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.

Gymnastic originated in Ancient Greece. Its invention was for military training. As part of preparations for war, soldiers trained in different gymnastic exercises. The skills and knowledge could assist soldiers in fighting according a common belief at the time. Inclusion into military training was dropped later. Some aspects of training in the military may however still be based on some gymnastic exercises even today.

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.

Liege is where FIG got established in 1881. Men events were first introduced in Olympics in 1896 following its popularity. Significant changes were made in the events gymnasts competed in from 1896 through to the 1950s. The changes happened at international as well as national levels.

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.

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, 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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