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Gymnastics equipment list with all 23 items. The gymnast brings seven: leotard, bar grips, wrist supports, beam shoes, chalk, a personal mat and water.

Eight are club apparatus, from balance beams and uneven bars to the vault table, pommel horse and rings, and eight describe the hall, including competition and spring floors, foam pits, trampolines and spectator seating. The table below lists all twenty-three with the purpose of each one.

23items in total
7carried by the gymnast
16supplied by club and hall
Quick answers
What equipment do you need for gymnastics?
A leotard, bar grips, wrist supports, beam shoes and chalk are the gymnast's own kit. Every apparatus, from the beam to the vault table, belongs to the club.
What are the apparatus in gymnastics?
Women compete on four, namely vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor. Men compete on six, namely floor, pommel horse, rings, vault, parallel bars and horizontal bar.
What are the names of gymnastics equipment?
Balance beam, uneven bars, horizontal bar, parallel bars, pommel horse, rings, vault table, spring floor, trampoline and foam pit. The personal items are the leotard, bar grips, wrist supports, beam shoes and chalk.
What do you put in a gymnastics gym?
A spring floor, a beam, a set of bars, a vault table with a springboard, a trampoline and a foam pit, with training mats around every landing area.
Gymnastics

Gymnastics Equipment at a Glance

Seven items are the gymnast's own, eight are apparatus the club owns, and eight belong to the hall itself. A beginner buys the first block and finds everything else waiting at the gym.

ItemWhat it doesWho supplies it
LeotardClose fitting one piece, nothing loose to catch on the apparatusPlayer
Training gripsfor barsLeather palm piece with a dowel, saves the hands on the barsPlayer
Wrist supportsBrace the joint on tumbling passes and vault landingsPlayer
Balance beam shoesThin suede sole for grip and feel on a 4 inch beamPlayer
ChalkMagnesium carbonate dries the hands so the bar does not slipPlayer
Personal matsA portable landing pad for practice outside the gymPlayer
Water bottleSessions run for hours, drinking happens between rotationsPlayer
Training matsCushion the landing while a skill is still being learnedCoach
Balance beams4 inches wide, the apparatus for leaps, turns and holdsCoach
Uneven barsTwo bars at different heights for swings, releases and transitionsCoach
Vault tableThe padded table gymnasts push off after the run and springboardCoach
Pommel horseCircles and pendulum swings on two handles, a men's apparatusCoach
RingsHung from straps, strength holds and swings, a men's apparatusCoach
First aid kitAnkle and wrist injuries are the common gymnastics onesCoach
Video analysis equipmentSlow motion playback so a gymnast sees her own shapeCoach
Gymnastics hallHigh ceilings and room for every apparatus at onceFacility
Competition floorThe 12 by 12 meter area floor routines are performed onFacility
Spring floorSprings and foam under the surface add height and soften landingsFacility
Foam pitsLoose foam blocks so a new skill can be tried without a hard landingFacility
TrampolinesBuilds air awareness before a skill moves onto the floorFacility
Seating for spectatorsSet back from the runways and the landing zonesFacility
Locker roomsChanging and storage before and after trainingFacility
PA systemPlays the music for floor routines and announces gymnastsFacility

Equipment for Gymnasts

#1 Leotard

A leotard is vital for gymnasts, providing the freedom of movement required for intricate maneuvers. Its snug fit reduces the risk of entanglement or catching on equipment, ensuring both safety and a sleek silhouette for judges’ assessments in competitions.

Capezio Team Basic Leotard

Short sleeve, girls sizes
  • Cutscoop front and back with a ballet leg line
  • Sleeveshort sleeve
  • Seamsdouble stitched
  • Liningfull front lining in the light colors
  • Sizesgirls, listed in US age ranges
A leotard has to sit close enough that nothing catches on a bar or a beam, and the double stitched seams are what survives a season of chalk and washing. Capezio sells this cut in a long list of colors, which is why clubs order it as a team leotard.

#2 Training Grips (for bars)

Training grips are crucial for apparatus work, especially on bars. They protect a gymnast's hands from blisters and rips while enhancing grip, reducing the risk of slipping, and allowing athletes to perform routines with confidence and security.

