Gymnastics
Equipment, Floor Mats, and Apparel
WhiteRockGymnastics.com is here to provide information
about gymnastics equipment such as beams, bars, and grips as well as
gymnastics floor mats. Sections are also devoted to apparel designed
for gymnastics, such as leotards or scrunchies, headbands, and other
accessories. Please browse the many areas of our site to learn more
about these items, as well as some general info related to the sport.
Gymnastics involves performing a variety of exercises. These exercises
may be performed on parallel bars, balance beams, high bars, pommel
horse, uneven bars and still rings. There are many subsections of the
sport, including acrobatic gymnastics, aerobic gymnastics, artistic
gymnastics, display gymnastics, power tumbling and trampoline.
As a sport, gymnastics was first practiced in ancient Greece, a civilization
who valued physical prowess unlike any other. They even built large,
open spaces to accommodate training athletes, known as gymnasias. These
areas were designated for running, jumping and wrestling. Some of the
skills practiced had practical applications, including mounting and
dismounting a running horse.
The creation of the Olympics may also be attributed to the Greeks and
their valuing of athleticism. Unfortunately, during the 4th century,
Emperor Theodosius banned the Olympic Games because they had become
soiled with corruption. As a result, the popularity of gymnastics and
other sports fell to the wayside.
Centuries later, in the early 1800s, gymnastics were able to make a
comeback. This is attributed to Fredrich Ludwig Jahn’s invention
of the horizontal bar and parallel bars as strength-building equipment
for young men. The popularity of the “new” sport quickly
developed throughout the 19th century until it was finally included
in the 1896 Olympic Games. The sport was standardized in 1954, with
only a couple additions since. An example of a fairly modern addition
is the development of the women’s uneven bars.
Few other sports involve exercises which combine physical strength,
agility, and coordination to the same extent as gymnastics does. To
many people, this makes it one of the most pure, fluid and graceful
disciplines out there.
Modern gymnastics involves uneven and parallel bars, balance beams,
rings and floor exercises that test grace and flexibility. Parallel
bars have been a staple of men’s gymnastics since the late 1800s.
These elevated gymnastics bars emphasize static holds. Since the athletes
spend most of the time above the bars, upper body strength plays a vital
role in this activity.
Companies in the late 60s began to manufacture uneven bars as a separate
apparatus from the parallel bars. These gymnastics bars emphasized more
release-moves than the other kinds. Developments in the following decades
allowed the bars to be moved further apart. This increased the difficulty
of the techniques. Only women can compete in the uneven bars, and vice
versa for men on the parallel bars.
It is not recommended to practice gymnastics without the proper equipment
as the sport can be a very dangerous. Mats, appropriate clothing (including
leotards), grips (when performing on bars or rings), tape, and first
aid kits are all necessary to ensure the safety of the athlete.
Of course, good gymnastics equipment can only provide so much safety.
It is important to practice at a reputable gym with coaches that emphasize
safety above all else. Also, it is wise to get the approval of a doctor
before embarking into the world of acrobatics – and to stop immediately
if the physical activity causes any pain.