Gymnastics

To identify the physiological and anthropometric predictors of rhythmic gymnastics performance, which was defined from the total ranking score of each athlete in a national competition. Thirty-four rhythmic gymnasts were divided into 2 groups, elite (n = 15) and nonelite (n = 19), and they underwent a battery of anthropometric, physical fitness, and physiological measurements. The principal-components analysis extracted 6 components: anthropometric, flexibility, explosive strength, aerobic capacity, body dimensions, and anaerobic metabolism. These were used in a simultaneous multiple-regression procedure to determine which best explain the variance in rhythmic gymnastics performance. Based on the principal-component analysis, the anthropometric component explained 45% of the total variance, flexibility 12.1%, explosive strength 9.2%, aerobic capacity 7.4%, body dimensions 6.8%, and anaerobic metabolism 4.6%. Components of anthropometric (r = .50) and aerobic capacity (r = .49) were ...

Gymnasts are known to practice and compete although suffering from injuries and pain. Pain may change strategies for postural control. The primary aim of the present study was to investigate how center of pressure (COP) measurements are influenced by low back pain and lower extremity injury in top-level female gymnasts. A secondary aim was to study the reliability of these measurements using a test-retest design, and how this depends on the duration of the test. Fifty-seven top-level gymnasts were included in four groups: non-injured (NI, n=18), low back pain (LBP, n=11), lower extremity injury (LEI, n=17) and a multiple injury group (MI, n=11). COP excursion during quiet stance was measured on a force platform, during 120s: (1) hard surface/eyes open, (2) hard surface/eyes closed, (3) foam surface/eyes open and (4) foam surface/eyes closed. The COP excursion increased, for all groups, during the foam surface/eyes closed measurement compared to the other three tests. Furthermore, the LBP group showed a 49% (p=0.01) larger COP area compared to the LEI group in the foam surface/eyes closed condition. Measurements on foam surface were in general more reliable than tests on hard surface and tests with eyes closed were more reliable than tests with eyes open. Tests during 120s were in most cases more reliable than tests during 60s. In conclusion the COP excursion is influenced by injury location. Quiet stance measurements on foam surface with eyes closed seems to be reliable and sensitive in young female gymnasts.

Studies regarding ankle and foot overuse injuries are quite diverse in research methodology, data reporting, and outcomes. The aims of this systematic review were to analyze the methodology of published studies regarding ankle and foot overuse injuries in different sports disciplines and to summarize epidemiological data of ankle and foot overuse injuries. Four electronic databases, PubMed (MEDLINE), EMBASE, CINAHL, and SPORTDiscus(®) were systematically searched up to June 2011. A total of 89 articles on 23 sports disciplines were included in this review. Soccer, running, and gymnastics were the most frequently studied sports. Achilles tendinopathy, plantar fasciitis, and stress fracture were the most frequently studied injuries. Study design and reporting methods were heterogeneous. Most studies suffered from a weak methodology and poor reporting. The most common weaknesses were lack of a clear case definition, describing assessment procedures and reporting sample characteristics....

The aim of this study was to investigate the body composition and dietary intake of competitive club-level rhythmic gymnasts, who represent the larger cohort of the sport's practitioners. Fifty-five rhythmic gymnasts and 55 nonathlete females (13-19 years of age) were seen individually to collect a dietary recall and to take anthropometric data and bioelectric-impedance analysis. Gymnasts had lower body-mass index and lesser skinfold thickness, although middle arm-muscle circumference was similar in the 2 groups. Gymnasts had lower body-fat measures but normal levels of fat-free mass (FFM) and body-cellular mass. Gymnasts had better dietary habits than the age-matched controls. Low levels of calcium, phosphorous, iron, and zinc and a disparity between reported energy intake and estimated energy requirement were observed in both groups.

