What are the four apparatuses in women's gymnastics?
For the women, there are four apparatuses used during a gymnastics competition: vault, uneven bars, beam and floor.
What are the six apparatuses in men's gymnastics?
For the men, there are six apparatuses used during a gymnastics competition: floor exercise, pommel horse, rings, vault, parallel bars, high bar
Floor Exercise
The Mat
The performance area has surface elasticity to allow for power during take-off and softness for landing. The cover material is foam covered by heat-absorbing felt carpet, designed to not cause skin burns.
Dimensions: 12x12 meters (40x40 feet)
The Routine:
Women's floor routines are performed to music and last no longer than 90 seconds. A gymnast is required to cover the entire floor area during his or her exercise. Women's routines combine dance movements and sequences with a variety of tumbling and acrobatic elements. Required elements include a minimum of three acrobatic elements (one of which must be a salto), a minimum of three dance elements, and two optional elements. Most gymnasts perform four tumbling passes in a routine, which is the maximum number they can perform in a routine. The various maneuvers should be blended harmoniously. Mood, tempo and direction should vary.
Men's floor routines, unaccompanied by music, must last no longer than 75 seconds and often feature six tumbling passes. The acrobatic elements are combined with other gymnastics elements such as strength and balance, elements of flexibility and handstands. Each routine must include a double salto element. A static balance or strength element (held for two seconds), during which the gymnast demonstrates his ability to rest on one leg or arm, must also be incorporated. Transitional skills should be executed with proper rhythm and harmony.
Vault
The Vaulting Table
The vaulting apparatus used in international competition was officially replaced in 2001. Instead of the traditional rectangular vaulting "horse," the apparatus is now a larger vaulting "table." The new structure was designed to be safer — both in the push-off area and in collision situations — with protective padding. It is designed to evenly distribute the rebound across the whole surface. The body of the vault is made from heavy-duty, galvanized steel. The gymnast takes off from a birchwood springboard with hardened chrome silicon steel springs, giving the vaulter added speed and height. The runway is one meter wide (about 3 feet) and 25 meters long (about 82 feet). It is covered with 25-millimeter thick felt carpet with an anti-slip springboard zone and distance indicators.
The Vaults
Vaults are quick but complicated. Gymnasts gather speed running toward the vaulting table, launch themselves off the springboard toward the vault, then propel themselves into the air with a push off the vault and execute a combination of twists and somersaults before landing on the mat with as much control as possible. Marks are awarded for the control of the body and the landing position. The majority of women do "Yurchenko" style vaults, which involve a round-off onto the springboard and a back handspring onto the table, while men typically choose "Tsukahara" vaults — a forward entry with a quarter or half turn onto the table.
Vault height: 1.35 meters (4 feet, 5 inches)
Vault length: 1.20 meters (3 feet, 11 inches)
Vault width: 95 centimeters (3 feet, 1 inch)
Approach run: 25 meters (82 feet)
Uneven Bars
The Bars
The two uneven bars are made of a fiberglass core covered with a birch wood laminate. The bars are parallel to each other and at different heights, but the distance between them can be adjusted depending on the size of the gymnast.
Height of upper bar from floor: 2.5 meters (8 feet)
Height of lower bar from floor: 1.7 meters (5 feet, 5 inches)
Length of bars: 2.4 meters (7 feet, 10 inches)
Bar Diameter: 4 centimeters (1 1/2 inches)
Distance between bars: 1.3 to 1.8 meters (4 feet, 3 inches to 5 feet, 11 inches)
The Routine
Continuous swinging movements are predominant on this apparatus. The gymnast must perform a flight element from the high bar to the low bar, incorporate grip changes, do a same-bar flight element, and a non-flight element with a minimum of one full turn. If a gymnast falls, she incurs a 1.00-point penalty from her execution score and has 30 seconds to get back on the bars and resume her routine. The gymnast also incurs a full point deduction if she hits the mat with her feet during the routine.
Is there a time limit on uneven bars?
There is not an official time limit for the routine itself, although uneven bar routines typically lasts between 30 and 90 seconds. However, there is time limit after a fall. The gymnast has up to 30 seconds to remount the bar after a fall. The clock does not start until the gymnast is standing on her feet.
