Ancient Greek Sports - Term Paper Example

Introduction The Greek philosophy considered a human body as a sanctuary of mind and soul and consequently believed that physical training should promote physical and intellectual health, development of intellectual and spiritual sphere. Men of the Ancient Greece gathered in gymnasiums, centers of physical training of that time, not only for sports, but also for discussion of art, literature and philosophy. They aspired to find the balance between educated mind and physical strength, combining physical exercises with intellectual tasks. Numerous Greek philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle and the poet Homer defended the importance of physical training as a way to strengthen both body and mind. So we see that ancient Greeks did not separate the system of physical training from the system of general pedagogic, intellectual and spiritual education. The fact that plenty of modern sports terminology originating in the antique state proves that ancient Greeks significantly contributed to the development of sports and physical training. In many respects a necessity to have excellent degree of fitness was determined by the constant wars fought by the Ancient Greece and a necessity to have a strong army and courageous people, capable to repulse attacks of any enemies. Later many militarist states will try to inherit the model of ancient Hellas sports education. Physical training in the Ancient Greece was of different types. There were sport games, which included exercises for development of dexterity and strength. The other type was a kind of military sports, which mostly was represented by various kinds of single combat. They included pentathlon (stadion, which is a short foot race, wrestling, javelin throw, discus throw and jump), gymnastics, pankration and pygme pyx (Greek bare knuckle boxing). Trainings were conducted not chaotically, but on regularly basis at a fixed time. The norms of physical activities were formed. Alternatively they trained different groups of muscles. Some extreme conditions were sometimes simulated. In process of development from boyhood to manhood physical activities increased. Races As for the races it is known that the popular distance was one stadion (192, 27 meters). ‘The term stadion originally denoted an ancient unit of measurement: one stadion was 6oo ancient feet. The race of that distance acquired the same name; its modern equivalent is the 2oo-meter sprint’1. The path has been strewed by a layer of sand, participants ran in group and barefoot. The path has been strewed by a layer of sand, participants ran in group and barefoot. In 724 they have also included diaulos consisted of two stadia (a distance of 384, 54 meters), then dolichos. ‘The dolichos, or long race, was added to the Olympic program in 720 B.C. Its length varied from seven to 24 stadia (1.3 to 4.6 km)’2. In due course has appeared Lampadadromia. These were relay races run at night using lighted torches. Typically, six to eight runners made a team. The races not only required skill in exchanging the torches but also in keeping them lighted, for if the torch went out, that team lost’3. A race was the basic discipline of preparation of soldiers. When looking at results the attention was mostly paid to the speed. But Greeks appreciated both dexterity and strength of muscles. Wrestling Ancient Greeks have started to practice wrestling for education of strong, dexterous, hardy and strong-willed person. Wrestling was a part of the system of physical training of children, teenagers and adults. Many great philosophers, poets, statesmen and commanders of the Ancient Greece were outstanding fighters and took part in Olympic competitions. For the first time wrestling has been included in the program of Olympic Games in 704. Wrestling competitions usually took place on an open sandy platform and sometimes with participation of the judge, which task was to watch the fighters on a platform and to set apart too hot participants of competitions if needed. Greek athlete Teseus, the most important hero in Athenian legends, was considered the patron and inventor of wrestling4, has created the first rules on wrestling according to which to win, a wrestler had to throw his opponent three times. Javelin and discus throw Ancient Greeks have also competed in throwing javelin and discus. Young says, ‘No event typifies ancient athletics so much as the discus throw, a uniquely Greek concept never practiced by others until the first Olympiad sponsored by the International Olympic Committee in Athens, 1896’5. Discus was made of wood, stone, steel, bronze, quite often were decorated with engravings, images of birds, animals or stages of sports competitions. The weight of a disk varied from 1,25 up to 6,63 kg. The throwing technique ‘did not involve the rotations of the modern athlete who spins through a 630-degree turn, but literary sources agree that the Greek athlete turned his body in throwing the discus’6: Odysseus turned around and sent the discus from his stout hand, and the stone whistled (Odyssey 8. 189-190). The next event in the pentathlon was throwing the javelin, ‘a straight pole about 6 feet long and as thick as an average mans finger’7. Javelin throw was one of the most widespread in the Ancient Greece. It was important to throw javelin not only far but also get to a target. Javelin throw has arisen from exercises on working off skills of throwing fighting spears. According to requirements of military preparation, on estimation of competition results it was important to have javelin thrown within the limits of specially allocated area. Conformity with law of aerodynamics was achieved not due to a design of the spear, but due to the revolving about its axis during the moment of a throw by means of the leather handle. Jump The last of five events is jump. Long jump was an event in the original Olympic Games of ancient Greece According to Brain Belval, ‘Greeks jumped from a standing position. They also used weights that were held in their hands. These weights, known as halteres, were made of stone or lead. The athletes would hold a haltere in each hand. When they were ready to jump, they would swing their weighted arms forward. When they were about to land, when they were about to land, they would swing their weighted arms behind their body. The weights, swinging forward at the beginning of the jump, were thought to help the jumper move forward and upward’8. Pankration Pankration is a kind of single combat. As befits its name "complete strength" or “total mastery" - pankration ‘combined many fighting techniques: boxing (some pancratiasts wore thongs), kicking, wrestling throws, strangleholds, leg scissors. Only biting and gouging were forbidden; even these restrictions were removed at Sparta and often ignored elsewhere’9. In the program of Olympic Games of the Ancient Greece pankration have been included in 648, possibly till this time this kind of single combat was not widely known. The greatest glory in Olympia was given to athletes who won simultaneously in pankration and wrestling. Such winners were written down in special lists. Conclusion The system of physical training of the Ancient Greece was harmonious and multi-plane. It closely inter-wined with intellectual and spiritual development and should promote an all-around development of an individual, strengthen the spirit of unity of people. A basis for its formation became complex world outlook system of antiquity that did not divide mythology, religion and social institutes, and also the spirit of struggle caused by constant military threat in the Ancient Greece and weakness of its raw-material base. Physical training included pre-school physical exercises in the form of games and multistage physical programs for adults of the Ancient Greece. Besides the cult of physical training was supported by every possible sports competitions among which the main role played the Olympic Games. Works cited: 1. Belval, Brian. Olympic Track and Field. Great moments in Olympic history. New York: Rosen Pub. Group, 2007. 2. Glubok, Shirley, and Alfred H. Tamarin. Olympic Games in Ancient Greece. New York: Harper & Row, 1984. 3. Golden, Mark. Sport in the Ancient World from A to Z. Ancient world from A to Z. London: Routledge, 2004. 4. Miller, Stephen G. Ancient Greek Athletics. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2004. 5. Poliakoff, Michael B. Combat Sports in the Ancient World: Competition, Violence and Culture. Sport and history series. New Haven: Yale Univ. Press, 1995. 6. Sears, Edward S. Running Through the Ages. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 2001. 7. Tyrrell, William Blake. The Smell of Sweat: Greek Athletics, Olympics, and Culture. Wauconda, Ill: Bolchazy-Carducci Publ, 2004. 8. Young, David C. A Brief History of the Olympic Games. Brief histories of the ancient world. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub, 2004. Read More