Gimnastik adalah sukan untuk semua orang - tua dan muda. Hal ini membolehkan setiap peserta untuk mengeksplorasi berbagai bentuk gerakan dalam cara yang menyenangkan dan kreatif. Gimnastik adalah salah satu kegiatan yang terbaik untuk menyumbang terhadap pembangunan keseluruhan kanak-kanak kerana mempunyai asas bagi penyertaan dan kejayaan dalam semua kegiatan olahraga lain. Sifat dinamik Gimnastik memberinya daya tarikan universal. Kegembiraan mencuba dan Gimnastik menguasai kemahiran dalam pelbagai kegiatan yang memotivasi peserta dalam program seperti: Pra-Sekolah, CANGYM, Pemuda Rekreasi, Dewasa Rekreasi, dan Kumpulan Prestasi dalam semua disiplin artistik Gimnastik, berirama Gimnastik, trampolin, jumpalitan dan Sukan aerobics.

Umum Gimnastik adalah cabang yang tidak kompetitif Gimnastik dan memainkan peranan utama dalam pembangunan gaya hidup aktif. Ini adalah darah dari Gimnastik komuniti dengan lebih daripada 90% daripada keahlian kita mengejar bentuk aktiviti rekreasi. Tujuan pesenam ini mungkin berbeza, tapi kecocokan FUN dan fundamental mencapai tidak pernah hilang!

Salah satu tujuan umum Gimnastik adalah sukan indah ini menunjukkan kepada masyarakat umum. Gimnastik Ontario terlibat dalam hosting Gymnaestrada secara tahunan. Ini adalah menyenangkan diisi ekstravaganza non-kompetitif yang merayakan kegembiraan senam. Peserta dari semua peringkat dan semua umur menggunakan gabungan dari tarian, senam artistik, senam irama, dll dalam bentuk kumpulan rutin koreografi. Persekutuan Senam Antarabangsa sponsor utama festival antarabangsa setiap empat tahun dengan lebih dari 20.000 menyertai! Dunia seterusnya Gymnaestrada ini di Portugal pada 2003.

Senam Ontario juga sangat aktif dalam Kanada lebar "I Love

Senam Minggu" yang diadakan setiap tahun pada saat perayaan Hari Valentine di bulan Februari. Minggu ini kesedaran khusus 'adalah kesempatan yang sangat baik untuk ahli kelab untuk memuat demonstrasi mereka ke masyarakat untuk mempromosikan sukan Gimnastik dan kelab khusus mereka.

Tujuan lain Umum Gimnastik adalah untuk mempromosi dan melaksanakan berbagai macam perkhidmatan pendidikan yang berorientasikan Gimnastik bagi ahli dan masyarakat umum. Acara seperti OPHEA Klinik Sekolah telah dibangunkan untuk mendidik guru tentang Gimnastik dan memperkenalkan konsep-konsep baru untuk anak-anak dalam promosi Gimnastik. Umum Gimnastik juga memberikan pembangunan profesional dan kesempatan penataran pelatih peringkat rekreasi. Ada Klinik Negeri yang diadakan sepanjang tahun di seluruh provinsi. The Ontario Gimnastik Kongres Teknikal kesempatan lain perkembangan yang sangat baik menyediakan satu hari penuh lokakarya tentang pelbagai topik. Melalui usaha sukarelawan yang berdedikasi dan ahli kakitangan, Gimnastik Ontario baru-baru ini memperkenalkan jenama baru Menguruskan Gimnastik Spesialis Program Sertifikasi pujian!

Umum Gimnastik adalah inti dari "Sukan untuk Semua, Sukan untuk Kehidupan '. Dalam Umum Gimnastik itu tidak menang, tapi mengambil bahagian yang menyediakan begitu banyak kesenangan begitu banyak peserta.

When you think of gymnastics, you may picture young women doing daring flips on the 4-inch-wide beam, or men doing incredible feats of strength on the rings. But those images actually represent only two of the seven commonly-defined types of gymnastics. Surprised? Here are all seven:

Women's Artistic Gymnastics

Women's artistic gymnastics has the most participants and is generally the most well-known of the types of gymnastics. It's also one of the first tickets to sell out at the Olympic Games.

