Gymnastics (0)

gymnastics
Kaur kramm
11.A
The real thing
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises
requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and
balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed
by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG)
or International Federation of Gymnastics (IFG) with each
country having its own national governing body affiliated to FIG.
Competitive Artistic gymnastics is the best known of the
gymnastic sports.
Etymology
The word derives from the Greek (gymnastike), fem.
of (gymnastikos), "fond of athletic
exercises", from (gymnasia), "exercise" and that
from (gymnos), "naked", because athletes exercised and
competed without clothing.
Events
The women's events: Men's events include
uneven parallel bars floor exercise
balance beam pommel horse
floor exercise still rings
Vault vault
parallel bars
high bar
Dismounting a horse
Gymnastics evolved from exercises used
by the ancient Greeks, that included skills
for mounting and dismounting a horse,
and from circus performance skills.
Other gymnastic sports include rhythmic
gymnastics, the
various trampolining sports, aerobic and
acrobatic gymnastics.
Small Children
Participants can include children as young as five years old doing
kindergym and children's gymnastics, recreational gymnasts of ages 5
and up, competitive gymnasts at varying levels of skill, and world class
athletes.
Exercises of the ancient Greeks began with athletic feats performed by
each individual according to his own notion. The youth were encouraged
to combine amusement with exercise. In time, this kind of exercise was
incorporated into a system that figured prominently in the state
regulations for education. In fact, the period for exercise or gymnastics
was equal to the time spent on art and music combined. All Greek cities
had a gymnasium, a courtyard for jumping, running, and wrestling.
As the Roman Empire ascended, the Greek gymnastics gave way to
gymnastics whose purpose was military training. The Romans, for
example, introduced the wooden horse.
In 393 AD the Emperor Theodosius abolished the Olympic Games,
which by then had become corrupt, and gymnastics along with other
sports had been declined. For centuries, gymnastics was all but
forgotten.
Girolamo Mercuriale
In the fifteenth century, Girolamo Mercuriale from Forlì (Italy) wrote De
Arte Gymnastica, that brought together his study of the attitudes of the
ancients toward diet, exercise and hygiene, and the use of natural
methods for the cure of disease. De Arte Gymnastica also explained the
principles of physical therapy and is considered the first book on sports
medicine.
In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century Germany, three
pioneer physical educators ­ Johann Friedrich GutsMuths (1759­1839)
and Friedrich Ludwig Jahn (1778­1852) ­ created exercises for boys
and young men on apparatus they had designed that ultimately led to
what is considered modern gymnastics. Don Francisco Amoros y
Ondeano, marquis de Sotelo, is born on february 19th 1770 in Valence
and died on august 8th 1848 in Paris he was a spanish colonel, the first
one to introduce educative gymnastic in France. He created the first
military and civil gymnasium in Paris. In particular, Jahn crafted early
models of the horizontal bar, the parallel bars (from a horizontal ladder
with the rungs removed), and the vaulting horse.
Events for men
Floor Male gymnasts also perform on a 12m. by 12m. spring floor. A
series of tumbling passes are performed to demonstrate flexibility,
strength, and balance. The gymnast must also show strength skills,
including circles, scales, and press handstands. Men's floor routines
usually have four passes that will total between 60­70 seconds and are
performed without music, unlike the women's event. Rules require that
male gymnasts touch each corner of the floor at least once during their
routine
Pommel Horse
Pommel Horse A typical pommel horse exercise involves both single leg
and double leg work. Single leg skills are generally found in the form of
scissors, an element often done on the pommels. Double leg work
however, is the main staple of this event. The gymnast swings both legs
in a circular motion (clockwise or counterclockwise depending on
preference) and performs such skills on all parts of the apparatus. To
make the exercise more challenging, gymnasts will often include
variations on a typical circling skill by turning (moores and spindles) or
by straddling their legs (Flares). Routines end when the gymnast
performs a dismount, either by swinging his body over the horse, or
landing after a handstand.
Still Rings
Still Rings The rings are suspended on wire cable from a point 5.75
metres from the floor, and adjusted in height so the gymnast has room
to hang freely and swing. He must perform a routine demonstrating
balance, strength, power, and dynamic motion while preventing the
rings themselves from swinging. At least one static strength move is
required, but some gymnasts may include two or three. A routine should
have a dismount equal in difficulty to the difficulty of the routine as a
whole.
Vault
Vault Gymnasts sprint down a runway, which is a maximum of 25
metres in length, before hurdling onto a spring board. The body position
is maintained while "punching" (blocking using only a shoulder
movement) the vaulting platform. The gymnast then rotates to a
standing position. In advanced gymnastics, multiple twists and
somersaults may be added before landing. Successful vaults depend on
the speed of the run, the length of the hurdle, the power the gymnast
generates from the legs and shoulder girdle, the kinesthetic awareness
in the air, and the speed of rotation in the case of more difficult and
complex vaults.
Parallel Bars
Parallel Bars Men perform on two bars slightly further than a shoulder's
width apart and usually 1.75m high while executing a series of swings,
balances, and releases that require great strength and coordination.
High Bar
High Bar A 2.8 cm thick steel or fiberglass bar raised 2.5m above the
landing area is all the gymnast has to hold onto as he
performs giants (revolutions around the bar), release skills, twists, and
changes of direction. By using all of the momentum from giants and
then releasing at the proper point, enough height can be achieved for
spectacular dismounts, such as a triple-back salto.
Leather grips
Leather grips are usually used to help maintain a grip on the bar.As with
the women, male gymnasts are also judged on all of their events, for
their execution, degree of difficulty, and overall presentation skills.
Former apparatus and events
Rope (rhythmic gymnastics)
Starting in 2011, the rhythmic apparatus rope will be removed from all
FIG events and clubs will be returned to the competition. FIG has a
policy of only using four of the five pieces of apparatus and changes
them for different Olympic cycles. This will affect World Cups, World
Championships, and Olympics.
Rope climb
Rope climbing
Generally, competitors climbed either a 6m (6.1m = 20 ft in USA) or an
8m (7.6m = 25 ft in USA), 38mm (1.5") diameter natural fiber rope for
speed, starting from a seated position on the floor and using only the
hands and arms. Kicking the legs in a kind of "stride" was normally
permitted. Many gymnasts can do this in the straddle or pike position,
which eliminates the help generated from the legs.
Flying rings
Flying rings was an event similar to still rings, but with
the performer executing a series of stunts while
swinging. It was a gymnastic event sanctioned by
both the NCAA and the AAU until the early 1960s.
Affiliated - liitunud
Ascended ­ tõusis
Agility ­ väledus
Declined ­ vähenenud
Mounting ­ paigaldamine/montaaz
Courtyard ­ hoov
Apparatus - seadmed/aparatuur