| The Evolution Of Gymnastics |
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Fit ladies swinging from one corner to other with ribbons, doing twists and turns that seem unbelievable, moving faster than a wheel…are some of the thrills of gymnastics. But it has taken long before this artistic sport could take you by a surprise. This fabulous sport has evolved over a period of several years to attain its present form.
Gymnastics has its roots in ancient Greece. Even Greek mythology has mentions of this sport. In the earlier days Greek soldiers and warriors used to practice gymnastics prior to the war. They practiced activities like jumping, running, throwing, wrestling and boxing. A variety of circus skills were also practiced to build strength and stamina in the warriors. Over a period of time, gymnastics passed on from the soldiers and the warriors to the common man. The sport became an integral component of education in ancient Greece. Student were now being taught the taught the art of gymnastics in schools. The training was usually held in open air courts. But then gymnastics witnessed a downfall in its popularity around 393 AD. The sport was only restricted to military training and forgotten for over centuries. However, gymnastics did return several years later but with a modern twist. Johann Friedrich GutsMuth and Friedrich Ludwig Jahn brought back the art of gymnastics. But this time around they made the use of several equipments for teaching gymnastics. Equipment such as horizontal bar, parallel bars, side horse with pommels, balance beam, ladder, and vaulting horse were introduced by Jahn. Exercising was done only with the support of this equipment. Even to date, Friedrich Ludwig Jahn is regarded as the father of modern gymnastics. The end of the 19th century saw men's gymnastics gain unprecedented popularity. It was owing to the popularity o the sport that it was included in the Olympic Games held in 1896. However, the gymnastic then is very different from what we call the present day gymnastics. During that time a gymnast performed exercised such as team floor calisthenics, rope climbing, high jumping, running and several others. As years passed by, gymnastics grew as a sport. Women made their foray into this sport in the 1920s. Now gymnastics had become a very popular and uniform sport. By the year 1954 gymnastics' had specified rules and guidelines. Also a specific apparatus was defined for both male and female gymnasts. A point system from 1 to 10 was also implemented. Gymnastics has only grown in dimension since then. Today even school kids learn this sport during their summer activities. With the spectacular views and some mesmerizing exercise routines put up by gymnasts, the sport is only going to go a step further. Related Articles
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