All Cadets At West Point Must Learn to Take a Punch (Even The Women)

Cadets gather to participate in bouts at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. The coach said boxing allowed instructors to “take a person, put them in a fearful situation and try to see how they react.” Photo: Meredith Heuer for The Wall Street Journal

Wall Street Journal: At West Point, All Cadets Must Learn to Take a Punch

Boxing is a tradition at the U.S. Military Academy. Last year, female cadets were required to get in the ring.

WEST POINT, N.Y.—On the grass fields at the U.S. Military Academy, cadets with rifles crawl across the turf while instructors bark orders.

Inside a sweaty gym here, a plebe, or first-year cadet, is working on her left hook.

All 4,000-plus cadets at West Point are held to strict academic standards and are expected, at all times, to behave in a manner befitting future officers in the U.S. Army.

They also have to learn how to box.

Since early in the last century, following a suggestion by President Theodore Roosevelt, boxing has been taught at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Last year, for the first time since female cadets were admitted in 1976, boxing classes became mandatory for cadets of both sexes.

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WNU Editor:I know that women can take a punch .... and they sure as hell can deliver one if they want to. But I would never make it in West Point. Hitting a girl/women is a big no-no in my book .... you just do not do it.