Gymnastics Terms

To survive in the gymnastics world, you have to speak their lingo. This means you are pretty much fluent in another lanugage – yurchenko, shaposhnikova, ariel, shushanova, rufolva, korbut, flick pike, comaneci, gienger…did you understand that? No? Didn’t think so. So here is my A-Z glossary to survive in this world:

Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci.

10.0 – Previously the highest overall score possible. Also called a “perfect 10″. Nadia Comaneci was the first gymnast in history as the 1972 Montreal Olympics. She was only 14

AA – Abbreviation for all-around. A competition in which the athletes compete as individuals on all four (women) or six (men) events. Sometimes also wrriten as all-around or all-around final.

Acrobatic Gymnastics – A discipline of gymnastics where partners work together to combine the tumbling and power of the floor exercise in artistic gymnastics with the flexibility and artistry of dance. Acrobatic gymnastics routines are performed on the floor apparatus.

An example of a arabesque.

Arabesque – Standing on one leg with the other leg raised about 45 degrees.

B-score – Under the current Code of Points, this score rates the gymnasts execution, form, artistry and technique. The judges take their deductions from the 10.0 base score.

Back-to-back tumbling – A series of skills in which the gymnast executes a tumbling pass from one corner of the mat to the other, rebounds, and performs another tumbling pass in the direction without stopping. These are notably performed by Oksana Omelianchik (URS), Daniele Silivas (ROU) and Dominque Dawes (USA).

Balance Beam – A gymnastics apparatus used by women. It is a 4-inch-wide platform upon which gymnasts perform tumbling and dance kills.

Ball – A gymnastics apparatus used in rhythmic gymnastics. The ball rests in the gymnasts hands, is balanced on the body, and it thrown into the air and caught.

Base – In acrobatic gymnastics, the role in pair and group competition that requires strength and balance. The base is usually an older, larger athlete.

Bib – The number worn on the gymnasts back used in the scoring sheets to identify them to the judges.

Cartwheel – The maneuver where one moves sideways, from hands to feet, in a straight line (in the motion that the wheel of a cart would follow), while keeping the back, arms, and legs straight, and the feet pointed.

Chalk – Used by gymnasts on their hands, feet and apparatus to make the surface of the equipment less slippery, or to mark lines on the mats.

American gymnast Aly Raisman performing a dismount on beam at 2012 London Olympics.

Clubs – A gymnastics apparatus used in rhythmic gymnastics.

Dismount – The act of getting off an apparatus and the skill used to do it.

EGR – Abbreviation for element group requirements. Under the current Code of Points, the specific required skills that the gymnast must show at some point in his or her routine on each event. For instance, on uneven bars, one of the EGRs is a release move. Currently, there are five EGR skills required on every event.

Elite – The highest competitive level in gymnastics, or a gymnast who competes at the highest level. The term is used in the USA, Australia and other nations, but is not universal.

Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique – The international sports governing body for gymnastics. Its name is commonly abbreviated as “FIG”.

Floor – A gymnastics apparatus used by men and women in artistic gymnastics. The event performed upon this apparatus is known as Floor Exercise.

Floor Exercise – The event performed on the floor apparatus. Men and women perform choreographed routines that include tumbling and acrobatic skills.

Front tuck – The act of running, jumping off of 2 feet, turning in mid-air, and landing on the ground on two feet.

Gainer – A gymnastics skill in which a gymnast performs a backwards flip while moving forward.

Grip – Are worn on the hands of artistic gymnasts. They are worn by female gymnasts on the uneven bars, by male gymnasts on the high bar, and still rings; it is rarely seen that a male gymnast uses grips for parallel bars.

Gymnastics – Exercises requiring physical strength, agility and coordination. It evolved from exercises used by the ancient Greeks, including skills for mounting and dismounting a horse, and circus performance skills.

Hit – To perform a routine or skill to the best of one’s ability, with no major errors or deductions.

Hoop – A gymnastics apparatus used in rhythmic gymnastics. It is a hollow hoop with an interior diameter of 80 to 90 cm.

Ulyana Trofimova from Uzbekistan.

Horizontal bar – A gymnastics apparatus used by men in artistic gymnasts. It consists of one 2.4m bar upon which gymnasts perform skills. It is also known as high bar.

Junior – A world-class/elite gymnast who is too young to compete as a senior, usually between the ages of 13 and 15.

Kip – A basic skill in artistic gymnastics on the uneven bars that is used at a way of getting on the bar in a front support position or a handstand from a hanging or standing position. Also a training skill in trampolining.