Gibson Just Right Bar Grips

Dowel grips for young gymnasts
  • Made forearly competitors, roughly ages 7 to 12
  • Typedowel grip, narrower than a standard grip
  • Closuredouble buckle straps
  • MaterialAmerican leather, made in the USA
  • Sizingmeasured from the base of the palm to the tip of the middle finger
The dowel is the small ridge that lets a gymnast hang on the bar without clamping down with the whole hand, and it is the point at which grips stop being optional. This model is cut narrow so a child still feels the bar through the leather.

#3 Wrist Supports

Wrist supports safeguard against strain and injuries by stabilizing the joint during weight-bearing exercises and challenging tumbling passes. These are particularly essential in a sport that places high stress on the wrists.

  • Sold asa pair
  • Fitfully adjustable, conforms to the hand
  • Sizingchosen by body weight, not by hand size
  • MakerUS Glove, made in the USA
  • Also used bycompetitive cheerleaders
Tumbling and vaulting drive the whole body weight through an extended wrist, which is why that joint is the one gymnasts brace. The size chart goes by the athlete's weight rather than the hand, so it is worth reading before ordering.

#4 Balance Beam Shoes

Balance beam shoes offer critical traction and balance on the beam, providing a slight cushion and improving the gymnast's feel for the apparatus, aiding in precision and safety during beam routines.

EEASE Gymnastic Shoes

Slip on, suede upper
  • Uppersoft goat suede leather
  • Solesynthetic rubber, non-slip
  • Fitelasticized front panel plus a strap around the heel
  • Sizestoddler and kids, size chart in centimeters
  • Also used fortumbling, trampoline and vaulting
A beam shoe is thin on purpose, so the gymnast still feels the 4 inch surface under the foot. The elastic panel holds it on through a dismount and there are no laces to come loose.

#5 Chalk

Chalk absorbs moisture and enhances grip, a key factor in preventing slips during apparatus exercises. It's used on hands and feet to ensure a firm hold on bars, rings, and vaults.

Rage Fitness Gym Chalk

One pound of blocks
  • Materialpure magnesium carbonate, pigment free
  • Contentseight 2 ounce blocks, 1 pound in total
  • Formsolid blocks that break apart by hand
  • Also used forweightlifting and rock climbing
Chalk is the same magnesium carbonate whether it is sold for bars or for barbells, so buying it by the pound costs less than buying it in gymnastics branded tubs. The blocks crumble by hand into whatever texture the gymnast prefers.

#6 Personal Mats

Personal mats are used for safety during practice and provide a portable, cushioned surface for gymnasts to perform floor exercises and apparatus dismounts, thereby minimizing the risk of injury.

BalanceFrom Folding Gymnastics Mat

10 by 4 feet, folds in four
  • Size10 feet by 4 feet, 2 inches thick
  • Folded4 feet by 4 feet by 8 inches
  • Weight15 pounds, with built in handles
  • Coverdouble sided vinyl, wipes clean
  • Joininghook and loop edges connect several mats
This is the mat that lives in a hallway or a garage for practice between sessions. Two inches carries cartwheels, handstands and bridge work, and it is not meant for anything that lands from height.

#7 Water Bottle

Maintaining hydration is essential for gymnasts to keep muscles functioning properly and to prevent fatigue during long sessions. A water bottle is a personal and portable way to ensure water intake is sufficient.

Equipment for Coaches and Teams

#1 Training Mats

Training mats are a foundational piece of safety equipment for gymnastics, offering cushioning for landings and falls during practice, which helps in preventing injuries.

FBSPORT Inflatable Air Track

10 feet, inflatable
  • Length10 feet
  • Thickness4 inches
  • Material500D filament grade PVC tarpaulin with reinforced seams
  • Includedelectric air pump
  • Inflationunder a minute to inflate or deflate
An air track gives more back than a foam mat, so a tumbling pass can be repeated many more times before the wrists complain. It deflates to a roll, which is how a club stores one without giving up floor space.

#2 Balance Beams

The balance beam is a standard piece of equipment for women's gymnastics, used to practice and perform routines involving leaps, turns, and balance skills in a narrow space.

  • Size8 feet long, 4 inches wide, the competition width
  • Heights17, 32 and 42 centimeters
  • Adjustmentfour knobs, no tools
  • Coresolid wood with EVA foam and a faux suede cover
  • Legssteel, fully wrapped in rubber
Competition width is 4 inches, and practicing on anything wider teaches the wrong margin for error. The three heights let one beam follow a gymnast from first walks to full turns.

