Herman John Koehler (December 14, 1859 – July 1, 1927)[1][2] was an American football coach, athletics administrator, and United States Army officer.

[6] On February 1, 1885 Superintendent of the United States Military Academy Col. Wesley Merritt appointed him as a civilian to the position of Master of the Sword.

Professor Koehler implemented a systematic program of physical education, compulsory for cadets of the fourth class, and became the driving force in-house for a new gymnasium, which was completed in 1892.

The calisthenics program, mandatory for plebes, was grounded in the Turnvereine philosophy, conducted in mass formation stressing precise execution, good posture, and energetic flair, but never performed to the point of exhaustion.

[7] His system of "setting up" exercises (later termed "Disciplinary Physical Training") concentrated on strengthening a soldier's shoulders, chest, arms, and legs.

However, not until the 1899–1900 class year did he receive an assistant in instruction, and not until 1901 was he direct-commissioned as a first lieutenant of Infantry and transferred to the Department of Tactics as "instructor in military gymnastics and physical culture.

[6] Prior to the entry of the United States into World War I, Koehler was detached to direct physical instruction for 200,000 newly inducted soldiers at officers' and divisional training camps of the National Army and promoted to major.

[9] In 1919 he published his second text, Koehler's West Point Manual of Disciplinary Physical Training, in which he advocated not only his system of exercises adopted at West Point but the use of marching, double timing, rifle exercises, bayonet drill, vaulting, and obstacle courses for physical conditioning that became a regular feature of basic military training.