Today we are going to talk about artistic gymnastics, also known as Olympic gymnastics. It is a sport that involves a set of movements. In this case, these movements require precision, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination and balance. Therefore, body control is one of the main characteristics of these athletes. You will learn a little about everything in gymnastics:
History
The history of artistic gymnastics is older than we think. It is believed that the Greeks practiced various movements and acrobatics on certain apparatuses in order to achieve physical perfection. Greek gymnastics was a way of preparing the body for other sports and military training at the time, and it is still used today. The German pedagogue Friedrich Ludwig Christoph Jahn was one of those responsible for transforming artistic gymnastics into a sport. We know that he founded gymnastics clubs for young people and those interested in the sport, and also created several apparatuses that are still used today. At the time, gymnastics was seen as a dangerous practice, so Jahn was arrested and gymnastics was banned at the time.
Thank goodness they didn't let this sport, which is now one of the most important in the Olympics, become extinct. Some Germans took the sport to other parts of Europe and the world. In 1881, the European Gymnastics Federation was founded, which resulted in the consolidation of this sport. Since 1896, artistic gymnastics has been present at the Olympic Games. However, the women's category was only introduced to the Olympics in 1928 in the Netherlands, and then women began to compete. The practice of artistic gymnastics arrived in Brazil at the end of the 19th century, and began in the southern states. It was then brought to Brazil by European immigrants. In 1858, the Joinville Gymnastics Society was founded in Santa Catarina. Ten years later, another organization of this sport was founded in Porto Alegre: the Porto Alegre Gymnastics Society.
After that, it began to be practiced in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo in the 20th century. They began practicing Olympic gymnastics in clubs in the city. The first national championship took place in 1950 among athletes from São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Rio Grande do Sul. On November 25, 1978, the Brazilian Gymnastics Confederation (CBG) was created, the body responsible for the sport in the country. It then affiliated with the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), responsible for organizing world competitions. The first Brazilian Olympic competition was held in Moscow in 1980. Since then, this sport has been growing in the country.
Rules
Artistic Gymnastics focuses on perfecting movements. So, in sequence, gymnasts perform a series of movements that occur on the apparatus and on the floor.
The devices are:
In addition to the floor movements and jumps performed by gymnasts, Olympic gymnastics has several apparatuses. Gymnasts use a type of splint on their hands to perform these movements. The equipment used in each category is different, with some for men and others for women. Thus, for women, the main apparatuses are:
- Uneven Bars – Gymnast on uneven bars
- Balance Bars – Gymnast on balance beams
- Jumping and Floor – Both women and men perform floor movements and jumps.
For men, the main equipment for practicing sports is:
- Pommel horse – Gymnast performing movements on the pommel horse
- Rings – Gymnast on the rings
- Parallel Bars – Gymnast on the parallel bars test
- Fixed Bars – Gymnast in a fixed bar event.
Gymnast after the jump
In the floor exercise, spins, jumps, steps and acrobatic movements are performed by both groups and they cannot go beyond the limits of the 12-meter square-shaped court. Men have 70 seconds to perform the movements. Women have 90 seconds. In the women's floor exercise, there is background music, while in the men's floor exercise there is no music to accompany the movements.