Third class midshipmen take part in a martial arts training class Feb. 17 as part of their physical education training. U.S. Navy photo by MC1 Chad Runge.

For these midshipmen, gone are their high school days where ‘‘running the mile” was one of the most physically demanding activities. The Academy’s physical education program is far more strenuous and requires a better understanding of the importance of lifelong physical fitness. The focus has evolved into truly developing their physical fitness, athletic skill and competitive spirit.

‘‘The department has developed a physical education curriculum that attempts to develop each of the highlighted areas in all midshipmen,” said Dr. Tom Virgets, senior associate athletic director and head of the Physical Education Department. ‘‘Activities are designed to challenge a midshipman to improve their swim proficiency, courage and combative proficiency, athletic proficiency and to commit to a lifestyle of fitness and wellness while developing the knowledge necessary to instruct others on how to obtain a healthy and fit way of life.”

The rigorous required training curriculum focuses on five areas of instruction.

‘‘We expect our midshipmen to be capable of passing all service communities’ swim requirements,” said Virgets. ‘‘In addition, we expect that our midshipmen will have the swimming proficiency required to be able to instruct others in basic swim strokes.”

Each midshipman also participates in courses designed to build close-range combative skills.

‘‘We expect every midshipman to develop a martial arts proficiency level that renders them capable of meeting the Marine Corps green belt certification,” he said. ‘‘In addition, the physical education department uses boxing and wrestling to develop the concept of courage under stress in all midshipmen.”

Learning how to throw a jab or complete a hip toss is only a small part of the real combat skills that are learned during these lessons. The underlying focus is to prepare the midshipmen for mental aspects of combat, one of which is often referred to as ‘‘fight or flight.”

‘‘Midshipmen who successfully pass these combative classes have developed an understanding of how they react under stressful situations, and have worked to overcome their fears and demonstrated evidence that they can appropriately display a controlled aggressive offense when necessary,” Virgets added.

Other lessons assist the midshipmen in becoming knowledgeable instructors of fitness and wellness and stress the importance of lifelong fitness.

‘‘Many of our midshipmen will find themselves in the position of Physical Mission Officer at their first duty. The physical education department is committed to insuring that our midshipmen are equipped with the most physiologically sound and up-to-date health and fitness information so that they will be able to provide the expertise necessary to properly and effectively train their sailors to meet Navy requirements.

‘‘We believe that developing athletic skills and being introduced to a host of lifetime fitness and recreational activities is the best way to insure that our midshipmen will be committed to a lifetime of fitness and wellness,” Virgets said. ‘‘Towards that end, the department offers a number of fitness and lifetime recreational electives that midshipmen may take during their 1st class year.”

During their final semester, midshipmen also receive training that accommodates requirements of the warfare communities they will join upon their graduation and commissioning. Currently, the academy offers service-specific training to Marines and aviators and also tailors swim electives to prepare SEAL and special operations candidates.

‘‘Some of our naval service communities have specific community physical mission training requirements,” said Virgets. ‘‘The physical education department offers courses in these community-specific physical mission areas on a required and elective basis to insure that our midshipmen are best prepared to meet all community standards.”

The requirements of the physical education program may be considerably more intensive than just the basic Navy and Marine Corps fitness requirements, however the curriculum taught at the academy greatly aides the midshipmen in their service’s physical aptitude testing events.

‘‘The assessment is the same PRT (physical readiness test) as the Navy, with higher standards. The Marine physical fitness requirement is different, but we have found that historically, those individuals who do well on our PRT do not have any issues with meeting the Marine standard,” said Virgets.

However, simply meeting physical standards set forth by the Department of the Navy is not the goal.

‘‘Our standard is designed to insure that a midshipmen graduating from the Naval Academy will be able to achieve above the mean average of officers in the Navy and Marine Corps.

‘‘Our philosophy is that USNA is a flagship institution, and graduates of flagship institutions lead from the front,” he added. ‘‘The physical mission is no exception, and we expect our midshipmen to acquire the skill proficiency necessary to distinguish themselves as committed front leaders.”