Layout – A position in which the gymnast’s body is completely stretched, toes pointed and legs straight. A layout in tumbling, vault or balance beam is a salto performed in this position.

Manna – A strength move pressing with the hands where the legs and hips are raised until the hips are above the shoulders and the legs are parallel to the floor.

An example of a needle.

Master of Sport – The term used to refer to a gymnast competing at the highest level of the sport in the USSR. Still used in Russia and other former Soviet republics.

Meet – A commonly used term for a gymnastics competition.

Needle – This is where you put two hands on the floor and one leg on the floor and then you put the other leg in the air.

out of bounds –  Situation on floor exercise or vault when a gymnast crosses the line indicating the border of the mat, resulting in a score deduction.

Parallel bars – A gymnastics apparatus used by men in artistic gymnastics. It consists of two 3.5m bars.

Pike – A position where the body is bent only in the hips.

Pommel horse – A gymnastics apparatus used by men in artistic gymnastics. It consists of a rectangular body and two pommels.

Release move or release – Skill on the uneven bars, parallel bars or high bar in which the gymnast lets go of the apparatus, performs a skill in the air, and re grasps the bar.

Ribbon – A gymnastics apparatus used in rhythmic gymnastics.

Roll – A roll is a rotation over an axis in the body over a surface.

Salto – A somersault.

Score protest – A written complaint, submitted by the gymnast or their coaches or federation, to request reconsideration and possible revision of scores felt to be incorrect or unfair. Under FIG rules, protests must be filed immediately after the original score is reported, and before the end of the competition.

Senior – A world-class/elite gymnast who is at least 16, or will be turning 16, within the calendar year.

Somersault – A gymnastics maneuver in which a person rotates around the somersault axis, moving the feet over the head.

Springboard – Gymnastics equipment required on vault, and used as an optional aid for mounts on parallel bars, balance beam and uneven bars.

Start value – Under the pre-2006 Code of Points, the maximum score a gymnast could receive for a routine, after taking into consideration all bonus skills, combinations and fulfillment of required elements. The score was determined by subtracting deductions from the start value.

Great Britain’s gymnast Sam Oldham performing on the rings.

Stick – To land an acrobatic skill, jump or dismount perfectly, without any steps, stumbles or errors.

Still Rings – A gymnastics apparatus used by men in artistic gymnastics. It consists of two swinging hollow rings suspended by a frame.

Straddle – A sitting position with the legs wide. It can also be performed at height.

Stuck landing – A perfect landing, without any steps, stumbles or errors.

Team final – A team of 6 gymnasts (or 5 gymnasts at the 2012 London Olympics), representing a country.

Top – In acrobatic gymnastics, the role in pair and group competition that emphasizes flexibility and agility. The top is usually a younger, smaller athlete.

Tsukahara – A vault and family of vaults. The vault consists of a half turn off the springboard onto the vault table, then a push backwards, usually into a back salto or layout. Any vault that has a handspring with 1/4 – 1/2 turn onto the vault table into a salto backwards is classified as a Tsukahara vault. It is named after Mitsuo Tsukahara.

Tumbling – The acrobatic skills performed on floor exercise and balance beam, such as back handsprings and saltos. Also, a specific discipline of gymnastics, performed on a 25-meter-long dynamic track, in which participants perform tumbling skills.

Tumbling run, or tumbling pass – A series of acrobatic skills performed on floor from one corner of the mat to the other, typically beginning with a run and hurtle and ending with a major salto.

Tuck – You jump with your knees to you chest.

Uneven bars – A gymnastics apparatus used by women in artistic gymnastics. It consists of two horizontal bars at different heights and with a distance between them.

Russian gymnast Natalia Yurkchenko.

Vault – A gymnastics apparatus used by both men and women in artistic gymnastics, or the skills performed upon it.

Warm-up – warm-up techniques differ from club to club, some coaches might prefer to play games at the beginning of a training session, while others might prefer to make gymnasts run around the carpet, skip with a rope in various directions. But all ultimately aim to achieve the same goals, to warm up the gymnasts muscles in order for them not to injure themselves while stretching or training.

Yurchenko loop – A balance beam skill in which the gymnasts stands sideways on the beam, dives backwards into a back handspring (the “loop”), grasps the beam, performs a back hip circle and ends up in a front support position, resting on the hands. It is named after Natalia Yurchenko.

Yurchenko vault – A vault and a family of vaults. It consists of a round-off onto the springboard and a back handspring onto the horse or vaulting table, followed by a salto. Any vault with a roundoff-back handspring entry is classified as a “Yurchenko-style” vault. It is named after Natalia Yurchenko.