50 gymnastics terms explained, from Yurchenko and salto to kip, flyaway and D-score, each with a short definition.
Gymnastics terminology covers three things at once: the apparatus, the skills performed on it and the way a routine is scored. The list below holds the words related to gymnastics that a beginner hears in the first week of class, together with the words associated with gymnastics competition that only turn up at a meet. For the short version, the gymnastics glossary near the end of the page gives every term one line, which is the fastest way through the vocabulary.
Must-Know Gymnastics Terms, Phrases and Slang:
- Aerial
- Balance beam
- Bars
- Cartwheel
- Dismount
- Floor exercise
- Gymnast
- Handstand
- Iron cross
- Mount
- Pommel horse
- Routine
- Scoring
- Stick
- Tumbling
- Vault
- Yurchenko
- All-around
- Back handspring
- Chalk
- Flip
- Pike
- Rings
- Salto
- Split
- Straddle
- Twisting
- Uneven bars
- Whip back
- Full-in
Gymnastics Glossary: Every Term A to Z
| Term | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Aerial | A cartwheel or walkover performed without the hands touching the floor. |
| All-around | Competing on every apparatus in one competition and being scored on the combined total. |
| Apparatus | Any piece of competition equipment: beam, bars, rings, vault, pommel horse, floor. |
| Back handspring | A backward flip onto the hands and immediately off them again to the feet. The building block of tumbling. |
| Balance beam | The narrow raised beam on which women perform jumps, acrobatic skills and dance elements. |
| Bars | Either of two apparatus: the uneven bars for women, the parallel bars for men. |
| Cartwheel | A sideways rotation over the hands with arms and legs extended. The first skill most gymnasts learn. |
| Chalk | Magnesium carbonate rubbed on hands and feet to absorb sweat and improve grip on bars and rings. |
| D-score | The difficulty part of the score, built from the value of the elements a gymnast performs. |
| Deduction | Points taken off for a fault in execution: a bent knee, a wobble, a step on landing. |
| Dismount | The skill that takes the gymnast off the apparatus at the end of a routine. |
| E-score | The execution part of the score, which starts from 10 and falls with every deduction. |
| Flight | The airborne phase of a skill, when no part of the body is in contact with the apparatus. |
| Flip | Any rotation of the body around the horizontal axis, forward or backward. |
| Floor exercise | A routine performed on a sprung square mat, combining tumbling passes with dance and jumps. |
| Flyaway | A dismount from the bars in which the gymnast releases at the top of a swing and somersaults to the landing. |
| Full-in | A double somersault with the full twist in the first flip. An advanced tumbling and vaulting skill. |
| Giant | A full rotation around the bar with the body straight and the arms extended. |
| Grips | Leather hand guards worn on bars and rings to protect the palms and improve hold. |
| Gymnast | An athlete competing in any gymnastics discipline: artistic, rhythmic, trampoline or acrobatic. |
| Handstand | Balancing upside down on the hands with the body straight. Present in almost every routine. |
| High bar | The men's horizontal bar, a single bar on which giants, releases and a flight dismount are performed. |
| Iron cross | A strength hold on rings with the body upright and the arms straight out to the sides. |
| Kip | A move from a hanging or supported position up to a support above the bar, driven by a snap of the hips. |
| L-sit | A hold with the body upright and the legs straight out in front at a right angle, seen on rings and floor. |
| Layout | A body position held straight, with no bend at the hips or knees, during a flip. |
| Leotard | The one-piece competition garment worn by gymnasts. |
| Meet | A gymnastics competition, from a local event to a national championship. |
| Mount | The skill used to get onto an apparatus at the start of a routine. |
| Pike | A position bent at the hips with the legs straight and the toes pointed. |
| Pommel horse | A men's apparatus with two handles, worked with continuous circles and swings. |
| Rings | Two rings hung from straps, used for swings, strength holds and a dismount. A men's apparatus. |
| Round-off | A cartwheel that finishes with both feet landing together, turning sideways momentum into backward momentum. |
| Routine | The choreographed sequence of elements performed on one apparatus, judged for difficulty and execution. |
| Salto | The formal word for a somersault, a rotation end over end in the air. |
| Salute | The raised-arm presentation a gymnast makes to the judges before and after a routine. |
| Scale | A balance on one leg with the other extended and held, on the floor or on the beam. |
| Scoring | The judged evaluation of a routine, combining the difficulty of the elements with the quality of execution. |
| Scratch | Withdrawing from an event or an apparatus rather than competing on it. |
| Split | A position with the legs extended in opposite directions in a straight line, sideways or front to back. |
| Springboard | The sprung board a gymnast jumps from into a vault or onto an apparatus. |
| Stick | To land with no movement of the feet at all. The cleanest way to finish a skill. |
| Straddle | A position with the legs spread wide to the sides, in the air or on the apparatus. |
| Tuck | A position with the knees pulled to the chest, the fastest shape for rotating. |
| Tumbling | A run of acrobatic skills performed in sequence, the core of a floor routine. |
| Twisting | Rotation around the long axis of the body while in the air, added to a flip to raise its difficulty. |
| Uneven bars | Two bars set at different heights, linked by swings, transitions and releases in a women's routine. |
| Vault | The event in which a gymnast sprints, hits a springboard and pushes off the vaulting table into a flight to landing. |
| Vaulting table | The padded table a gymnast pushes off in the vault. It replaced the older vaulting horse. |
| Yurchenko | A vault family that starts with a round-off onto the board and a back handspring onto the table. |
#1 Aerial
An aerial is a no-handed cartwheel where a gymnast rotates their body 360 degrees sideways through the air. It’s a highly valued skill on the floor and balance beam, showcasing advanced tumbling ability and body control.
