Abstract
Gymnastic is the practice of athletic exercises for the development of the body, especially those exercises performed with apparatus such as rings, pommel horse, bars, and balance beam. Although gymnastics was likely practiced in ancient Egyptian and Chinese cultures, its roots for Western culture lie in ancient Greece, hence the derivation from the Greek word gymnasium, which literally means ‘to train naked’ (gymnos: naked). The early Greeks practiced gymnastics in preparation for war, as jumping, running, discus, throwing, wrestling, and boxing helped produce the strong, supple muscles necessary for hand-to-hand combat. Because military training was necessary for the production of Greek citizens, and because the Greeks viewed the training both of the body and the mind as inextricably linked, gymnastics became a central component of ancient education. Gymnasia, the buildings with open-air courts where such training took place, evolved into schools where youths learned gymnastics, rhetoric, music, and mathematics. Gymnastics also provided a way to train for the athletic festivals around Greece, the most famous of which was the Olympic Games, held every four years from 776 BCE until 393 CE.
Mallakhamb is a traditional sport, originating from the Indian subcontinent, in which a gymnast performs aerial yoga or gymnastic postures and wrestling grips in concert with a vertical stationary or hanging wooden pole, cane, or rope. The word Mallakhamb also refers to the pole used in the sport. The pole is usually made from sheesham (Indian rosewood) polished with castor oil. Three popular versions of Mallakhamb are practiced using a sheesham pole, cane, or rope.
The name Mallakhamb derives from the terms “malla”, meaning wrestler, and “khamb”, which means a pole. Literally meaning “wrestling pole”, the term refers to a traditional training implement used by wrestlers.
The present research aims to compare the BMIs of Gymnastics and Mallkhamb player. Forty national level Gymnast and forty national level Mallkhamb player were chosen as the sample for this study and the age range of sample was between 17-25 years. For calculation of BMI firstly players height and weight taken then with the help of BMI formula each player BMI calculated. The independent‘t’ test was used to compare BMI between Gymnastics and Mallkhamb at the statistically significant level of 0.05. The player’s findings indicate that students in the Gymnastics players have a mean BMI that is higher than that Mallkhamb players but there was insignificant difference found between Gymnastics and Mallkhamb players in relation to BMI. The result of the study can attribute to the fact the same age and same geographical area in both sports player.
Key words: BMI, BMI formula, Gymnastics, Mallkhamb, Height, Weight.
Author Name:-Vikas Yadav & Dr. Kalyani Dwivedi