The School Gym – A Story of Decline and Lost Wisdom
Introduction: Something Beautiful That Was Destroyed
Even in the second half of the 20th century, in many highly developed countries, school gyms appeared as a response to the natural needs of children and young people.
They were not the result of ministerial strategies or systemic programs.
They were the result of grassroots initiatives, intuitive reason and observation of everyday life.
The children were active, strong, full of energy – but the school gym gave them something more:
a space where they could exercise purposefully, strengthen their bodies and push their own limits.
Back then, no one was talking about nerve fibers, metabolism, or muscle mass as a preventive tool.
But people understood one thing: a child needs strength – to grow, mature and be healthy.
The 80s and 90s: an explosion of positive energy
In European countries, North America, Australia and Japan, the end of the 20th century brought a dynamic development of school gyms.
They were often organised by PE teachers with the help of students, parents, local businesses and local governments.
These were not prestigious investments – these were simple but effective actions.
School gyms became:
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a space for activity for those who did not find their place in team games,
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a place to build strength not only physically but also mentally,
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a local symbol of concern for the health and development of students.
And then they started disappearing...
At the beginning of the 21st century, something changed.
Although schools gained modern halls, sports fields, running tracks, and interactive boards, school gyms began to disappear.
Not for lack of money.
But due to a change in priorities, lack of systemic continuity, wrong assumptions and social dormancy.
Why?
1. The system has become accustomed to convenience
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It is easier for a PE teacher to organize a familiar activity – like a football match – than to conduct strength training for which he or she has never been prepared.
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There is a lack of not only equipment, but also knowledge, methodology, and organizational support.
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The school principal is not held accountable for whether the children leave his school strong – because no one measures strength.
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A parent sees that their child is running, playing, and being active – and often thinks that this is enough.
However, true strength is only built when the activity involves the whole body and is properly structured.
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A politician can boast about a new sports hall – but he is not asked about the health of students' muscles and spines.
2. Beautiful infrastructure. Weak children.
More halls, sports fields, playing fields, and running tracks are being built…
But children – contrary to the logic of investment – are becoming weaker and weaker.
Why?
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Because strength is not included in fitness tests,
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Because you can't see it in matches, races, tables,
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Because it does not bring quick results in classifications.
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better metabolic health,
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protection against injuries,
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spine stability,
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the foundation for practicing any sport – except e-sports.
But strength is:
3. Universities – institutions that failed
PE teachers graduate:
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without knowledge of strength training for children and adolescents,
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no experience working in a gym,
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without teaching tools to run such a gym.
Scientists write about the decline in strength among children, publish data, warn –
but they do not create specializations, do not update programs, do not translate knowledge into action.
4. Parents and society – victims of the illusion of activity
A parent sees a child playing soccer, running. Everything seems fine.
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the child has a weak stomach,
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can't do 1 pull-up,
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has a sunken chest,
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does not maintain correct posture when sitting.
But no one shows him that:
Team play does not build whole-body strength.
And whole-body strength isn't about aesthetics – it's about health, well-being, and the ability to live.
5. Even if a parent asked…
“Why isn’t my child doing strength training?”
“Why isn’t there a gym at school?”
This is what you will often hear:
"But the child plays, runs, is active. What are you talking about?"
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that the child has not built a foundation of strength,
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that there is no basis for adulthood,
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that in a few years he may have to have spinal surgery - because he did not build what he should have built at school.
This is what it's all about:
6. When was the critical moment?
In the 1990s, a gym was an attractive addition.
The children were strong in their own right – everyday life shaped them.
But with the beginning of the 21st century:
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children's lifestyle has changed,
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spontaneous activity disappeared,
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technology has limited movement,
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and the school did not react.
When children began to weaken, gyms disappeared – instead of becoming a lifesaver.
7. Who is responsible for this?
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educational – which does not measure strength,
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academic – which does not teach strength,
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political – which builds objects but does not create programs,
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social – who does not ask questions.
Not a specific person.
The system responds:
8. What's next?
This is no time for sentiment. It's time for strategy.
We must:
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build a modern model of a school gym,
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develop strength training programs for children and adolescents,
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train teachers,
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equip schools,
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educate parents.
Because today – when children are weaker than ever before – the school gym is becoming not a whim, but a necessity.
The change in knowledge has not yet been translated into an idea.
We have the data. We have the research. We have the alarming statistics.
But we have no reaction.
And one more thing – the most important one
Meanwhile, the solution is:
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easy,
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cheap,
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fast,
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accessible.
This is the school gym. Nothing else.
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muscle strength,
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healthy metabolism,
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spine stability,
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mental resilience,
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better quality of life – today, in adulthood and in old age.
She is the one who can rebuild:
No need for further years of analysis.
There is no need to consider ten scenarios.
WE NEED TO GO BACK TO THE GYM AND BUILD IT AGAIN.
9. What if we do nothing – now?
What will happen if we don't take action this year, next year,
if we say to ourselves again: "let's wait, let's analyze, let's see"?
Because technology – including artificial intelligence – will accelerate the process of eliminating physical effort from everyday life.
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Children will become weaker and weaker.
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Musculoskeletal diseases, diabetes, depression – they will appear even earlier.
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The generation that is now growing up will not be prepared for life – even if we surround them with technology.
But if effort disappears, strength disappears too.
AND IF THE POWER DISAPPEARS – WHAT WILL REMAIN OF MAN?
This is a philosophical, biological, social question – about the future of our civilization.