Medico-Mechanical Gymnastics

Doctor Zander's Medico-Mechanical Institute in Opatija.

At the beginning of the 20th century, there were different kinds of medical institutions in the health and seaside spa resort Abbazia (nowadays Opatija). The Opatija Guidebooks (1904-1914) praised the three sanatoriums and Zander's Medico-Mechanical Institute, which was owned by Dr. Isor Stein. Dr. Zander, who is not well-known today, has been the main topic of the authors' research. The author...

Baby Gymnastics

Rotational Preference in Gymnastics

In gymnastics, most skills incorporate rotations about one or more body axes. At present, the question remains open if factors such as lateral preference and/or vestibulo-spinal asymmetry are related to gymnast's rotational preference. Therefore, we sought to explore relationships in gymnast's rotation direction between different gymnastic skills. Furthermore, we sought to explore relationships...

Modeling a Springboard in Gymnastics

For development and optimization of elements in gymnastics` vault, the knowledge of the angular momentum, take-off velocity and thus the forces on the springboard are of interest. A multi-body model was developed for the determination of forces. The following article describes the creation of a springboard model and therefore the identification and evaluation of physical parameters acting durin...

Gymnastics: changing for the better?

Imagine an Olympic gymnast and you conjure up a picture of a small, slight child accomplishing dazzling feats on the vault, asymmetric bars, beam, or floor area. Now look back at the Atlanta Olympics. The same dazzling feats, but most of the gymnasts were no longer children. Yes, they were small and slight, but they had breasts and hips and waists. Female Olympic gymnastics has come full circle...