Strength, flexibility, agility and elegancegymnastics is a sports discipline that demands a series of physical movementsthat They can be applied both as a therapy exercise and as a competition exercise.. The word gymnastics comes from the union of different Greek words: ‘gymnastiké’, ‘gymnastikós’, ‘gymnasia’ and ‘gymnós‘, which together translate into Spanish as ‘fan of athletic exercises in the nude’since the first to practice it did so without any type of clothing.
The antecedents of gymnastics arise in Ancient Egyptwhen you had as a practice within entertainment routine. Then with the passage of civilizations, the benefits of gymnastics are highlighted as a sports discipline, until reaching the 18th century Europewhen it is formalized first modern gym teacher, Johann Friedrich Simon.
Gymnastics is part of the first Olympic Games for the first time during the 1896 edition, being a discipline only practiced by men. Next, the I edition of a world championship in gymnastics arrives in 1903. The participation of female categories it becomes possible from 1928.
This discipline is divided into different branches of practice. The first is the artistic, andIt takes as its main elements the mixture of body movements at high speed, that must follow the beat of a choreography. Within it there are different modalities such as artistic gymnastics on the floor, fixed bar, jumping to the pommel and rings.
The rhythmic gymnastics is also taken into account as an Olympic sport, where choreography takes greater predisposition in the athlete’s routinewhich has the possibility of using different elements during its dance, as They are the ribbon, the ball, and the hoop. For its part, the trampoline gymnastics uses as a base this implement that allows the athlete to perform different movements in the airbeing the stunts the determining factor of your routine.
Movement and speed take part during aerobic gymnastics, which mixes traditional «aerobic» movements but executed more quickly. Although the previous disciplines are practiced individually, During aerobic gymnastics, several athletes must be synchronized in order to execute each jump or figure thanks to the support of each partner.
In regards to the general gymnastics, although it is not qualified as a competitive practice, this branch allows the participation of different people, without requiring a professional knowledge of the movements, because thanks to it, they will be able to subsequently acquire the necessary skills to execute.
Although their Olympic varieties are only suitable for professional athletes, Within the range that this discipline offers, there are a series of benefits that anyone can obtain. The most important are considered favoring coordinationthe decreased tirednessthe prevention of cardiovascular diseasesand even, to be able to reduce stress levels Y allow a better rest for those who practice it.