Alan Sheinwald on The West Point Experience

Alan Sheinwald is a proud graduate of West Point, the United States Military Academy.

West Point, or The United States Military Academy, is one of the most prestigious educational institutions in America. West Point has an over 200-year history of educating cadets, their name for their students, on several levels of excellence. West Point challenges it’s attendees educationally, physically, morally, and with a military discipline befitting of the best servicemen in the world.

Below, Alan Sheinwald describes the different aspects of West Point that make it one of the best learning centers in the world. 

Academics

Cadets admitted to West Point are carefully chosen from highly qualified applicants from all parts of the United States. The academic rigor emanates from the base of core classes that teach both a technical balance with a humanities entity. Cadets can choose a major from over forty different categories and learn both with and instructor and through their fellow cadets with team building academic projects. The Senior Capstone project at West Point is known for being recognized locally and internationally. The students work as a team to solve real world issues based in the major in which they have chosen. Upon graduation, the cadet is awarded a Bachelors of Science and continues as a leader in theUnited States Army.

Career Readiness

Like all universities in this country, West Point highly focuses on career readiness for their cadets. Alan Sheinwald was passionate about starting his new career at West Point. The difference is these students are all focused on becoming active, valued Officers in the United States Army after graduation. To prepare them to lead soldiers, cadets are immersed in a military lifestyle from the moment they arrive at West Point. They serve their community as well as their school as members of the Corp of Cadets. Summers are not leisure times for West Point cadets; these students spend their summers completing multiple military training programs. For example, Alan Sheinwald completed Airborne and Air Assault training. The cadets of West Point, through active duty internships, constant year-long military training, and physical readiness programs graduate ready to lead their fellow soldiers as Officers of the United States Army.

Outside Of The Classroom

West Point offers more than just military training with an academic edge. West Point also has some of the leading sports, academic, religious, and diverse clubs in the country. Cadets are pushed to join these programs to broaden their understanding of the world, connect on a social level with their classmates, while working on projects that will provide a positive outcome to the community around them. During his time at West Point, Alan Sheinwald was inspired by playing sports. Later on, he became a volunteer softball coach for the physically and mentally disabled. 

West Point also boasts a Cadet Publication Program, which coordinates the production and sales of USMA publications such as Bugle Notes, Howitzer, Pointer, Wall Calendar, Mortar, and sponsorship for all extracurricular clubs through commercial coordination. These cadets are given a well-rounded experience of helping the academic community while practicing the morals and discipline of the United States Army.

Some of this country’s most valued members of society begin their lives as West Point cadets. By combining educational excellence, physical prowess, military training and extracurricular promise, students of The United States Military Academy are ready for the world when they step out of those doors. The officers produced at West Point can be relied on to lead our military in a moral, ethical, and proud manner in the name of the United States Army.

As a member of the West Point Alumni Association, Alan Sheinwald continues to spread the values he learned as a student himself, helping other students gain the same knowledge and inspiration he did years ago. 

Rewards and Strategies of Coaching Softball

Rewards of Coaching for Alan Sheinwald

Alan Sheinwald has spent many years volunteering as a softball coach for mentally and physically disabled adults in his community. He has learned the ins-and-outs of many coaching techniques and strategies that help him bring the team together to both work hard and have fun.

Many athletes have said that they learned some of their most valuable life lessons on an athletic field. A coach can make or break the spirit of an athlete. For those teaching youngsters or newcomers to the game of softball, you have to begin with the basics: how to hold the bat, how to throw the ball, and how to catch the ball.

Teaching the “rules” of the game is important, but so is teamwork and sportsmanship. You will face many challenges when you coaching. You will have to talk to your team on their level and make the lessons understandable and comprehensive in a way that works for them.  

Practice is just that, practice. A time to learn new things and to prefect other things. You must demonstrate the plays that you want the players to learn. While volunteering, Alan Sheinwald has found that simply telling players what to do often isn’t enough.  The players need to understand why and make connections to something that they already know. This way, plays and batting motions become routine with muscle memory and mental memory.

Softball has many strategies to the game.  When you coach, you have to explain these strategies and why they are important. You want to teach the players to think for themselves and decide what strategy would work at a moment’s notice.  The game can change quickly and the players need to be prepared to react.

Teaching the 1-2-3 drill will help your infield with decision making skills and reaction time.  Any doubt in either could cost a run. A ball hit to the shortstop should be caught a relayed to second base, who in turn throws it to first base and then back to the pitcher. You will need to repeat this drill with each member of the infield in many different situations.  As you hit the ball, you shout where the runners are.  For example, if you hit the ball toward third base and yell that the runner is on first and another one is coming home, the third baseman needs have the ability to quickly decide which runner to get out first and where to know where to throw the ball.

As for the outfield, you need to explain where each one is to throw the ball after a catch.  If the outfielder holds on to the ball too long, a runner can tag and proceed to the next base. Also, the idea of “calling” the ball, meaning that the person who is going to catch the ball yells so that the others will back off and you will not have a collision where no one catches the ball.  Even Major League players still make this mistake on occasion.

With any sport that you are coaching, it is important to always be positive and focus on fun. For Alan Sheinwald, seeing his players enjoy themselves, improve their skills, and share their love for the game is a priceless and endlessly rewarding opportunity.