#3 Uneven Bars

Uneven bars are used in women's artistic gymnastics for swinging, circling, transitional, and release moves, demanding coordination and upper body strength.

Tepemccu Gymnastics Bar

Folding, five heights
  • Heights34.8 to 50.8 inches in five steps
  • Made forchildren roughly 3 to 8 years old
  • Load140 pounds
  • Framefolding triangular steel frame
  • Includedpadded cover for the bar
A home bar is a single bar rather than a real uneven set, and it covers pullovers, casts and kicking to handstand. The pad matters at that stage because the hips go over the bar again and again.

#4 Vault Table

The vault table is essential for practicing explosive power and precision as gymnasts sprint towards it and use it as a platform for dynamic aerial vaults.

#5 Pommel Horse

The pommel horse is used in men's artistic gymnastics for continuous circular and pendulum motions requiring exceptional strength, control, and rhythm.

  • Typemushroom trainer, the step before a full pommel horse
  • Basewooden base on a steel leg
  • Tophigh density foam
  • Modesfixed height, or the top alone set on the floor
  • Assemblyno tools needed
Boys learn circles on a mushroom long before they touch a pommel horse, because the round top forgives a circle that is not yet round. Taking the top off and putting it on the floor lowers the whole thing again for the first attempts.

#6 Rings

Rings are a male apparatus where gymnasts perform a series of strength and swing elements, challenging their stability, power, and control.

GHB Wooden Gym Rings

1.25 inch birch rings
  • Ringsbirch wood, 1.25 inches thick
  • Straps1.5 inches wide, with a numbered scale
  • Bucklelocking buckle set against the numbered scale
  • Includeddoor anchor, foot straps, grip tape and a carry bag
Wooden rings hold chalk and stay dry under a sweating hand in a way that plastic does not, which is why they remain the standard. The numbered straps are the useful part here, because both rings end up at exactly the same height.

#7 First Aid Kit

A first aid kit is critical for immediate response to injuries and accidents. It should be well-stocked and readily available at all times during training and competitions.

#8 Video Analysis Equipment

Video analysis equipment is used by coaches to review and refine gymnasts' technique and performance, offering slow-motion playback and the ability for athletes to learn from their own visual feedback.

Equipment for Facilities

#1 Gymnastics Hall

A gymnastics hall is a dedicated space that accommodates all the apparatuses and provides sufficient room for safe practice and competition, featuring high ceilings and specialized flooring.

#2 Competition Floor

The competition floor, also known as a spring floor, is used in both men’s and women’s gymnastics competitions for floor exercise routines that combine dance, tumbling, and acrobatics.

#3 Spring Floor

A spring floor provides a reactive surface that aids in boosting gymnasts' height during tumbling passes and minimizes impact upon landing, essential for practice and competition.

#4 Foam Pits

Foam pits are filled with soft foam blocks, offering a safe landing area where gymnasts can practice new skills without fear of harsh landings, thereby reducing the risk of injury.

#5 Trampolines

Trampolines are used for developing aerial skills and improving body awareness in the air, an indispensable tool for gymnasts across all disciplines.

#6 Seating for Spectators

Spectator seating is an important aspect of gymnastics facilities, providing a space for audiences to view and support gymnasts during training sessions and competitions.

#7 Locker Rooms

Locker rooms are essential for gymnasts to store personal items, change into gear, and prepare mentally and physically for training or competition.

#8 PA System

A PA system is used to announce gymnasts, play music for routines, give instructions, and facilitate communication during events, making it an important part of the gymnastics facility infrastructure.

Gymnastics

FAQ

What is the equipment you need to play Gymnastics?

Mats, horizontal bars, balance beams, and vaulting tables are the equipment you need to play gymnastics. Safety gear such as wrist guards and grips are also essential.

What is the most important equipment in Gymnastics?

The balance beam and the floor mat are the most important equipment in gymnastics, as they provide the foundation for learning basic skills and ensuring safety.

What is a recommended list of Gymnastics equipment for beginners?

Here's a recommended list of Gymnastics equipment for beginners: a practice mat, a beginner balance beam, gymnastics shoes, and comfortable attire. This gear helps ensure safety and allows for skill progression.

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