Authors illustrate the evolution of the physiological profile of gymnasts over the past 40 years. Gymnasts are demonstrating increased anaerobic power. Maximal power output measured by the Wingate test in high level male gymnasts is currently between 12 and 14 W x kg(-1). Female gymnasts show maximal power between 10 and 12 W x kg(-1). In spite of an increase in the number of training hours, they have a low aerobic aptitude. It is still adequate and sufficient for their practice. Maximal heart rate values measured during gymnastic exercises have mirrored technical and acrobatic demands of increasing difficulty. Currently, exercise heart rates exceed 190 beat x min(-1) as compared to 135 to 151 beat x min(-1) in the seventies. Measurement of higher blood lactate values suggests that anaerobic glycolysis has increased in importance. Glycolytic contributions differ between apparatuses. Data from energy cost studies demonstrate that gymnastics energy demands are greater now than in the ...

O presente estudo levanta uma discussão sobre a formação do profissional de Ginástica Artística. Foram entrevistados 36 profissionais que atuam na modalidade em diferentes instituições, que opinaram sobre a implantação de um “Programa de Formação para Profissionais de Ginástica Artística no Brasil”. Pela análise de conteúdo
dos comentários a maioria mostrou-se favorável à implantação de um programa, e justificou-se amparada na perspectiva de progresso na carreira e na abordagem de objetivos mais específicos do que aqueles existentes nos cursos de graduação. A formação específica parece ser uma necessidade emergente, pois a necessidade de conhecimento para atuar na Ginástica Artística, em qualquer nível, é cada vez mais evidente.

The CARE Curriculum in Physical Education and Sport is a holistic model of learning which encompasses Cognitive, Active, Relational and Emotional domains of development. Across the sixteen chapters, PE teachers and Coaches are guided through the inner workings of the CARE Curriculum: its theoretical and practical applications for learning. Interactive reflection is encouraged throughout the book, with constructive lesson examples and user-friendly methods of recording progress are provided. Equipped with new ideas for planning learning activities, the reader is encouraged to shape their own ideas into a personalised plan of education that is informed by the CARE Curriculum concept.

Introduction: The CARE Curriculum is an educational system that operates using physical activities and challenges to develop all an individual’s learning domains – that is the Cognitive, Active, Relational and Emotional areas of learning. Its focus is on supporting everyone, whether children or adults to become well rounded, good people, with transferable life skills that can be used in any future sporting, education or employment area. The CARE ethos is best summed up as being a way to help people with their ‘thinking’, ’doing’, ‘sharing’ and ‘feeling’ skills. 

Available at:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/CARE-Curriculum-Physical-Education-Sport/dp/0995574464/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=The+CARE+Curriculum&qid=1639005947&sr=8-2

High-load coordination dynamics were measured in athletes, physiotherapists, gymnasts, musicians, patients with spinal cord injury and a patient with multiple sclerosis during exercise on a special coordination dynamic therapy device to quantify improvement in the central nervous system (CNS) organization due to therapy in patients and to quantify differences in the CNS organization between healthy subjects and patients with CNS injury. The values of high-load coordination dynamics for the group of athletes were two times better than those of physiotherapists, gymnasts and musicians, but still two times poorer than the best value achieved so far in a patient with a spinal cord injury after 10 months of continuous intensive coordination dynamics therapy. Especially the physiotherapists, gymnasts and musicians had poor coordination between arms and legs for the difficult intermediate coordinations between pace and trot gait for high load. Exhaustion of the CNS and improvement of CNS f...

Este artículo reflexiona sobre la relación entre cultura física y cuerpo femenino durante las primeras décadas del siglo XX en Argentina. El objetivo es mostrar cómo se cruzan diferentes sensibilidades femeninas a favor del cuerpo bello, a través de las prácticas de gimnasia y deporte. Para ello, se indagan las representaciones que los textos y la iconografía construyeron en la prensa ilustrada sobre la experiencia del ejercicio femenino. Se concluye que la relación propuesta resulta un lugar complejo de construcciones simbólicas en el que se cruzan visiones médico-científicas, hábitos y  comportamientos, ritos de moralidad y virtud, cánones estéticos y de moda, imaginarios y representaciones sociales alrededor de la mujer.

