Gymnastics (2019-2020)

GYMNASTICS

BRIEF HISTORY
• The earliest recorded activities in gymnastics were some exercises, stunts and tumbling resembling
gymnastics.
• The early civilization, hanging, climbing with rope, swinging, balancing on stone and log flipping and
turning were among of their common activities.
1. Chinese exercise - Kung Fu or medical gymnastics
2. India -Yoga
3. Greeks - Naked art
4. Egyptians - Balanang
5. Roman – mounting or dismounting

OBJECTIVES OF GYMNASTICS
In ancient Greece, three distinct programs of gymnastic exercise were developed;
 maintenance of good physical condition
 for military training
 part of the conditioning regimen for athletes

GYMNASTICS GREATEST CONTRIBUTORS

1723-1790 - Johann Basedow - Gymnastics in the School Curriculum

1746-1827 - Johann Pestalow - Was noted as the founder of free exercises and calisthenics
1759-1839 - Johann Guts Muths - Great Grandfather of Gymnastics.
He invented the outdoor apparatus like seesaw, horizontal ladder,
oblique wooden ladder, climbing rope, balancing beam, vault
apparatus, and the rope ladder.
1776-1839 - Per Henrick Ling - Father of Swedish Gymnastics
He invented the star bars and vaulting box or Swedish box.
1778-1852 - Friedrich Ludwig Jahn - Father of Gymnastics.
He started Turverein movement.
He introduced the horizontal bar, parallel bar, side horse, vaulting
buck.
1810-1858 - Adolph Spiess - Father of School Gymnastics
Introduced marching and free hand exercises performed with
music
Dr Dudley Sargent – first American contributor to gymnastics because he was
instrumental in including gymnastics in the school curriculum.
Gymnastics in the Philippines was started by two exponents of Physical Education – Director Candido
Bartolome of UP and Mrs. Francisca Aquino of the Bureau of Public School.

WHAT IS GYMNASTICS?
 The word gymnastic is derived from the word gymnasium, at one at a time it included all
activities in a gymnasium.
 Gymnastics is a self-motivating activity, where one can manipulate the different parts of the
body into varied positions or movement.
 At Present, Gymnastics is recognized as a systemic form of Physical exercises designed for:
o Educational Gymnastics - is a program that challenges students to master tactics
involving strength, rhythm, flexibility, balance and agility.
o Therapeutic / Remedial Gymnastics - is a series of selected exercises that helps
relieve physical discomfort or restore function to disabled people
o Competitive Gymnastics - consists of prescribed sets of events for men and women,
each of which is scored separately in order to determine the winner.
EQUIPMENTS

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PHASES OF EDUCATIONAL GYMNASTICS PROGRAM

1. Conditioning Program
 Warm up – to prepare the body to more complicated movements and skills.
 Cool Down – serve to gradually taper off the body from the stress of exercises. It also prevent
an individual from experiencing some form of dizziness.
2. Stunts
 These are activities in the form of play which test one’s strength, flexibility, balance, agility,
endurance, and coordination.
 Some stunts can be considered as conditioning exercises and still some re preparatory stunts to
tumbling skills.
Types of Stunts
 Individual Stunts
 Rocking Chair, Coffee Grinder, Egg Roll, Human Ball, Dog Walk, Lame Dog Walk, Frog Kick,
Frog Jump, Inch Worm, Crab Walk
 Dual Stunts
 Wring the Disk Cloth, Chinese Get-Up, See-Saw, Jump Over
 Group Stunts
 Walking Chair, Merry-Go-Round, Skin the Snake
 Combative Stunts
 Rooster Fight, Indian Wrestle, Tug of War
3. Tumbling (Acrobatic Skills)
 The most important phase of gymnastics program, as it tested the ability of the performer to
roll to and from, twists, turns, and springs about on the mat, floor and in the air.
4. Rhythmic Gymnastics
 Routines or Exercises accompanied with Music
 They are so-called because they are performed in a rhythmical manner and the movement are
flowing.
 It includes free hand exercise and all the exercise with the use of light apparatus such as
wands, rings, hoops, ribbons and ropes.
5. Apparatus Work (Heavy)
 This includes exercises done on the balance beam, vaulting horse, parallel bars, uneven bars,
rings and the trampoline.
6. Pyramid Building
 This phase of a program makes a picture (mural) out of the body static positions.
 The position should be properly arranged and selected, so that they form the shape of a
pyramid.

