Expert: Maria - 5/11/2010

Question
Were there any sports that were involved in helping the militaries performance? if so can i have some good sites that will tell me this or can you help me out?

Answer
Hello,

From the early days of its foundation in 753 BC  Rome that was essentially  a landowning military aristocracy required that all Roman citizens between the ages of 17 and 60 were eligible for the military draft.
A period of at least 10 years of military service was a citizen's duty and a prerequisite for election to public office.
Willingness to sacrifice one’s life to the greater good was central to the Roman military ideal, and was the core of the Roman military oath, since  a soldier  who had devoted his life to the greater cause of Rome's victory  was not expected to survive defeat.
Therefore, it was imperative for all Roman citizens to maintain good physical condition and be prepared for service and military training consisted of activities such as running, marching, jumping, and  throwing  discus and javelin.


As for ancient Greece, where Greek states –the “poleis” - were frequently at war with each other, fighting skills were highly correlated with physical fitness levels, making it imperative for individuals to maintain high fitness levels.

It was however especially the city-state of Sparta that was a military society so that it  required males to enter special fitness programs at the age of six.
From this point until adulthood, the government was responsible for the child’s upbringing and training.
This upbringing consisted of rigorous training programs that ensured all boys would grow into highly fit adult soldiers.
So, activities such as running, marching, jumping, and  throwing  discus and javelin were part of a compulsory military service.

To sum up, we can say that running, marching, jumping, and  throwing  discus and javelin were the sports that were involved in helping military performance either in Rome or in Sparta.

Regards,
Maria