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This article reflects on the relationship between physical culture and the female body during the first decades of the 20th century in Argentina. The objective is to show how different feminine sensitivities intersect in favor of the beautiful body, through the practices of gymnastics and sports. For this purpose, it explores the representations constructed through texts and iconography in the illustrated press regarding the
experience of exercise among women. It concludes that the proposed relationship turns out to be a complex
site of symbolic constructions in which medical-scientific visions intersect with habits and behaviors, rites of morality and virtue, aesthetic canons, imaginaries and social representations revolving around women.

This article presents biographical overviews and details of the sporting careers of cousins Alfred and Gustav Flatow, one of the greatest gymnasts in the history of modern era German sport, born in Danzig and Berent (nowadays Gdańsk and Kościerzyna). At a young age, the athletes proved that – owing to their determination and hard work – it was possible to qualify for the national team and partake at the Olympic Games, and then show the world their extraordinary skills, thus demonstrating the German gymnastic power. Although they spent the last years of their lives in the Netherlands, where they emigrated, today they are considered to be the undisputed victims of the Nazi genocide among Jewish-German Olympic gymnasts. In recent years, in both Poland and Germany, they have been commemorated in different ways.

O artigo tem como objetivo analisar as influências que envolveram a criação do Método Natural de Georges Hébert e discutir sobre seus princípios. O Guide Pratique d'Éducation Physique (1909) é a fonte selecionada e a discussão historiográfica tem contribuição de autores como Philippe-Meden (2017), Froissart e Saint-Martin (2014). O recorte inicial marca sua primeira publicação e o final, o encerramento das atividades do Collège d'athlètes. Hébert idealizou um método para a formação dos fuzileiros navais da Marinha francesa e seu reconhecimento ultrapassou as fronteiras nacionais. Ele propunha o desenvolvimento orgânico harmônico por meio do grupo de dez exercícios que, praticados ao ar livre e em desnudamento, desenvolveriam força, coragem e sangue frio. Palavras-chave: Ginástica francesa; Método natural; Georges Hébert; Guia prático.

هدف البحث إلى تحديد العلاقة بين بعض القدرات الحسية الخاصة للذراعين ومساهمتها في أداء بعض المهارات في الجمناستك الإيقاعي ، وافترض الباحثان عدم وجود علاقة ارتباط معنوية بين بعض القدرات الحسية الخاصة للذراعين وبالتالي تتباين مساهمتها في الأداء المهاري للجمناستك الإيقاعي .
قام الباحثان بأجراء اختبارات القدرات الحسية الخاصة للذراعين والتي تحددت في (اختبار الإحساس بالقوة العضلية ،اختبار التردد الحركي ، إحساس الذراع بالاتجاه) واختبارات المهارات (المرجحات ،الرمي والاستلام، تدوير الأداة من مفصل الساعد والرسغ) بالأدوات (الشريط ، الشاخص ،الطوق).
وقد طبقت هذه الاختبارات على عينة من طالبات المرحلة الرابعة في كلية التربية الرياضية للبنات والبالغ عددها (30) طالبة للعام الدراسي 2011-2012 ، وبعد معالجة بيانات البحث فقد ظهرت علاقة ارتباط معنوية بين القدرات الحسية قيد البحث والأداء وبالتالي فأنها تساهم في الأداء المهاري بما يمكننا من استنباط معادلات تنبؤية يمكن في ضوئها تقدير قيم الأداء المهاري بدلالة تلك القدرات

Scholars have long kept a close watch on the Olympic Games in terms of gender equality. Olympic media coverage has been a popular topic of inquiry, as media portrayals can have powerful impacts on society. While much research exists on the portrayals of male and female athletes, few studies have examined coverage of both genders in a sport deemed female appropriate. Based on framing theory, this study sought to qualitatively examine portrayals of male and female gymnasts in US newspapers during the 2012 Olympic Games to determine what differences existed between the media frames of each gender and whether traditional gender stereotypes were depicted. The findings illustrated three common themes in coverage of both males and females, but the frames used to convey these themes were markedly different based on gender. The implications of this research and ideas for future scholarly inquiry are included in the discussion and conclusion.

