At the end of the module, the student is expected to:

a. understand the gymnastics and the history;

b. identify the different gymnastics discipline; and
c. perform the conditioning and warm-up program.

Introduction
Strength is the body’s ability to exert force against resistance. In sports,
strength by itself is not nearly as important as the ability to harness strength that
can be powerfully exerted in the shortest time possible. A plan to achieve this is
one of the athlete’s most important training tools and valuable to athletic success.
In addition to enhancing performance, strength training builds muscle and the
connective tissues around joints, decreasing the risk of injury.
Gymnastics is a complex competition involving the performance of exercises
requiring physical strength, flexibility, power, agility, grace, balance and control.
Internationally, all of the competitive gymnastics events are governed by the
Federation Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG). Each country has its own
national governing body affiliated to FIG. Competitive artistic gymnastics is the
best known of the gymnastics event. It typically involves the women’s event of
uneven bars, balance beam, floor exercise, and vault. Men’s event are floor
exercise, pommel horse, still rings, vault, parallel bars, and the high bar.
Gymnastics evolved from exercises used by the ancient Greeks that included
skills for mounting and dismounting a horse, and from circus performance skills.
Other gymnastics disciplines include: rhythmic gymnastics, trampolining,
team gym, tumbling, aerobic gymnastics and acrobatic gymnastics.

Etymology
The word gymnastics derives from the common Greek adjectives (gymnos)
meaning “naked” by the way of related verb (gymnazo) whose meaning is “to train
naked” ‘train in gymnastic exercise’, generally “to train, to exercise’. The verb had
this meaning, because athlete in ancient times exercised and competed without
clothing. It came into use in the 1570s, from latin gymnasticus.
History

In 1569, Girolamo Mercuriale from Forli (Italy) wrote Le Arte Gymnastica, which
brought together his study of the attitudes of the ancient toward diet, exercise and
hygien, and the use of natural, methods for the cure of disease. Girolamo was an
Italian philogist and physician, who received his doctorate in 1555. He was later asked
to occupy the Chair of Medicine in 1569. 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 GuthsMuths(1759-1839) and Friedrich Ludwig
Jahnn(1778-1852) – created exercise for boys and young men on apparatus they had
designed that ultimately led to what is considered modern gymnastics. Don Francisco
Amoroso y Ondeano, marquis de Soleto, was born on Febuary 19, 1770 in Valence and
died on August 8,1848 in Paris. He was a Spanish colonel, and the first person to
introduce educative gymnastic in France. Jahnn promoted the use of parallel bars,
rings, and high bar in international competition.

The Federation of International Gymnastics (FIG) was founded in Liege in 1881.

By the end of the nineteenth century, men’s gymnastics competition was popular
enough to be included in the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. By 1954, Olympic
Games apparatus and events for both men and women had been standardized in
modern format, and uniform grading structures (including a point system from 1 to
15) had been agreed upon.

International competitive gymnastics

Artistic gymnastics –is usuallly divided into Men’s and Women’s Gymnastics. Men
compete on six event:

1. Floor exercise 3. Vault 5. Still Rings

2. Pommel Horse 4. Parallel Bars 6. High Bar

Women compete four event:

1. Vault 3. Balance Beam

2. Uneven Bars 4. Floor exercise

Rhytmic gymnastics

Only women compete in rhythmic gymnastics although there is a new version of

this discipline for men being pioneered in Japan . This sport involves the performance
of five separate routines with the use of five apparatus on a floor area;

1. Ball 2. Hoop 3. Ribbon 4. Clubs 5. Rope

Acrobatic gymnastics

Often referred to as “Acro” if involved with the sport, acrobatic sports or simply
sports acro, is a group gymnastic discipline for both men and women. Acrobats in
groups of two, three and four perform routines with the heads, hands and feet of their
partners. They may subject to regulations(e.g. no lyrics), pick their own music.

Aerobic gymnastics

It involves the performace of routines by indiduals, pairs, trios, of groups up to

6 people, emphasizing strenght, flexibility, and earobic fitness rather than acrobatic of
balance skills.

Team Gym

Is one of the latest new events and the first official competition was held in
Finland in 1996 and it takes place every even-numbered year. TeamGym is a team
competition for clubs and consist of three sections: men, women and mixed teams.

TeamGym competition exhibit gymnastics skills in three different discipline:

floor, tumbling and trampette. In common for performance is effective teamwork, good
technique nin the element and spectacular acrobatic elements.

The Conditoning and Warm-up Program

One of the most important phases of the gymnastics program is the preparation
of the body towards other gymnastics skills. The conditioning program should be well
planned to insure proper body preparation. There should be exxercises for flexibilty
and for strength of the arms, legs, abdomen, back and the toes.

Warm-up exercise can be selected from the exercise in the conditioning exercises.

Parts of the Body to Condition

1. Arms Stretch 7. Knee Bends

2. Arm Circling 8. Leg Raising

3. Arm Push-Up 9. Standing Body Bend Backward

4. Arm Swing 10. Frog Sit

5. Knee Push-Up 11. Kneeling Arch Back

6. Arm Push-Up 12. Long Sitting Rest Position

13. Long Sitting Rest Position with Straight

14. Long Sitting Position with both Legs Raising

15. Supine Lying Position with Leg Raising

16. Side Sitting and Body Bend

17. Hurdle Sit, Leg Stretch, and Trunk Bend

18. Hurdle Sit, Stretch, and Trunk Bend

19. Kneeling Position with One Leg Extended(Forward)

20. Kneeling Position with One Leg Extended(Sideward)

21. Lateral Bends

22. Bend Trunk Backward

23. Dog Stand Position with Leg in Rear

24. Abdominal Curl

25. Supine Lying with Leg Bend and Stretch

26. Hook Lying Position with Hip at the Back

27. Prone Lying Position, Leg Raising at the Back

28. Prone Lying Position, both Legs Raise

29. Prone lying, Arm Push-Up, Arch Back

30. Prone Lying Position, Lift Head and Chest

31. Prone Lying with Ankle Hold

32. Shoulder Stand

33. Shoulder Stand with Knee Bend

34. Shoulder Stand with Legs Overhead

Note: Wear jogging pants or something stretchable pants next meeting because you
are going to perform this conditioning and warm-up program.