Gymnastics is a sport that includes exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, shoulders, back, chest, and abdominal muscle groups. Alertness, precision, daring, self-confidence, and self-discipline are mental traits that can also be developed through gymnastics.
It is one of the oldest sports in the world, dating back thousands of years to the ancient Greeks. It has evolved over thousands of years to become the sport it is today, although many of the competitions are rooted in ancient exercises. Today there are competitions in many countries and at the international level. Gymnastics is an important part of the Olympic Games held every 4 years.
Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) is the governing body for gymnastics worldwide. FIG governs eight sports that include:
Gymnastics for All can be characterised as the basis for all sports as it encourages coordination, team work and mobility. It includes leisure activities for all age groups, in particular in the fields of -but not limited to- gymnastics, dance, apparatus gymnastics and team sports. Such activities take into account the various national and cultural particularities.
Men’s artistic gymnastics (MAG) involves a combination of acrobatics, strength and power across 6 different apparatus:
Women’s artistic gymnastics (WAG) involves a combination of acrobatics, strength and power across 4 different apparatus:
Rhythmic gymnastics (RG) is a culmination of ballet and modern dance, flexibility and musical interpretation. Gymnasts perform floor routines with five hand held apparatus:
Trampoline gymnastics (TRA) involves a series of skills performed at thrilling heights, across 4 different disciplines:
Sports Aerobics (AER) is based on the ability to perform continuous complex and high intensity movement patterns to music. The routines demonstrate flexibility, power, strength and compulsory elements to varying levels of difficulty. There are 3 types of routines:
Acrobatic Gymnastics is equal parts performance and partnership, as groups of gymnasts work together to complete spectacular and extraordinary feats.
Acrobatic gymnasts perform in pairs, trios or groups, in which each of the individual gymnast's size and skill are used to complement each other. Set to music and interspersed with choreography, the routines combine art and skill as the gymnasts perform static elements such balances and holds; and dynamic elements such as lifts, throws with complex somersaults and twists; and tumbling skills.
Pairs and group exercises must include human pyramids that are created by the gymnasts and must be held for three seconds to be scored; the pairs exercise must contain at least six partner-balance elements held for two seconds. Competitive Acrobatic Gymnastics consists of five group formations: Women's Pair and Men's Pair , Mixed Pair (male and female), Women's Group (three females) and Men's Group (four males). Each pair or group performs three routines - balance , dynamic , and combined - in competition.
Originating on the streets, Parkour can be summed up as the art of getting from one point to another by respecting one key principle: efficiency and fluidity. Parkour was developed as a training method but over time it has inspired diverse sporting events, action movies, gaining many followers.
In FIG events, the Parkour area is strewn with a variety of blocks, walls and bars designed to mirror the different obstacles found in urban areas. To overcome them, athletes must make use of a range of techniques, such as the cat leap (saut de chat), arm jump (saut de bras), drop jump (saut de fond) and wall run (passe-muraille).
There are two categories: