the far reaching impact boxing has played into the matter, that our military academies still find "boxing" to be necessary. I wonder if the military still hold their "smokers?" I recall between Kaneohe and Schofield Barracks the smokers we used to have (or maybe they still do).