About the Sport of Gymnastics

Gymnastics is a sport loved for the gymnast’s athletic ability to show poise, grace and balance. Gymnastics is about using strength to make impossible feats seem effortless. Many people begin their training as a gymnast at a young age. Gymnastics teaches children about self-discipline and teamwork.

History

Gymnastics originated in ancient Greece when athletes demonstrated their agility by running and jumping on a horse. Gymnastics was first introduced in the Olympics in 1896. The routines involved synchronized floor calisthenics. By 1954, the sport had evolved to a modern format using standard equipment such as parallel bars, rings and balance beams.

Artistic Gymnastics

Artistic gymnastics is the most basic and traditional form of gymnastics. Events are divided into men's and women's categories. Women compete on the vault, balance beam, floor and uneven bars. Men compete on the pommel horse, parallel bars, rings, vault, floor and high bars. During artistic gymnastic competitions, competitors are judged based on their effort, degree of difficulty and artistic presentation.

Rhythmic Gymnastics

Rhythmic gymnastics is a relatively new area of gymnastics for women. The women perform a complicated floor routine using props such as ribbon, hoops, balls, clubs or rope. These routines are judged largely on choreography and artistic expression. Points are also awarded for execution and difficulty.

Trampolining and Tumbling

Both of these types of gymnastics involve a series of flips and aerial moves. Competitors are judged on the difficulty of the flip and the height of the flip. Judges also look for any hesitation from the competitor and dock points for competitors that take longer to set up and execute their flips.