How many gymnastic events are there

The balance beam emphasizes, well, balance, mostly on the feet. It requires graceful movements, something largely associated with femininity. And women's dancier floor exercises likely play off this same gender norm. Men's floor routines are more about flips than anything else. The gymnastics events for men and women are likely different due to the fact that men generally have greater upper body strength than women, with a strong splash of gender norms on top of it.

But these reasons ring less valid today, with female gymnasts probably plenty capable of matching upper and lower body strength, and with the loosening of gender norms. Gymnasts firstly compete in the Team Event, which counts as both a medal event and the qualification round for the Individual All-Around and Individual Apparatus events.

All artistic gymnasts compete in this event even if the competing nation does not have a team. No scores are carried forward from the qualifications to the Individual All-Around and Apparatus Finals. A team is a minimum of three gymnasts, and a maximum of five — on each piece of apparatus a maximum of four gymnasts will compete with the team score being calculated by adding the best three scores, known as a format.

Finalists perform on each piece of apparatus again, with only final round scores counting. The combined scores of all pieces of apparatus determine the final ranking. Floor exercises are executed on a 12 x 12m sprung floor surrounded by a one metre safety border. Athletes have 70 seconds to execute a routine composed predominantly of acrobatic elements combined with other gymnastic elements such as strength and balance parts, elements of flexibility, handstands, and choreographic combinations, performed utilizing the entire floor exercise area.

A noise sounds after 60 seconds, indicating to the gymnast that they have only 10 seconds left to complete their routine. The pommel horse is 1. The distance can be adjusted to between the pommels is 40cm to 45cm.

Athletes execute elements including single leg work, travels, turns, swings to handstand as well as a dismount together in a routine with continuous flow and interchange of movements and grip positions along the width of the horse and on the handles.

The apparatus consists of two circular rings, made of wood or synthetic material, attached to cables and suspended on a frame, 2. Athletes perform a series of swings, strength and hold parts in approximately equal portions in their routine, finishing with an impressive dismount. After gaining speed from an approach run of 25m maximum , the gymnasts take off from a spring board, push from the vault table with their hands then perform somersaults with twists attempting to finish with a controlled and steady landing.

In elite or professional gymnastics, there is a difficulty score and an execution score. Under this new scoring system established in , there is no maximum score. The difficulty score goes up based on the level of the skill being performed, usually ranging from five to seven, and the overall execution score is calculated based on deductions made by a panel of judges.

Men's and women's gymnastics consist of unique apparatuses, four for women and six for men. The four main apparatuses for women's gymnastics are the vault, the balance beam, the uneven bars, and the floor exercise.

Men's gymnastics also has the vault and the floor exercise, along with the parallel bars, the horizontal bar, the pommel horse, and the rings. A vault in gymnastics consists of a runway, a springboard, and a vaulting table. A typical table is four feet tall and three feet wide, but can be adjusted based on the skill the gymnast is attempting. The gymnast begins at the end of the runway and runs quickly toward the table, using this speed and the springboard to launch themselves over, doing a combination of several turns and flips.

Different gymnasts will have unique entrances and exits on and off the table. The gymnast is judged based on their height and distance over the table, as well as their form in the air and their stability on landing.

The balance beam sits approximately four feet above the ground and is only four inches wide. Gymnasts must focus on remaining balanced atop the beam while performing a combination of turns, jumps, and flips along its surface. They are scored on their ability to perform skills without wobbling and their ability to stay on top of the beam through their entire routine.

Falling off or grabbing the beam to balance themselves results in an entire point being deducted from their overall score.

The goal for gymnasts is to appear as if they are performing on an even floor, rather than a small beam lifted off the ground. The uneven bars consist of two bars, one higher than the other, which are held in suspension and bolstered to the floor. Female gymnasts will move from one bar to the other, using flips and turns to move. They will also do flips inside and outside of the bars, each time returning their hands to the bars and continuing their routine. Gymnasts are scored on the quality of the skills they perform, and the fluidity of their movement.

They are also judged on their ability to maintain straight lines while moving above the bar, and the stability of their landing once they dismount. Gymnasts often use chalk in order to give them a better grip on the bar and lessen the likelihood of a fall. Coaches will also stand near the bars to catch any gymnasts who happen to lose their grip. The floor exercise in gymnastics consists solely of a spring-embedded floor, 40 square feet in size.

The gymnast will choose their own floor music and prepare a routine to go along with it. This routine consists of leaps, turns, and several "passes" across the floor where they will combine a unique set of flips and turns. The balance beam stands about four feet off the ground in this women's event. The beam is just four inches wide. Gymnasts must execute a variety of difficult maneuvers as if they were performing on the floor.

While beginners may be tentative on the beam, world-class gymnasts confidently attack it with their routines. I learned to fake confidence once I walked onto the floor mat in a competition and realized later that I actually felt more confident. The low bar is set about 5 feet, 4 inches off the ground for this women's event. The high bar is about eight feet high.

The bars are approximately six feet apart. The routine is scored on the gymnast's ability to flow seamlessly from one move to the next without pausing. One of the most stunning-to-watch aspects is the flow from the high bar to the low or vice versa. These daring moves showcase the gymnast's strength and versatility. This apparatus stands about 3 feet, 8 inches high for this men's event.