هدف البحث
يهدف البحث لدراسة بعض الخصائص البيوميكانيكية لمهارة الدورتين الهوائيتين الخلفيتين المتكورتين للارتكاز العضدي (موريس) على جهاز المتوازيين وذلك من خلال التعرف على ما يلي:
• المتغيرات البايوميكانيكية العامة
• المتغيرات الكينماتيكية الخطية.
• المتغيرات الكينماتيكية الزاوية
• المتغيرات الكيناتيكية الخطية.
• المتغيرات الكيناتيكية الزاوية.
منهج البحث
استخدم الباحث المنهج الوصفي (الدراسة التحليلية) باستخدام نمط دراسة الحالة وذلك لمناسبته وطبيعة البحث.
مجتمع البحث
لاعبي المنتخب الألماني للجمباز الفني رجال.
عينة البحث
      تم انتقاء أفضل لاعبي المنتخب الألماني على جهاز المتوازي والمرشح للبطولة الأوروبية بجلاسكو بإسكتلندا وتم التأكد من صلاحية التصوير للتحليل الحركي من خلال عرضه على عدد من الخبراء في مجال التحليل الحركي للتأكد من صلاحيته للتحليل قبل البدء في إجراءات البحث.
استنتاجات البحث
في ضوء التحليل البايوميكانيكي للمهارة قيد البحث وما توصل اليه الباحث من عرض للنتائج ومناقشتها توصل الباحث الاستنتاجات التالية:
• التحليل الزمن لمهارة موريس يظهر أن زمن الدورة الهوائية الأولى أكبر من زمن الدورة الهوائية الثانية.
• اقصى ارتفاع حققه اللاعب اثناء التحرر من عارضتي المتوازي هو 56سم.
• يحتاج لاعب الجمباز الارتفاع 56سم عن عارضة المتوازي لإتمام دورتين هوائيتين متكورتين والعودة للاتصال بعارضتي المتوازي.
• يحتاج اللاعب لتمرينات الاتزان الديناميكي نظراً لتزايد قيم القوة المحصلة وكمية الحركة الخطية والزاوية وكذلك زيادة تسارع اللاعب والسرعة الزاوية في المرحلة التمهيدية حتى يتمكن من السيطرة على أجزاء جسمه اثناء الاتصال بعارضتي المتوازي.
• زاوية مفصل الكتف لحظة التحرر من عارضتي المتوازي كانت 38°درجة.
• زاوية مفصل الفخذ لحظة التحرر من عارضتي المتوازي 97° درجة.
• زمن الانتقال من وضع المستقيم لوضع التكور لحظة التحرر يحتاج زمن أكبر من زمن الانتقال من وضع التكور لوضع المستقيم لحظة العودة من التحرر للاتصال بعارضتي المتوازي في الأداء المهاري لمهارة موريس.
• القوة المحصلة المبذولة من الجسم لحظة التحرر بلغت 1188نيوتن.

The aim of this study was to establish a more precise jumping performance profile of elite gymnasts than that published in previous studies. Seventy-six elite male and female competitive gymnasts and 91 moderately active subjects volunteered for the study. The jumping tests performed on a contact mat were: squat jump (SJ) with progressive loads of 0%, 25%, 50 %, 75% and 100% of body mass, counter-movement jump (CMJ), and counter-movement jump with arm swing (CMJA). The parameters used to assess the jumping performance were flight time (FT, ms), FT normalized to body mass (FTbm, ms/kg), estimated elastic component (EC) and arm participation (AP). In SJ, the overload with respect to body mass had a negative impact on reliability in all of the subgroups that were analysed. When overloads were above 50% of body mass in SJ, reliability was poor. Therefore, overloads should not be used with sedentary young females. Gymnasts carry out a large number of jumps from very young ages, which may...

