1.1: The History of Kinesiology

Learning Objectives

• Be able to define kinesiology.
• Be able to explain the slow development of kinesiology over the last 1500 years.
• Understand the connection to Physical education and war.

Kinesiology is the study of human movement and comes from the Greek word kinesis meaning motion or movement. To move is a core part of the human experience, we play games as children like tag, we dance during culturally important events, and require movement for mental and physical health. The human body moves internally with a beating heart and expanding lungs to stay alive. When a person dies, stillness or a lack of movement is often cited as one of the first signs of something is wrong. The study and understanding of human movement has likely existed for as long as humans have walked this planet, but only in the last few hundred years has the scientific study of kinesiology started.

Critical Thinking

What is your current education and experience in kinesiology? What do you expect to get out of this class?

While the physical movement to participate in games and sports (more on sport in Chapter 11) are certainly tied to all human cultures of all time, the study of human movement and the idea of improvement and efficiency in those movements is newer with unclear roots. Throughout history human movement and warfare have been linked, the health and fitness of soldiers could determine the outcome of a battle.

“No man has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.”

-Socrates

Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) is usually considered the “father of kinesiology” by being the first known author to describe animal (humans included) movement of walking by converting rotary movement into forward movement. Aristotle was also the first to describe the actions of muscles.

For the next almost 1500 years kinesiology only made minor advancements until Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) started dissecting human bodies he dug up from graveyards. Leonardo Da Vinci described the mechanisms of the body when walking and standing up from a seated position. He also started to label muscles and nerves while identifying the action and insertion points of the tendons which connect muscles and bones.

In 1858 Henry Gray published a detailed and illustrated anatomy textbook “Gray’s Anatomy”. Henry Gray dissected unclaimed bodies from hospitals and drew very detailed notes of human anatomy. “Gray’s Anatomy” was a practical and cheap way for medical doctors to learn human anatomy without the need for a human cadaver. Today the new versions of the book are often called “The doctor’ bible”.

As the knowledge of human anatomy developed and improved, the next step toward modern kinesiology was understanding movement. Remember kinesiology is the study of human movement. Sir Isaac Newton developed three laws of motion that are the foundation of understanding physical movement. Simply stated they are as follows:

1. The Law of Inertia. If a body is at rest or moving, it will remain at rest or moving until acted upon by an outside force.
2. Force is equal to mass x acceleration. This law describes the relationship between something’s mass, acceleration, and force.
3. The Law of Action and Reaction. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

All of these laws are critical for understanding how humans move and interact with other objects.

Exactly when “modern” kinesiology started is an unclear and minorly debated topic but is usually cited as starting 1800’s as interest in gymnastics in Sweden and German developed and grew into an athletic rivalry. These gymnastics were not exactly what we would see in modern gymnastics but involved some rhythmic dance, bodyweight movements, wooden ring, and bar routines depending on the location. A strong rivalry developed between Sweden and Germany, expanding the gymnastics program to more people.

This “return” to fitness was a way people could become able-bodied civilians and become a war ready population if the need arose. Preparing the civilian population for war with physical education and sport is a common theme throughout history. The interest in gymnastics spread and German gymnastics were introduced to America in the 1820’s.

Here is a look at a very early kinesiology/gymnastics textbook:

Harvard University had organized exercise classes starting in 1826.

More schools with gymnasiums and pools were built, increasing opportunities to participate in sports and, leading to the development of intercollegiate athletics which will be discussed in more detail in Chapter 11.

The second wave of interest in physical activity included more weight lifting that blended gymnastics with strongman activities from the Viking and Scottish cultures like the Highland Games. The barbell is thought to be invited with the rise in curiosity into strength and muscle building. These athletes and events would be made famous as circus acts of men bending bars of steel or snapping chains apart. Commercial gyms, weightlifting, and bodybuilding can trace their origin to this premise.

During WWI 1 in 3 military recruits were deemed unfit for service and the US government passed legislation to improve and increase physical education classes for American children. Thus, America follows historical trends of developing a fit population through kinesiology to be able to better fight wars. By WWII the young American population was much more fit and able-bodied for war time activities. Today it is estimated that less than 25% of young Americans would be fit for war duty.

Kinesiology was and still is very linked to the study of human medicine. Modern medicine and kinesiology have a very similar base set of knowledge and only start to diverge as a person’s education or experience advance. In modern education, aspiring kinesiologists and pre-med students will often have very similar class requirements for their undergraduate degrees.

Critical Thinking

Examine how each of the following scenarios includes each of Newton’s 3 laws. How could factors like weight, size, or speed be altered to alter the outcome of the mental experiment? What facts could be altered to dramatically change the outcome of the movements? Share your thoughts with a classmate.

1. A golf ball is hit from a tee by a golf club.
2. A football player is running and gets tackled from the side by an opponent.
3. An athlete throws a ball to a teammate.
4. Someone riding a bike on a muddy road.
5. Someone during pull-ups in the gym.