Eventually ‘Turnverein’ clubs were established in the wider community the Turnverein taught a ‘stronger’ bodyweight style of Gymnastics utilising apparatus, wands and Indian clubs. In time Jahn began to create Gymnastics apparatus for his students, such as the ‘Turnplatz’, which was a scaffolding-like structure that was affixed with ladders, poles and ropes (Pfister, 2003). As a response to Napoleons recent presence in Prussia/Germany the name ‘Turnen’ was chosen to place the movement in a German tradition and one of the main objectives was creating a fit military ready population. These classes consisted of Gymnastics plus traditional games (running, swimming, wrestling, climbing, lifting, jumping, fencing) combined with progressive German political philosophy via patriotic speeches and traditional songs.
Founded by Prussian educator Friedrich Ludwig Jahn (1778-1852) in the early 1800’s, German Turnen Gymnastics began as groups of boys from a Berlin grammar school undertaking outdoor physical education under Jahn’s supervision.