This chapter discusses the bodily aesthetic and symbolism performed in men’s and women’s artistic gymnastics. Notions of gymnastic conduct, discipline, and respect for both opposition, coaches and judges, contribute to formal competition protocol, all helping to defi ne the visual spectacle that is artistic gymnastics in the modern-day era. However, much of this aesthetic material stems from a bygone age in the activity of gymnastics. That is to highlight that gymnastics has been deployed for significantly different reasons by numerous adopting countries and communities in its long history. These aesthetic features of being a gymnast and performing gymnastics may be understood as surface, traditional aspects of what defines artistic gymnastics, as compared to, say, athletics or swimming. For example, the actions of marching, saluting, presenting and signalling a performer’s readiness to perform are the more obvious features of the display that viewers may recognize, and these will be explored in this chapter. This is as a means to appreciating the deeper, more socially entrenched aesthetic of performance traditionally associated with gymnastics, features such as control, balance, strength and flexibility in well-defi ned actions. Nuanced body shape, gesture and accenting within a given performance are also aesthetic details, or personal performance attributes, that are brought to the fore when gymnasts demonstrate their ability to execute the formally recognized and graded actions within the rules of artistic gymnastics. These ‘extra’ performance attributes can reveal aspects of identity (national and/or personal), which may influence the judges and sway an audience but in ways clearly beyond the rules. While this chapter cannot account for the personal aesthetic choices of the judging panel at major gymnastics competitions, it does explore some examples of cultural aesthetics in artistic gymnastics from the point of view of its heritage, bodily performance and the varied interpretation of the rules, as a comment upon the use of symbolism performed through the body on the international sporting stage.

The historiography of Zionism marks two pivotal moments in the relationship between sports and Zionism: Max Nordau’s ‘Muscular Judaism’ speech at the second Zionist Congress, and the establishment of the first Maccabi club in Palestine in 1906. In contrast to this common research assumption, I argue that the cultural and social significance of sport in the yishuv began only after the First World War. Based on recent historical writing on sports, which emphasizes the rapid globalization of modern sports during the interwar period, I show that sports, with their primary focus on competition, were a dramatic deviation from the notions and ideas of physical culture (primarily gymnastics) that were
common in pre-war Hebrew culture. Thus, through a discussion of the inception of modern sports in Palestine, the article provides and new historical base for the study of Jewish sport in Palestine that joins a growing literature that seeks to analyze Zionism and Hebrew culture in a broader historical context than the isolated and limited ‘Jewish perspective’ of classical Zionist historiography.

Overweight among children is becoming more and more serious problem worldwide. The maintenance of a normal weight depends on diet and physical activity. One of the few sports which children from pre-school and primary school can practise is artistic gymnastics. The aim of this study was to assess the diet along with the physical development of pre-school and young school children practising artistic gymnastics. In the study took part 38 young gymnasts aged between 4 and 12 years. Anthropometric parameters were measured and the physical development was estimated by specialised software of the World Health Organisation. The Z-score and percentile score for each variable were calculated. The daily intake of protein, carbohydrates and fat, and the total energy intake were calculated based on a nutrition questionnaire adapted especially for children. The results showed that the protein intake was higher and the carbohydrates and fat were lower in comparison with the national population s...