#2 Balance Beam
The balance beam is a narrow, elevated apparatus on which female gymnasts perform a routine requiring great balance and precision. Routines on the beam combine jumps, acrobatics, and dance elements, challenging even the most skilled gymnasts.
#3 Bars
In gymnastics, “bars” refers to two types of apparatus: the parallel bars for men and the uneven bars for women. Routines on the bars involve swinging, flight elements, and handstands, demonstrating exceptional strength and coordination.
#4 Cartwheel
A cartwheel is a basic gymnastics move involving a sideways rotation with legs and arms extended, resembling the spokes of a wheel. It’s a fundamental skill that builds up to more complex tumbling and is performed on the floor.
#5 Dismount
A dismount is the final part of an apparatus routine where the gymnast exits, often involving a complex twist or flip. A clean dismount is critical for a high score, as it’s the last impression left on the judges.
#6 Floor Exercise
The floor exercise is an artistic gymnastics event in which gymnasts perform a choreographed routine to music on a 12×12 meter square mat. The routine includes a combination of acrobatic skills, tumbling passes, dance elements, and jumps, demonstrating strength, flexibility, and balance.
#7 Gymnast
A gymnast is an athlete who performs in the sport of gymnastics, which includes disciplines like artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, trampoline, and acrobatic gymnastics. Gymnasts train to develop physical strength, agility, coordination, balance, and grace.
#8 Handstand
A handstand is a fundamental gymnastic skill where the gymnast balances upside down on their hands, with the body straight and legs extended upwards. Handstands are foundational and are used in many gymnastic routines across various apparatuses.
#9 Iron Cross
An impressive strength move on the rings where a gymnast holds their body horizontal to the ground with arms extended straight out to the sides. It requires immense arm and core strength and is often a crowd-pleaser.
#10 Mount
The move a gymnast performs to get onto an apparatus such as the balance beam, uneven bars, or pommel horse. Mounts can be simple, like a step up, or complex involving flips and twists to impress judges from the start.
#11 Pommel Horse
A gymnastic apparatus featuring a flat, padded, rectangular body with two handles (pommels) on top. Gymnasts perform continuous circular and swinging motions, requiring balance and strength, particularly in the upper body and core.
#12 Routine
A pre-choreographed sequence of gymnastics elements performed on various apparatuses or the floor, showcasing a gymnast’s strength, flexibility, balance, and artistry. It’s judged for technical precision and overall presentation quality.
#13 Scoring
The system used by judges to evaluate a gymnast’s performance, which includes the difficulty of executed elements and execution quality. Scores are crucial for determining winners in competitions and can be affected by deductions for errors.
#14 Stick
A term used when a gymnast lands without any visible movement of the feet, showing perfect control. Sticking a landing can be a decisive moment in a routine, often leading to higher scores.
#15 Tumbling
Tumbling refers to a series of acrobatic maneuvers performed in sequence, which can include flips, rolls, jumps, and somersaults. In gymnastics, tumbling is a key component of the floor exercise but is also practiced on its own as a sport (power tumbling).
#16 Vault
The vault is an artistic gymnastics event where gymnasts sprint down a runway (about 25 meters), jump onto a springboard, and propel themselves off a vaulting table to perform aerial twists and flips before landing. The event requires speed, timing, and explosive power.
