Introduction I have spent months searching the Internet for information on gymnastics and although there are literally hundreds of gymnastic related web sites, I have yet to find a site that offers a one stop general overview of gymnastics that could be of use to someone wanting to find out more about the sport. This does not imply that the information is not out there, only that if it does exist, it is very well hidden. There are some great gymnastics web sites with good content out there, but they tend to either cover specialized topics or be of specific localised content. This article is my attempt at filling the gap and is intended as a basic introductory primer only.it covers most aspects of the sport including, training, nutrition, competitions, scoring and judging. Gymnastics is a dynamic sport thus regulations may change over time to incorporate new technology or other internal and external factors, therefore your best source of information will always be your local club or federation. Origins No single country can lay claim to being the originator of gymnastics as it developed in many countries, each with it s own style. The Greeks and Romans practiced a primitive form of gymnastics as early as 779 BC where it developed as a male dominated sport practiced primarily to keep soldiers physically active and agile during peacetime. However in 1776 Germany became the birthplace of modern gymnastics, when John Friedrich Simon became the first tutor of modern gymnastics at Basedow s School in Dessau, where he introduced apparatus such as the horizontal bar, parallel bar, rings and vaulting hose into the sport. Gymnastics featured in its primitive form in the ancient Olympic games and has featured in every game since the first modern Olympic Games held in Athens in 1896. Woman Artistic Gymnast Profile Gymnastics is a robust sporting activity where the muscle control, mental discipline and sharp reflexes are pushed to the limit. A gymnast cannot afford to be lethargic or lose focus, not even for a fraction of a second, for doing so could cost them points or even worse, result in serious injury. There are two basic types of exercise, aerobic and anaerobic. Aerobic exercise promotes cardiovascular fitness by raising your pulse to a targeted level Anaerobic exercise focuses on specific muscles and their size, endurance, and strength. Gymnasts fall predominantly into the anaerobic category and must therefore have excellent anaerobic fitness, as they need to perform high-intensity routines for brief periods of time. Although gymnasts also need good overall fitness, aerobic fitness is of less importance. Gymnasts are among the strongest and most flexible of all athletes. Overall a gymnast s strength is quite high in relation to their body weight (Strength to weight ratio). Ideally she should therefore be light and compact, but also strong i.e. they should have a high strength to weight ratio. Female gymnasts are typically small and slim, with short limbs, broad shoulders and narrow hips. Small size does have a big advantage, yet there are many successful gymnasts who are quite tall
compared to the average gymnast. Apparatus Women s artistic gymnasts compete in four disciplines namely the vaulting horse, beam, asymmetrical bars (uneven bars) and floor. Vault - The gymnast runs towards the horse, takes off from a springboard, places both hands on the horse, launches over with an acrobatic flight and a controlled landing. The vault requires a combination of strength, agility and speed. The height and length of the vault, as well as the performance of turns, twists and somersaults all contribute to the final score. All vaults must be performed with the hands placed on the vaulting horse. Each vault is divided into sections and sub sections. First Flight Take off position, arms, legs, trajectory and lift of the body. Arrival on the vault position of the hands, arms, shoulders, hips and legs. Second Flight Propulsion Balance compared to first flight Stretch and extension of the body Descent General direction of the vault General balance Landing No steps are allowed. The gymnast must land in the demarcated area. Beam The beam is 10 cm wide, 5 m long and 1.2 m from the ground. The beam routine involves a mount, continuous tumbling movement s leaps, turns, jumps ending with a dismount. Elements of difficulty must be logically distributed and the entire length of the beam must be used. Rhythm should be varied, uninterrupted and dynamic. The routine should last a maximum of 90 seconds, from the time the gymnasts feet leave the floor to the time they touch the floor on dismount. Should a gymnast fall they should resume the routine within 10 seconds.
