Gymnastics Fun Facts

Gymnastics Fun Facts
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Fun Facts About Gymnastics

If you are an avid gymnastics fan, then you may think you know a good deal of the history and trivia of the sport. Gymnastics has been a healthy activity shared by many families all over the world for decades. While everyone has their own reasons for getting into the sport, many people are still unaware of the origins and other facts about gymnastics.

History Facts

  • Gymnastics is known as one of the oldest kinds of physical exercise. Some Eygptian artifacts even portray the existence of Gymnastics as a sport.
  • The term “gymnastics” comes from the Greek word meaning “to exercise”. The specific routines created by the Greeks to teach soldiers skills such as how to mount a horse required numerous a certain type of physical fitness training. These routines would later become the basis of gymnastics as we know it today.
  • Men’s gymnastics were first entered into the Olympic games in 1896, while women first competed in Olympic gymnastics competitions in the 1920s.
  • The Soviets were the first to impress the world with their gymnastics performances when the Olympic games were first televised.

Facts On What Gymnastics Can Do For You

  • Gymnastics can help a person learn coordination and sense of rhythm. It strengthens the body and helps improve eye and foot co-ordination along with enabling one to develop a good posture. This is an important aspect in one’s overall health.
  • By integrating music into gymnastic routines, a gymnast learns how to gain more control over balance and grace.
  • The practices of gymnasitics not only improve and strengthen your outer body but also enable one to sharpen their memory while they need to practice and learn the new concepts and techniques involved.
  • Due to the many events taking place in different countries and cities around the world, a gymnast can also build on their social skills by meeting new people of varying ages and cultures. They also learn discipline while taking direction from their teachers and mentors.

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Olympic Fun Trivia Facts About Gymnastics

  • The Vault event allows you two tries when competing.
  • Shannon Miller is America’s Most Decorated Gymnast.
  • In the 1996 Olympics, Amy Chow won an individual silver medal on the uneven parallel bars.
  • “Gaylord” is the term used for a difficult move involving a double front over the high bar to re-grasp after completing 2 complete flips.
  • The pommel horse is the one event that is included in men’s gymnastics but not women’s.
  • Dominique Moceanu was the youngest member of the 1996 Women’s US Olympic gymnastics team.

Whether you get into the sport of gymnastics or just want to take a physical education lesson to learn to improve your ryhthm and balance, knowing some facts of gymnastics will better enable you to make an informed decision for bettering your life and health.

Resources

https://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/gymnastics.aspx

https://library.thinkquest.org/6135/facts.htm

https://m2002.thecgf.com/Sports/Gymnastics/Information/default.asp

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