Fshati Majac shtrihet në pjesën jugore të komunës së Podujevës, në dimensionin në rrafsh ka sipërfaqe 14.30 km 2 , dhe gjatësi të vijës kufitare 21.20 km. Edhe pse është fshat i komunës së Podujevës ka largësi përafërsisht të njëjtë ndërmjet dy qendrave urbane Prishtinës dhe Podujevës. Në anën perëndimore kufizohet me komunën e Vushtrrisë(Dumnicë e Epërme) dhe komunën e Obiliqit(Breznicë), ndërsa anët e tjera me vendbanimet e komunës së Podujevës: Lupç i Poshtëm, Sallabajë, Godishnjak, Penuhë, Konushefcë, Buricë dhe Lupç i Epërm.Shtrihet prej 42 o 47'44'' deri 42 o 50'58'' të gj.gj.v. dhe 21 o 5'50'' deri 21 o 9'25'' të gj.gj.l. Gjatësia jug-veri është 6.06 km, ndërsa perëndim-lindje është 3.6 km. Sipas regjistrimit të bërë në vitin 2011 nga ASK-së në këtë fshat jetojnë 1622 banorë. Relievi është një faktorë me rëndësi mjaft të madhe për çdo hapësirë. Në mënyrë të tërthortë relievi me lartësitë dhe format e tij ndikon në krijimin e rrethanave specifike (kushteve natyrore) klimatike, hidrografike, bimore e shtazore. Për sa i përket morfologjisë ky fshat i takon masivit malor të Kopaunikut, ndërsa formatrelievore kanë trajtë të valëzuar, me forma ngritura në pjesën perëndimore dhe lindore ndërsa gjatë luginës së lumit është kryesisht fushë. Lartësia mbi nivelin e detit është prej 560 – 850 metra, që shumica e banorëve të këtij fshati jetojnë në lartësinë mbidetare prej 600-700 metra. Shtrirja e madhe e banimit në këtë lartësi mbidetare është bërë si shkak i kushteve më të volitshme për jetës sesa pjesët e tjera të ngritura të relievit. Për shkak të pozitës gjeografike, lartësisë mbidetare, dhe relievit si faktor përcaktues klimatik ky fshat disponon klimë kontinentale. Në përgjithësi karakterizohet me dimra të ftohët ku temperatura mesatare e kësaj stinë është-0.4 o C dhe reshje 180 mm ndërsa vera në përgjithësi është e nxehtë me mungesë të reshjeve sidomos në muajin gusht me temperatura mesatare shumëvjeçare 19.3 o C. Vlerat mesatare vjetore të temperaturave lëkunden nga 9-10 o C, ajo e muajit më të ftohtë, janarit, arrin –1 o C deri –2 o C dhe ajo e muajit më të nxehtë, korriku e gushti 20 o C-20.7 o C. Vlen të theksohet se rolin morfologjik më të rëndësishëm e luajnë vlerat e temperaturave ekstreme, pra maksimumet dhe minimumet absolute të tyre, të cilat në këtë zonë arrijnë –27.2 o C (janari) dhe 37 o C (korriku), duke u karakterizuar kështu nga një amplitudë prej 64.2 o C. Lumi kryesor që kalon në këtë fshat është ai i Kaçandollit i cili ka gjatësi 33km që buron në Kaçandoll dhe derdhet ne lumin Llap që i takon pellgut të Detit të Zi. Reshjet atmosferike si element me shumë rëndësi hidrografike, në këtë regjion paraqiten me 700 mm në vit. Tokat kryesore të cilat paraqiten në këtë fshat janë: aluviale, deluviale, tokë e kuqërremt, tokë kafeje, rendzina etj. Për sa i përket bonitetit si toka të cilësisë së mirë llogariten të jenë tokat aluviale dhe deluvial që i takojnë kategorisë së tretë dhe katërt. Trajtimi i tokave ka rëndësi pedologjike Pozita Gjeografike Harta e Relievit

The rings are one of the six apparatuses in men's artistic gymnastics. The final element in a rings' routine is in many cases a crucial skill for scoring the routine. Most of the medallists on rings from the Olympic Games and World Championships for the last 20 years performed either the double back straight somersault or the double back straight somersault with a full twist. The purpose of this study was to conduct a kinematic analysis of double back straight somersault and double back straight somersault with a full twist on rings. The participants selected for this study were the world-class gymnasts Filip Yanev and Jordan Jovchev. The dismounts were recorded with a DV camera by following a standard method of kinematic analysis. During the execution phase, the ankle speed of Gymnast 1 reached 11.11 m/s and that of Gymnast 2 was 11.29 m/s, and the angular velocity increased substantially to 10.0 rad/s and 9.05 rad/s for Gymnast 1 and 2, respectively. The rotational impulse...

