Saturday, May 7, 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.

Gymnastic as a term has its source in the Greek language. Corresponding English translation means naked. It could also mean dancing naked in some sense. A word with such a meaning was adopted because gymnasts from ancient times practiced while naked. In 1570s is when the terms first appeared. It has continued to be adopted globally from the time it was coined.

Gymnastic originated from Ancient Greece. It was originally meant for training in the military. Soldiers got involved in these exercises as part of getting ready for war. The incorporation of gymnastic into military training was thought to equip soldiers with strength and skills necessary for fighting. Inclusion into military training was later stopped, but some aspects of it may still be found in certain militaries.

Modern gymnastic was born in Germany by three pioneer educators. These pioneers were responsible for the creation of exercises for young men and boys on apparatus they designed. It is these exercises that resulted in the birth of the modern variety of gymnastic. In France, educative gymnastic was introduced by someone named Don Franscisco Ondeano. On the other hand, the use of rings, high bars, and parallel bars in international competitions was promoted by Jahn, one of the three German pioneers of modern gymnastic.

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.

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, 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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