Tuesday, May 17, 2016

The History And Origin 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 FIG got established in 1881 in Liege. By 1896, the high level of popularity of men gymnastic made to be included in Olympic Games. There was a lot of changing in male events from when they were first included in Olympic games until the 1950s on both national and international levels.

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.

By 1954, female and male Olympic apparatus and events had already undergone standardization. Formats and grading structures had already been agreed upon on a global scale. Around that time, the spectacle performance of Soviet gymnasts took the world by surprise and set a precedent that continues to date. The television played a major role in initiating and publicizing the modern age in this field.

Today, the perfection and quality of both female and male events is very high. Many people in the world find the sport interesting and all continents have some of the best gymnasts the world has ever seen. Since competitive gymnastic began, the system for scoring has never changed until in 2006 when a new one came into use.




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