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COMPETITIVE GYMNASTICS
1. Artistic Gymnastics (AG)
 Gymnastics discipline where the gymnasts perform on the top of the heavy apparatus.
 Women Artistic Gymnastics (WAG) – 4 events
 Horse Vault  Balance Beam
 Asymmetrical Bars  Floor
 Men Artistic Gymnastics (MAG) – 6 events
 Floor  Vault
 Pommel Horse  Parallel Bars
 Ring  Horizontal Bar
2. Rhythmic Sportive Gymnastics (RSG)
 An aesthetic discipline performed to music while using small hand apparatus that seems to be
an extension of the body.
 A competitive event for women either individual or group in a bi – annual rotation of four out of
five apparatuses.
 Rope -  Clubs
 Hoop  Ribbon
 Ball
3. Aerobics Gymnastics
 Gymnastics discipline integrates in the difficult elements of gymnastics with aerobic dance steps
and movements in order to create a dynamic choreography for the spots either individual,
mixed pair, three or group.
4. Acrobatics Gymnastics
 A gymnastics discipline where boys and girls take part balancing with partners with selected
acrobatic skills, balances and dance movements.

BODY AWARENESS

The body has four major divisions.

 Head  Upper Extremities (Arms)
 Trunk  Lower Extremities (Legs)
Planes – the imaginary, two-dimensional surface in which movements are performed.
 Frontal/Lateral (front and back)  Transversal/Horizontal (upper and lower)
 Sagittal (right and left)
Spatial Directions – the way where the movements are to take place.
 Sideward  Upward/Downward
 Forward and Backward  Clockwise/Counter clockwise
 Diagonally Forward/Backward
Axes – an imaginary line used to rotate, passing through the center of the gravity
 Horizontal/Transverse – (rolling)  Medial – (cartwheel)
 Vertical/Longitudinal – (pirouette)
Level – are positions which reference to height
 Low level – below your own hip level
 Middle level – b/w your own hip level and the top of your head when standing normally
 High Level – above your own normal height

FUNDAMENTAL MOVEMENTS SKILLS

1. Locomotor Movement Skills – used to move the body from one location to another.
a) Walking e) Leaping
b) Running f) Sliding
c) Hopping g) Galloping
d) Skipping h) Jumping
2. 2. Nonlocomotor Movement Skills – in which an individual does not have to change location in
order to practice an activity.
a) Bend/Flexion e) Circle
b) Stretch/Extend f) Rotate/Turn
c) Twist g) Swing
d) Lift/Raise
3. Manipulative Movement Skills – used to handle or manipulate play objects, such as hoops, balls,
wands, bats etc.
4. Specialized Movement Skills – related to specific sports, games, and apparatus. Skills are
structured (specific rules, guidelines and techniques)

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TERMS IN GYMNASTICS
 ARCH – is a position where the body is
curved like an arc of a circle, with the hip
forward and the head and truck bent
backward.
 BASE – a partner who supports the other
performer above him.
 TUCK – is position where the head and the
knees are in contact and the trunk is
curved.
 MOUNT – are stunts performed by a
performer to go up on an apparatus.
 DISMOUNT – is a stunt used by a performer
to get off on an apparatus.
 SPOTTER - is a person who helps a
performer to go about a skill for the first
time.
 SPOTTING – is the act of helping a person
to go about a skill for the first time.
 EXERCISE or ROUTINE – planned series of
dance skills, locomotor skills, gymnastics
skills, and tumbling skills performed with or
without music.
 FLIP - a hand spring
TUMBLING SKILLS
 Forward Roll (movement analysis)
 Backward Roll
 Cartwheel
 Handstand (Hands and Feet Positions, Steps, Spotting)
 Front Walkover
 Back Walkover
Gymnastics (2019-2020)
 HELD or STATIC POSITION – these are
positions held for 2 or more seconds.
 PIKE - the upper body is bent forward at
the hips to an angle equal to or less than 90
degrees while the legs remain straight.
 PRESS – is the application of steady
pressure to a particular muscle or group of
muscles in order to attain a desired stretch.
 PRONE – lying face down with the body
straight.
 SUPINE – lying flat on the back with the
body straight.
 SCALE – is a support on one leg with the
other leg raised at the back and the body
arch.
 STRADDLE – the legs are extended
sideways.
 SPLIT – is a position where the legs are
extended forward and backward in a
straight position.
 TOP – the partner who is supported by the
base.