Gymnastics words · Beginner

The words you will hear in your first match, grouped the way you meet them.

B · Beginner · 44 words · Step 1 of 2

General terms

Exercise

What a gymnast performs on one apparatus. The FIG codes call it an exercise. Its length and content rules differ by discipline: for example 90 seconds at most on women's beam and floor, and 70 seconds at most on men's floor.

Also called: routine
See also: Apparatus

Apparatus

The specific equipment used for an event (like the balance beam or rings).

Execution

How well a movement is performed. Judges start from a perfect 10 and deduct for errors such as bent knees, bent arms, steps on landing and poor posture. In men's artistic, a small error costs 0.1, a medium error 0.3, a large error 0.5 and a fall 1.0.

Difficulty

The content of an exercise: how hard its elements are. It is judged separately from execution, and in artistic gymnastics it forms the D score, which is added to the E score.

Also called: d-score
See also: Exercise, Execution, D score, E score

The ruleHow is the difficulty of a trampoline skill worked out?

Landing

The end of a dismount or vault. A landing is judged for control: steps, hops, feet apart and falls are deducted. In men's artistic a dismount of C value or higher that is stuck, with no step, earns a 0.1 bonus, except on pommel horse.

Also called: dismount
See also: Vault, Pommel horse, Dismount

Judges

The officials who score. In artistic gymnastics a D jury scores the content and an E jury the execution, and in rhythmic gymnastics there is also an artistry jury. A superior jury oversees the panel.

Artistic gymnastics events (Women)

Vault

A run of up to 25 m, a take-off from the springboard with two feet, support from both hands on the vaulting table, then a flight and a landing. The gymnast performs one vault, or two from different groups in vault finals; the two scores are averaged.

Uneven bars

An event using two horizontal bars set at different heights, where gymnasts swing, release and transition between them.

Balance beam

An elevated beam on which gymnasts perform acrobatic and dance elements. The exercise lasts at most 90 seconds, timed from the take-off from the springboard or mat to the landing of the dismount.

Floor exercise

An exercise on a 12 m by 12 m floor with acrobatic lines, dance elements and choreography, set to music. It lasts at most 90 seconds, and music with words or no music is penalised.

Artistic gymnastics events (Men)

Floor exercise

An exercise on a 12 m by 12 m floor of acrobatic elements with strength, balance and flexibility elements. It lasts at most 70 seconds. It is not set to music, and it must use the whole floor and end with a salto.

Pommel horse

An event where gymnasts perform continuous circular and swinging movements while supporting themselves on a horse-shaped apparatus with handles.

Still rings

An event on two suspended rings. Strength hold elements, such as the cross, must be held for at least 2 seconds, or they are not credited for difficulty.

Vault

One vault from a run of up to 25 m, with support from two hands on the table and a landing behind it. In vault finals the gymnast shows two vaults from different groups.

Parallel bars

An event using two horizontal bars at the same height, side by side, where gymnasts swing and balance between them.

Horizontal bar

An event using a single elevated bar, where gymnasts perform continuous swinging and release moves, often ending with a dramatic dismount.

Also called: high bar
See also: Landing, Dismount

The ruleWhat does a gymnast have to do on the horizontal bar?

Common skills and movements

Tumbling pass

A connected sequence of flips and twists performed across the floor.

Somersault

A full rotation of the body, forward or backward, in the air.

Also called: flip

Twist

A rotation around the body's vertical axis, often combined with a somersault.

Handspring

A move where the gymnast pushes off their hands to flip their body over.

Split

A position where the legs are stretched in opposite directions, often used to show flexibility.

Straddle

A position with the legs spread wide apart to the sides.

Pike

A position with the body bent at the hips and the legs straight. In salto and dance elements the hip angle must be less than 90 degrees to count as a pike.

Layout

A straight-body position, with no bend at the hips or knees. The FIG codes call it the stretched or straight position, as against tuck and pike.

Also called: stretched, straight position
See also: Pike

Rhythmic gymnastics terms

Apparatus

The handheld equipment of rhythmic gymnastics. The individual program of four exercises uses hoop, ball, clubs and ribbon. Rope is not in the 2025-2028 program.

