Gymnasiums for the hands

 

The general term used to describe hand exercises was called cheironomiai and is certainly not identical with the word skiamachia, which were the movements that boxers (pyktes) made against an imaginary opponent and which certainly refers to the training of the whole body. "Pityliizein" or "pitylisma" were the movements that were made for rowing, and from the term it seems that the trainees rhythmically (pitylisma) made the movements of the rowers.

"Pyx atremizein" were exercises \, as we have seen, of the hands that remained in various positions until they trembled.

"Korykomachia" was an exercise of the hands that seems to have served not only boxers, but all athletes. The Koryka, an instrument similar to today's punching bag, was used for the same purpose as today: to train the hands with resistance.

"Akrokheria" as a form of exercise seems to have been very common among the Greeks. It was the exercise with which athletes were caught in the hands, before they began to fight. Whoever lost their balance was the loser.

"Dumbbell throwing", which Pavlinis mentions as a gymnasium for the hands, seems to have been an exercise more for jumping.

Climbing on ropes was a popular exercise.

Gymnasiums for the legs

As for the hands, so for the legs they used such conceptual terms, that their mention alone gives the content to the word.

 Orivasius, although he lived in the 4th century BC, because he uses all the ancient sources, gives in detail the terms that, it seems, have not changed over the centuries. They distinguished the exercises into "running" and "jumping". In the first category was "anatrochasmus", in which they ran backwards (ana-trecho). "peritrochasmus" (peri-trecho) was a path around, without knowing whether it was done sideways or normally in a circle.

"ekplethrizen" was an exercise in which they ran backwards and forwards and the distance was gradually reduced (like in basketball today). Jumping exercises for the legs included "afalmos", a jump almost on the spot with alternating legs at the same time, and "exalmos", the same exercise with forward movement. The "pros pugēn lyma" was an exercise with jumping on the spot and hitting the buttocks with the heels. The same exercise in Sparta was called "vivasis". However, Aristophanes satirizes vivasi as the main exercise of the Spartan woman, to become "vigorous", while Hippocrates says that it causes abortion and hemorrhoids.

Source: INTRODUCTION TO THE HISTORY OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION IN THE GREEK WORLD

Sotiris G. Giatsis