The History And Practice Of Gymnastics

By Joshua Nelson


Gymnastic exercises refer to the performance of exercises that require flexibility, strength, control, and balance. These performances are under the regulation of the FIG, which is an international body with global powers. Besides the FIG, each country in which gymnastics is practiced has its own governing body that regulates the sport. State regulatory bodies have affiliations to the FIG.

The Greek language is the source of the term gymnastic. The corresponding Greek word means naked when translated into English. The word could also mean dancing naked in Greek. Ancient gymnasts practiced naked, hence the origin of the name. The term first appeared and started to be used in the 1570s. It has grown in use and prevalence worldwide since its coining.

Ancient Greece is the origin of gymnastic. It was originally invented for military training. When getting ready for battle, soldiers could train in various gymnastic exercises. It was believed that soldiers gained better skills and knowledge necessary for fighting from these exercises. This practice was later dropped when militaries modernized although some aspects may still be identified in some forms of military training.

The birth of modern gymnastic took place in the state of Germany by the work of three pioneers. This happened following the creation of exercises for boys and young men to be performed on apparatus designed by the pioneers. These exercises were later to lead to the gymnastic industry as it is known today. Educative gymnastic in France was introduced by Don Franscisco Ondeano. Today, international competitions include the use of high bars, parallel bars, and rings, a phenomenon that was promoted a lot by one of the German pioneers named Jahn.

The establishment of the FIG happened in 1881 in Liege. The popularity of men gymnastic had risen to a point that it could be included in modern Olympic Games of 1896. From the first time men gymnastic was introduced into Olympic Games all the way to the early 1950s, the exercises changed a lot on both national and international level.

Events that old audiences found normal would surprise many modern ones a lot. Some of the old events competitors took part in include running, rope climbing, floor calisthenics, horizontal ladders, and high jumping. Women were introduced in competitive gymnastic later on in 1920s. Primitivity seemed to dominate the initial events held in 1928. The only events participants competed in are synchronized calisthenics and track and field activities. The 1928 Olympic Games happened in Amsterdam.

Standardization of both women and men Olympic events and apparatus had already been done by 1954. There was global consensus on grading structures and formats. The Soviet surprised the world by high caliber of performance and set a precedent that persists even today. The modern age of this field was initiated and publicized by the newly invented television.

Today, both male and female gymnastic events have attained the peak of perfection and quality. It is a sport that the whole world finds interest in with several excellent gymnasts originating from all continents. Since 2006, the traditional scoring system was changed to adopt a new system.




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