This paper initiates discussion and critique of teaching and curriculum relating to English and Pakistani primary-school-physicaleducation practices and their implications on school health. In most English primary schools, PE is co-educational. Students do
athletics, dance, games, gymnastics and swimming. Majority has PE kit, but a significant minority has students undress to underwear.
In Pakistan, most public sector schools have single-gender PE, which is not the case in private schools. Main activities include games
and athletics. On PE days, students wear PE kit. They attend classes in the same outfit. We recommend gender-segregated PE starting
from class one after clearing pre-participation-head-to-toe-physical examination. End-of-the-term evaluation should integrate
unclothed-physical examination with fitness testing. Tests should evaluate health- as well as skill-related fitness. Developmentally
appropriate curricula should consist of guarded-graduated training routines, enhancing body image. Students must wear activityappropriate clothing and shoes. Gymnastics should be done barefoot with boys stripped-to-waist in briefs or figure hugging half-pants,
covering knees; girls stripped-to-waist in panties (knickers) or leotard (with stockings, if desired). Exercises and diet-plans to increase
height and reduce/gain weight are suggested. Health issues taken up are obesity due to inactivity, vitamin-D deficiency owing to
reduced exposure of skin to sunshine and bone damage attributed to wet clothing worn. Remedial measures are proposed.

This work is an in-depth study of what I wrote in Wikipedia Italy and in Wushu’s Dictionary on Facebook. The complex variety of Bāduànjǐn emerges only partially. I will focus mainly on "Eight Pieces of Standing Brocade". I hope to clarify some controversial aspects such as the division into civil and martial. The text is accompanied by numerous images. I will try not to report the usual stories that are usually used to justify the origin.

In the early 1800s, Peter Henry Ling (also known as Per Henrik Ling) was perhaps the first to notice what numerous others pioneers of physiotherapy have already observed in the past centuries: massage and physical exercises are critical for healing many chronic and acute forms of pain. Even in some way controversial, Ling is widely considered the "Father of Massage". Like many massage therapists and body workers today, he used his own knowledge and experience with pain and injury to craft methods and techniques that shaped the basis of his practice and, ultimately, of massage itself.

Gymnastics is a sport well-known to be rife with injuries. In Canada, where citizens rely on a public health care system for support of long-term injuries, early exposure to injury risk is contrary to the public good. To address this issue, the author explores different models of risk prevention in gymnastics, focusing on scoring, training, coaching and safety equipment.

This article discusses the aesthetic heritage of gymnastics in Olympic competition. It will identify some of the aesthetic features emerging from cultural exercise and cultural sport generally, which in turn may constitute a concept of “gymnastics”. The article highlights the political, social and religious pressures on the use of sport and exercise through time which has seemingly contributed to the notion of aesthetic evaluation in gymnastics. Aesthetic features of Men’s Artistic Gymnastics in the Modern Olympic Games are identifiable, seemingly stemming directly from its historical descendants at the Ancient Olympics. There are also major aesthetic milestones in the history of gymnastics, post the Games of Antiquity, which may guide us towards an aesthetic evaluation within the modern day sport. A culture’s history informs its stock of knowledge to evaluate quality in its sporting products. When this history is so diverse and clouded with political and social compromise how might a shared notion of quality emerge from judges and the viewing public as to who is the best gymnast at a given Olympic competition? This paper strives to shed some light upon the aesthetic heritage of gymnastics in order that we might understand, appreciate and evaluate gymnastic products at the Olympics as distinctive and valuable, and culturally-bound contributions to international sport.