#17 Yurchenko
A vaulting maneuver named after Soviet gymnast Natalia Yurchenko, involving a round-off onto the springboard, a back handspring onto the vault, followed by a variety of possible flips or twists off the vault.
#18 All-around
This term refers to a gymnast competing in all apparatus events in a single competition, including floor exercise, pommel horse, rings, vault, parallel bars, and horizontal bar for men, or vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise for women.
#19 Back Handspring
A fundamental gymnastics skill where a gymnast flips backward onto their hands and then pushes off to land back on their feet. It’s a building block for more complex tumbling sequences.
#20 Chalk
A substance composed mainly of magnesium carbonate that gymnasts apply to their hands and feet to absorb moisture, reduce friction, and prevent slipping on apparatuses like bars and rings.
#21 Flip
A generic term for any acrobatic skill in gymnastics where the body rotates around the horizontal axis, commonly seen in floor exercises and on various apparatuses.
#22 Pike
A position where the gymnast bends at the waist with legs straight, toes pointed, and hands reaching towards the feet. It can be executed both on the ground and in the air during various skills.
#23 Rings
Rings are one of the men’s artistic gymnastics apparatuses consisting of two rings suspended from a cable and attached to a metal frame. Gymnasts perform a series of swings, strength holds, and aerial maneuvers that require exceptional upper body strength and precise control.
#24 Salto
A salto is an aerial rotation or flip executed by a gymnast, where the body turns end over end in the air. It’s a fundamental skill that can be performed on various apparatuses or the floor.
#25 Split
The split is a flexibility move where a gymnast extends their legs in opposite directions, either sideways or front to back, forming a straight line. Achieving a 180-degree angle is often a sign of optimal flexibility.
#26 Straddle
In a straddle, the gymnast spreads their legs wide apart to the sides, either while holding onto an apparatus, such as the uneven bars, or during a jump on the floor. It demonstrates flexibility and control.
#27 Twisting
Twisting refers to the action of rotating the body along the longitudinal axis while in mid-air, often adding difficulty to flips or vaults. The number of twists performed can increase the move’s complexity.
#28 Uneven Bars
The uneven bars are an artistic gymnastics apparatus consisting of two horizontal bars set at different heights. Gymnasts perform a routine that includes swings, transitions, and releases between the bars.
#29 Whip Back
A whip back is a no-handed back handspring where the gymnast swings their legs over their body in a fluid, whip-like motion. It’s often used to gain momentum for following tumbling passes.
#30 Full-in
A full-in is a complex tumbling skill typically performed during floor routines or on the vault. It consists of a double back somersault with a full twist incorporated into the first somersault. This move is advanced and requires high levels of skill to execute safely and effectively.
FAQ
What is scratching in gymnastics?
Scratching means withdrawing rather than competing. A gymnast can scratch a single apparatus and still compete on the others, or scratch the whole meet, usually because of injury.
What is flight in gymnastics?
Flight is the airborne phase of a skill, the part where no hand or foot touches the apparatus. Skills with a flight phase, such as a release on bars, count as harder than the same shape performed in contact.
What are the bars in gymnastics called?
For women they are the uneven bars, two bars set at different heights. For men there are two separate apparatus: the parallel bars, set level and side by side, and the horizontal bar, usually called the high bar.
What is the pose at the end of a gymnastics routine called?
The salute. The gymnast faces the judges with the arms raised to show the routine has begun or finished. Skipping it can cost a deduction.
What is it called when a gymnast stands on one leg and lifts the other?
A scale. The supporting leg stays straight while the free leg is held out to the side, front or back. It is a common balance element on beam and floor.
What is it called when a gymnast holds his legs straight out on the rings?
An L-sit, sometimes called an L-hold. The body is upright and the legs form a right angle with the torso. Raising the legs higher turns it into a V-sit.
What is another word for vaulting in gymnastics?
The event is simply called vault. The equipment is the vaulting table, and a named vault family, such as the Yurchenko, describes how the gymnast gets onto it.
What are some Gymnastics terms for beginners?
“Aerial,” “Balance beam,” and “Cartwheel” are some Gymnastics terms beginners should start with. These terms are the building blocks for basic skills and apparatus familiarization.
What are some funny Gymnastics terms?
“Yurchenko,” “Pike,” and “Whip back” are some funny Gymnastics terms that might sound peculiar to those outside the sport, evoking a sense of whimsy and curiosity about their meanings.
What is a famous Gymnastics phrase?
“Stick the landing” is a famous Gymnastics phrase that emphasizes the importance of landing without movement, signifying precision and a successful completion of a gymnastic element.