Uneven Bars consist of two flexible, parallel horizontal bars of different heights, a maximum 1.75 m apart. The upper bar is between 2.35m and 2.4 m from the floor, the lower bar between 1.4 and 1.6 m from the floor.the routine requires a mount, swinging movements, releasing and changing of grasp over, under and between the bars, and the dismount. The routine should be continuous and no stops are allowed. Dismounts must be from a hand grasp. It is not permitted to dismount by somersaulting from the lower bar. Should a gymnast fall, they must resume the routine within 30 seconds. Floor The floor exercise is performed on a floor mat of 12m x 12m. The exercise must be varied and imaginative and display the gymnast s suppleness, grace and energy. The gymnast s feet may not go off the edge of the mat. Training Further the gymnast must display - Certainty of acrobatics turns and balance. Amplitude of movements Coordination, lightness, suppleness and relaxation General posture of body In the higher levels, the musical accompaniment must personalize the gymnast and compliment the routine. The music must not have any vocals. Training could be as little a 3 hours per week but high level gymnast's train anything from 25 hours a week perfecting the technical aspects of routines as well as strength training and improving agility, balance, flexibility and rhythm. Stretching is an important aspect of training, not only in the warm up but to improve flexibility, as increased flexibility is required in the mastery of many gymnastics routines and also improves the speed at which new skills are learned. Gymnasts also perform a variety of exercises such as jumping, leaping, tumbling, hand stands, and sprinting. Sprint training is very important for vaulting as energy for the take-off is transferred from the approach sprint and a poor sprint almost always results in a poor vault. Classical Ballet and choreography should always form part of the high level gymnast's training schedule. Nutrition Nutrition is extremely important for gymnasts to help maintain a healthy body, especially the young gymnast, for not only do they have special nutritional requirements for tissue maintenance and the additional energy needed for their sport but also for growth. Remember that most gymnasts start out very young as female gymnasts tend to peak in their late teens. (Men on the other hand tend to peak in the mid to late 20 s) As gymnastics involves short bursts of high-intensity activity, they should take in a good supply of carbohydrates to keep their muscles well fueled.
Gymnasts should also eat a wide variety of foods that provide a balance of nutrients, protein, vitamins and some fat. Fat intake should however be tightly controlled as gymnasts need to maintain a low body fat content to enable them to maintain a high strength to weight ratio. Gymnasts are strongly advised to consult Nutritionists before embarking on a specialized diet as the quest for maintaining a low body fat content can be taken to unhealthy extremes. Sadly, over the years there have been prominent gymnasts who have gone on drastic diets to limit normal weight gain and growth and have ended up with eating disorders and serious health problems. Gymnasts should take a high-carbohydrate snack about an hour prior to commencement of training or competitions. They should also take in fluids every 30 to 60 minutes during breaks to ensue that they remain sufficiently hydrated. Water or a carbohydrate energy drink should suffice. Within 30 minutes after the completion of the training session or performance, the athlete should have another high carbohydrate snack to restore energy to the muscles as well as some more fluids. This help the body recover quicker in preparation for the following days session. Mind Games A healthy mind is just as important as a health body. Gymnasts need to get adequate sleep Learning to mentally relax in a stressful situation, like a competition, can make the difference between success and failure. Remaining calm allows the gymnast to remain focused and to make quick, solid decisions. Visualisation is also a useful practice and involves mentally rehearsing the routines you will be performing in the competition setting. Create a mental picture of you competition surroundings, the arena, apparatus, crowd as if you are actually there performing it. This strategy is used by many of the top International gymnasts who, by the time they actually reach the competition, have mentally rehearsed the routines many more times than in reality. Competitions Women s artistic gymnasts compete in four disciplines namely the vaulting horse, asymmetrical bars (uneven bars), beam and floor. Male gymnasts compete in six disciplines namely the floor, pommel horse, rings, vaulting horse, parallel bars and horizontal bars. Competitions can be made up of one or more of the following titles. The team competition, individual competition and the individual apparatus finals. Scoring The highest and lowest scores of the judges are discarded and the middle remaining scores are averaged to give the recorded score. Deductions range from 0.05 to 0.5 Movements are predefined and graded in terms of difficulty. Gymnasts lose points for faults specific to the apparatus as well as general faults such as poise, posture or lack of assurance.
Local Competitions In South Africa we have recreational gymnastics competitions, i.e. low to medium level, where it is possible to compete for your Club or School then be chosen for your Province and compete at National Level. This means in Level 1, where the most basic movements occur, it is possible to become a National Champion even though you can only do handstands and cartwheels. This does not occur in most other countries in world. Recreational Gymnastics competitions in most other countries are usually limited to inter-school or inter-district. Competitions at National level are for gymnasts who have attained Olympic level only. SA - WAG - Levels 1 to 10 Olympic entry level Junior Olympics Senior Olympics Additionally in South Africa we also the Stages program which is for young tallented gymnasts and is designed to "fast track" them to Olympic level. This is a girl only program.