Did the uneven bars used to be closer together?
When the uneven bars were first introduced at the 1934 World Championships and added to the Olympics in 1952, they were set much closer together, making it easier for gymnasts to transition between them. However, as routines became more complex in the 1970s, the bars began to be moved farther apart.
What did the uneven bars used to be called?
The uneven bars are an evolution of the men's parallel bars. In the 1930s, one bar was was raised above the other to create what is now known as the uneven bars.
Balance Beam
The balance beam is made of aluminum and covered with vinyl, with foam padding on the top.
Height from floor: 1.25 meters (about 4 feet)
Length: 5 meters (16 feet, 5 inches)
Width: 10 centimeters (4 inches)
The Routine
Requirements for beam routines include a connection of at least two different dance elements (one of the elements must show a split of 180 degrees), a turn or roll, an acrobatic series of at least two flight elements, acrobatic skills in different directions (forward, sideward or backward) and a dismount. A good beam performer exhibits flexibility, rhythm, balance and elegance. A beam exercise must last no more than 90 seconds; a deduction will occur if the routine is not within that time frame. If a gymnast grasps the beam to avoid a fall, she incurs a 0.50-point penalty from her execution score. If she falls off the beam, she incurs a 1.00-point penalty and has 10 seconds to remount and continue her routine.
High Bar
The Bar
The high bar, also called the horizontal bar, is made of extremely high-tension stainless steel. It is supported and stabilized by columns and a dual cable tension system.
Height: 2.8 meters (9 feet, 2 inches)
Length: 2.4 meters (7 feet, 9 inches)
Bar diameter: 2.8 centimeters (1 1/8 inches)
The Routine
A high bar routine consists exclusively of swinging movements without interruption and with various grip positions. The gymnast should perform continuous clean movements and must not touch the bar with his body. Requirements include changes of grip and swinging movements both forward and backward. The gymnast must also execute at least one move in which he releases the bar and has a visible flight phase before re-grasping the bar. A good dismount rises high into the air and is cleanly landed.
Parallel Bars
Height from floor: 2 meters (6 feet, 6 inches)
Length: 3.5 meters each (11 feet, 5 inches)
Distance between bars: 42 to 52 centimeters (16 1/2 to 20 1/2 inches)
The Routine
A parallel bars routine consists primarily of swinging and flight elements, plus intermittent holds. The gymnast should travel along and work both above and below the bars, incorporating swinging elements and handstand holds.
Still Rings
The Rings
The rings are made from multiple layers of wood and are attached to long, non-twisting, pre-stressed, plastic-covered, stainless steel cables with a shock absorption system.
Height: 2.8 meters above the floor (9 feet, 2 inches)
Distance between rings: 50 centimeters (1 foot, 8 inches)
Diameter of rings: 18 centimeters (7 inches)
Length of cables: 3 meters (9 feet, 9 inches)
The Routine
Ring routines should include a variety of movements demonstrating strength, support and balance. The gymnast should perform a series of swings and holds with both forward and backward elements and the routine should finish with an acrobatic dismount. Gymnasts are also required to hold all strength and handstand positions for a minimum of two seconds. Deductions will be taken for unnecessary swings.
Pommel Horse
The Horse
A modern pommel horse has a metal body covered with foam and high-quality chrome leather, compared to the original design of a wooden body. The pommels are mounted on an alloy base and are covered with a rubber compound designed for a good grip.
Height: 1.15 meters (3 feet, 9 inches)
Length at the top: 1.6 meters (5 feet, 3 inches)
Width: 35 centimeters (13 1/2 inches)
Distance between pommels: 40 to 45 centimeters (15 1/2 to 17 1/2 inches)
Height of pommels: 12 centimeters (4 1/2 inches)
The Routine
During the pommel horse routine, a gymnast must cover all three areas of the horse — the middle and both ends, divided by handles — while performing continuous, circular movements interrupted only by required scissors movements. The hands are the only part of the body that should touch the apparatus. The dismount typically involves the gymnast flying up to a handstand before landing on the side of the horse. The entire exercise should flow with a steady, controlled rhythm.