Floor Gymnastics is an Exercise Done on the Floor, Know the Movements and Benefits

Kapanlagi.com - Gymnastics floor exercise is a popular sport in the world, including Indonesia. As the name suggests, floor exercise is a gymnastics sport performed on the floor. In Indonesia, floor exercise is included in the curriculum of physical education and health. It is taught in almost every level of school education.

In addition, floor exercise often appears as a competitive sport. Floor exercise is also considered a practical sport as it can be easily done. Basically, floor exercise involves various movements such as jumping, leaping, rolling, rotating, and so on.

Like any other sport, floor exercise brings many benefits to the body. To better understand what floor exercise is, here is a summary compiled from various sources.

1. Understanding the History of Floor Gymnastics

(credit: freepik)

The exact origins of floor gymnastics are not known, but it is believed to have existed since ancient Greece. Floor gymnastics became popular worldwide in the 20th century.

Meanwhile, the first introduction of gymnastics was by Germany. German gymnastics consisted of various movements rich in educational tools. In 1916, a new version called Swedish gymnastics emerged. The floor gymnastics method is believed to have been discovered by a health officer, Dr. H. F. Minkema, from the Netherlands.

In Indonesia, floor gymnastics is estimated to have been introduced around 1912 during the Dutch colonial period. At that time, floor gymnastics was introduced alongside the establishment of physical fitness education in schools.

As time went on, floor gymnastics became increasingly popular. An organization called PERSANI (Indonesian Gymnastics Association) was established with the aim of nurturing talented gymnasts. It was officially inaugurated on July 4, 1963. In 1964, Indonesia participated for the first time in GANEFO I (Games of the New Emerging Forces), an international floor gymnastics competition.

2. Benefits of Floor Exercise

Floor exercise is a sport that will test and train physical strength. Like other sports, floor exercise also provides a number of benefits. The benefits of floor exercise are as follows.

1. Strengthening the muscles of the arms, legs, thighs, waist, abdomen, chest, and other parts.

2. Training balance and physical strength.

3. Improving body movement agility.

4. Can straighten bent body parts or correct improper body parts.

5. Improving focus and concentration.

6. Burning fat.

7. Stabilizing heart performance.

8. Promoting blood circulation.

9. Losing weight.

3. Some Floor Exercise Movements

(credit: freepik)

As mentioned earlier, floor exercise is a gymnastics sport performed with various movements. Some of the floor exercise movements are as follows.

1. Kayang
Kayang is a floor exercise movement performed by positioning both hands and feet as support on the mat. With the body positioned upwards, then stretch the hips and abdomen so that the body posture forms an upward curve.

2. Forward Roll
Forward roll is one of the floor exercise movements performed by rolling forwards, in the order of neck, back, waist, and back hips. Forward roll can be done with an initial position, first with a squatting position, or second with a standing position.

3. Backward Roll
In contrast to the forward roll, the backward roll is a floor exercise movement performed by rolling backwards. The backward roll is done by passing through the back parts of the body starting from the back shoulder, back hip, back spine, and back neck.

4. Candlestick Position
The candlestick position is one of the simple floor exercise movements. The candlestick position is done by stretching the legs upwards and positioning the head below. Then, using the upper back as support, and the elbows and hands are used to support the hips.

4. Things to Consider When Doing Floor Gymnastics

(credit: freepik)

Floor gymnastics is a sport that requires a lot of physical ability. It's not just about strength, but also endurance and flexibility. In fact, if not done carefully, floor gymnastics can cause serious injuries. Therefore, when doing floor gymnastics, there are several things that need to be considered, including the following.

1. Always use a mat for safety when performing floor gymnastics movements.

2. Place the mat on a flat surface.

3. Make sure the mat is properly positioned.

4. Make sure there are no objects that can be dangerous when landing around the mat.

5. Warm up before doing floor gymnastics.

6. Start with basic movements or techniques, then progress to intermediate and advanced techniques.

7. When doing floor gymnastics, it is best to be supervised by a knowledgeable and experienced teacher or coach.

Those are some of the considerations for floor gymnastics, which train strength, agility, and body balance. Hopefully, this information is useful and can broaden your knowledge.

(kpl/psp)