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 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.

Most modern audiences would find events that were considered normal back then to be very strange. Participants participated in many events including running, high jumping, rope climbing, floor calisthenics, and horizontal ladder. Participation of women in gymnastic events began in the 1920s. The initial events were filled with primitivity. The events only encompassed track and field activities and synchronized calisthenics. This Olympic Games took place in Amsterdam in 1928.

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, gymnastic has reached a very high level of quality in both male and female events. It is a sport that attracts global interest and admiration with excellent gymnasts on all continents. The traditional system for scoring point was changed to a new system in 2006.




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