You might imagine women pulling off tricks on balance beams or men pulling off incredible feats on stationary rings when you think of gymnastics games, but did you realise that these routines only represent one of the seven different forms of gymnastics? Physical stamina, flexibility, power, agility, coordination, elegance, balance, and control are all important components of the sport. 

The most well-known of the various gymnastics disciplines is competitive artistic gymnastics, but rhythmic gymnastics and aerobic gymnastics have also grown significantly in popularity. Through this article, our experts will help you understand the different types of gymnastics games and their benefits. So, keep reading!!

What Is Gymnastics?

The sport of gymnastics combines quickness, strength, endurance, and flexibility. Acrobatic manoeuvres including jumps, flips, and spins are performed by athletes in several events to display their capabilities. There are currently three categories of gymnastics games: trampoline, artistic, and rhythmic. Six athletes, often known as gymnasts, make up a gymnastics team at the Olympic level. Gymnasts compete in events known as meets for both individual and team medals, even though most gymnastics is done individually.

History Of Gymnastics Games

Ancient cultures practised strength and acrobatic workouts before they invented gymnastics games. The Greek words "gymnos" and "gymnazo," which roughly translate to "train, exercise," are where the name gymnastics originates.

Gymnastics is regarded as having its great-grandfather in the German educator and teacher Johann Christoph Friedrich Gutsmuths. He released a book in 1793 called "Gymnastics for Youth: or a Practical Guide to Healthful and Amusing Exercises for the Use of Schools," which was eventually translated into English.

The inventor of gymnastics games, Friedrich Ludwig Jahn, is a fellow German. In the early 1800s, he served in the Prussian army. He developed the concept of boosting morale through the practice of gymnastics games after a battle in which the Prussian army was routed. In 1811, he inaugurated the first Turnplatz or outdoor gym. This gym had rings, parallel bars, and high bar exercises.

Early training was primarily concerned with physical fitness and health.

Type Of Gymnastics Games

People performing flips on a 4-inch-wide beam, bodies crashing over the floor, or guys performing amazing strength feats on the rings might come to mind when you think about gymnastics games. However, those pictures only show a small portion of the numerous, broadly categorised gymnastics disciplines. In reality, there are seven recognised categories in gymnastics games. Take a peek at them now:

1. Women's Artistic Gymnastics

Women's artistic gymnastics is the discipline that draws the most participants and is generally the most well-known. It's also one of the first Olympic Games tickets to sell out.

Events: Women's artistic gymnastics features four apparatus for competition (vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise).

Competition: The Olympic competition consists of:

  • Team: There is a team of five athletes. (That will reduce to just four in the future.) Each event in the preliminary round features four participants, and the best three results count. Each event has three competitors in the finals, and each athlete's score counts toward the team total.
  • Individual all-around: Athletes participate in all four events, and their combined scores are tallied.
  • Individual events: Each apparatus displays the name of the event winner.

2. Men’s Artistic Gymnastics

The oldest form of gymnastics, it is also the second most popular one in the country.

Events: The six apparatus used for men's competitions are the floor exercise, pommel horse, still rings, vault, parallel bars, and horizontal bar (usually called high bar).

Competition: Similar to women's artistic gymnastics, the Olympic tournament features a team, all-around, and individual events competition. The men compete in their six events, while the women compete in their four events. This is the only distinction.

3. Rhythmic Gymnastics

Gymnasts use a variety of apparatus to execute jumps, tosses, leaps, and other manoeuvres during rhythmic gymnastics. The Olympics presently only allow women to compete in this sport.

Events: Five main pieces of equipment are used by competitors: rope, hoop, ball, clubs, and ribbon. The lowest levels of competition also include an event for floor exercises.

Competition: Olympic events that rhythmic gymnasts compete in include:

  • Individual all-around: Four out of the five events are competed in by the athlete, and the overall score is added.
  • Individual events: On each of the four pieces of equipment that is currently being used, a gymnast has crowned the champion.
  • Group competition: There are two routines in which five gymnasts compete. Every athlete participates in the same routine using the same equipment. The gymnasts use two different pieces of apparatus in the second sequence.

4. Trampoline

Gymnasts in trampoline gymnastics execute high-flying flips and twists with each bounce. For the Summer Olympics of 2000, this was included as a discipline. So that trampolinists could be added to the gymnastics quota, the number of team members on artistic teams was cut from seven to six.

Events: In the Olympic contests, a mandatory and an optional routine are done. Each one is performed on the same kind of trampoline and consists of ten feats. Although they are not Olympic sports, double mini (in which gymnasts use a smaller, two-level trampoline) and synchronised (in which two athletes execute simultaneously on separate trampolines) are competitive events in the United States.

Competition: There is an individual event for both men and women in trampoline gymnastics. There is a qualification event to advance to the medal round, although the results are not carried over.

5. Tumbling

The runway used for power tumbling is much springier than the floor workout mat used for artistic gymnastics. Because it has a spring, athletes can do a series of flips and twists that are very hard to do.

Events: The same strip is used for all of the tumbling. At each competition level, the gymnast does two passes with eight elements each.

Competition: Although tumbling is not an Olympic sport, it is a part of the American Junior Olympic programme and is also contested globally.

6. Acrobatic Gymnastics

The athletes themselves are the apparatus in acrobatic gymnastics. A team of two to four gymnasts alternately toss and catch their colleagues while performing various handstands, holds, and balances on each other.

Events: On the same floor workout mat, acrobatics are always practised. Men's pairs, women's pairs, mixed pairs, women's groups (three gymnasts), and men's groups are the events that are being competed in (four gymnasts).

Competition: Although acrobatic gymnastics is not an Olympic sport, it is an international sport that is also a part of the U.S. Junior Olympic programme.

7. Group Gymnastics

TeamGym is the common name for group gymnastics competitions in the United States. A team of six to sixteen gymnasts competes against each other in TeamGym. The group could be mixed, all-male, or all-female.

Events: In the US, competitors in TeamGym participate in the group floor exercise and the group jump event (shows in tumbling, vaulting, and mini-trampoline).

Competition: Although TeamGym is not an Olympic sport, it is played in invitational meets as well as local, regional, national, and international events in the United States and overseas.

Conclusion

So, this was all about the different gymnastics games played around the world. Sport is an excellent way to stay fit. However, it is a difficult sport to play, and hence all care must be taken. We advise our readers to purchase the best gymnastic equipment for a healthy game.

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