The values toward the elements and techniques of gymnastics are not permanent. Various influences cause these values to change over time. To better understand the elements and techniques of today, it is necessary to comprehend how such values have changed over time, and such comprehension is possible only through deep insight into the history of the development of the elements and techniques.
However, there is a lack of research on the historical changes of gymnastic elements and techniques. Research on some apparatuses and periods has not even begun. For this reason, much of the history of the recognition of skills and the development of techniques is yet to be organized and elucidated.
Morii and Watanabe (2019) focused on the technical development of the salto in male floor exercises from the 1970s to the 1980s. Therefore, to cover a portion of the history of technical development in gymnastics that has yet to be sufficiently studied, this study examined the development tendency of the salto and their factors in menʼs floor exercise taking place since the 1990s.
The conclusions were as follows:
1. This study was able to sort the previously unorganized history of the development of the salto since the 1990s.
2. The study clarified that a wide variety of skill combinations have emerged since the 1990s. The trends of such emergences have been significantly influenced by the code of points in each period.
3. This study confirmed that the introduction of the spring floor expanded the possibilities of technical development, leading to significant progress in the development of salto.
The results of this study will inform the appropriate evaluation of current elements and techniques of floor exercise. These results will also enlighten the future development of gymnastic elements and techniques while providing practical guidance for efficient coaching.