Also called: rhythmic
See also: Rhythmic gymnastics, rhythmic apparatus

Leap

A jump in which the gymnast takes off from one foot or both and shows a shape in the air, as in a split leap. Jumps and leaps are one of the three groups of body difficulty.

Also called: jump
See also: Difficulty, Split, Body difficulty

Body difficulty

Difficulty of the body: jumps and leaps, balances and rotations (pivots) from the tables. The eight highest count, and at least one from each of the three groups must be shown or 0.30 is deducted for each missing group.

Also called: DB
See also: Difficulty

The ruleWhat body movements count for difficulty in rhythmic gymnastics?

Apparatus difficulty

Difficulty of the apparatus: handling elements from the tables, such as throws, catches and rolls, performed with the hoop, ball, clubs or ribbon. At most 15 count in an individual exercise.

Also called: DA
See also: Exercise, Apparatus, Difficulty

Rhythmic gymnastics

A discipline of exercises with music and a handheld apparatus, in individual and group competitions. Individual exercises last 1 minute 15 seconds to 1 minute 30 seconds, and each second over or under is a 0.05 penalty. A group exercise lasts 2 minutes 15 seconds to 2 minutes 30 seconds.

See also: Exercise, Apparatus, Group exercise

Group exercise

An exercise performed together by five gymnasts. Body difficulties must be done by all five to count, and groups are scored for exchanges of the apparatus and collaboration.

Hoop, ball, clubs and ribbon

The four apparatus of the 2025-2028 individual program. Each exercise is performed with one of them and has technical groups of its own.

Also called: rhythmic apparatus
See also: Exercise, Apparatus

Trampoline gymnastics terms

Bounce

The height a gymnast achieves off the trampoline before performing a skill.

Also called: set

Trampoline exercise

In trampoline, an exercise of ten elements with no straight bounces between them. In tumbling an exercise is eight elements along a track.

Time of flight

How long the gymnast spends in the air during the ten elements, measured electronically. It is its own score, the T mark, added to the total. It is not a difficulty measure.

Trampoline gymnastics

The FIG discipline with four categories: individual trampoline, synchronised trampoline, tumbling and double mini-trampoline.

Synchronised trampoline

Two gymnasts perform the same exercise at the same time. A synchronisation score is added, from a maximum of 10 points that is then doubled.

Tumbling

A trampoline-gymnastics category performed along a track, with a landing area at the end. An exercise is eight elements, ending with a somersault. Each somersault is worth 0.5, and the exercise ends on the feet.

Scoring terms

D score

The content score, set by the D jury. In men's artistic it adds the best eight element difficulty values, requirement points and connection points. In women's artistic it adds the eight highest elements, up to 2.00 for composition requirements, connection value and bonuses. On women's vault it is the value of the vault.

Also called: difficulty score
See also: Difficulty, Vault, Connection value, Composition requirements

E score

The execution score, set by the E jury. It starts at 10.0 and deductions are taken in tenths of a point. In men's artistic, the highest and lowest of the judges' deduction totals are dropped and the rest averaged. In women's artistic it includes artistry on beam and floor.

Also called: execution score
See also: Execution, Judges, Artistry

Final score

The D score plus the E score, minus any neutral deductions or penalties. The all-around score is the sum of the final scores on each apparatus.

See also: Apparatus, All-around, D score, E score

Dismount

The last element, in which the gymnast leaves the apparatus and lands. In men's artistic every exercise must end with one. In women's artistic a dismount of D value or higher on bars, beam or floor earns a 0.20 bonus, if there is no fall.

See also: Exercise, Apparatus, Landing, Fall, Cast

Fall

Falling on or from the apparatus. In men's artistic the deduction is 1.0, and the element earns no difficulty credit. The gymnast then has 30 seconds to remount.

Stick

A landing with no step or hop. In men's artistic it earns a 0.1 bonus on dismounts of C value or higher, except on pommel horse. Raised heels to keep balance mean no stick.

Also called: stuck landing
See also: Landing, Pommel horse

Qualification and finals

The four phases of FIG competitions: qualification, team final, all-around final and apparatus finals. Qualification decides who reaches the finals.