The Events: In women’s artistic gymnastics, athletes compete on four apparatus (vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise).

Competition: Olympic competition consists of:

Team -- Six athletes are on a team. In preliminaries, five athletes compete on each event and four scores count. In finals, three athletes compete on each event and every score counts towards the team total.

Individual All-Around -- An athlete competes on all four events and the total score is added up.

Individual Events -- An event champion is named on each apparatus.

Watch It: 2007 and 2008 US national champion Shawn Johnson

Men’s Artistic Gymnastics

This is the second most popular type in the United States, and the oldest form of gymnastics.

The Events: Men compete on six apparatus: floor exercise, pommel horse, still rings, vault, parallel bars and horizontal bar (usually called high bar).

Competition: Olympic competition is held in the same format as women’s artistic gymnastics, with team, all-around and individual events competition. The only difference is that the men compete across their six events, whereas the women compete across their four events.

Watch It: Two-time Olympic medalist Jonathan Horton

Rhythmic Gymnastics

Gymnasts perform jumps, tosses, leaps and other moves with different types of apparatus. This is currently a female-only sport in the Olympics.

The Events: Athletes compete with five different types of apparatus: rope, hoop, ball, clubs and ribbon. Floor exercise is also an event in the lower levels of competition.

Competition: At the Olympics, rhythmic gymnasts compete in:

Individual All-Around -- An athlete competes on four of the five events (every two years, one apparatus is rotated out for that time period) and the total score is added.

Individual Events -- A gymnast is named champion on each of the four apparatus currently in rotation.

Group Competition -- Five gymnasts compete two different routines. In one routine, all of the athletes use the same piece of apparatus. In the second routine, the gymnasts use two different pieces of equipment (e.g. three gymnasts will use ball and two gymnasts will use hoop).

Watch It: The 2007 world champion Russian Group

Poll:What type of gymnastics is your favorite? Women's Artistic Men's Artistic

Rhythmic

Trampoline

Tumbling

Acrobatic

Group

Mengapa menyertai Senam?

Senam Tentu Membangunkan

• Kelajuan & Kekuatan• Agility, Balance & Fleksibiliti• pembangunan motor Kasar• Body & Terperinci kesedaran• Secara keseluruhan tubuh kemahiran pengurusan• Fokus Mental• Penyelarasan Pasukan kerja• Confidence & Self-esteem

Di antara aktiviti fizikal yang terlibat akan sebagai berikut:

Dasar kemahiran

• Jambatan• Split• Teruskan roll• Mundur roll• Cartwheel• Headstand• Handstand

A split is one of those moves that is really easy for some people and much harder for others. Even if you’re as tight as can be, though, you’ll still be able to master it if you work hard at your stretching.

A great way to get (or improve) your split is to move through a series of different stretches, from simple to advanced. If you are a beginner, you’ll probably want to master the easier stretches first before moving on to full split stretches.

Be sure to do each stretch on both sides – you’ll want a good split on both your right leg and your left leg in order to be a great gymnast.

Learning how to do a handstand is one of the most important steps to becoming a good gymnast. Sooner or later, you'll be doing a handstand on just about every event, and learning a solid one will help you improve quickly in the sport.

When you feel ready, attempt your handstand without using the wall. You may want to have a spotter to help you balance. The spotter should hold your legs once you kick up.

In your first attempts, you might be a little nervous that you will kick too hard and go right over the top. A spotter should be able to prevent this from happening, but you will want to learn some good ways to come out of your handstand when you don’t have a spotter:

Roll out: Bend your arms, tuck your head under (chin to your chest), and do a forward roll out of your handstand.

Pirouette: Twist your shoulders and walk one hand around. Your body will make a quarter turn, and you will be able to step down without going over the top. Though this method seems more complicated, most gymnasts prefer it once they learn it

When you are successfully doing a handstand on your own, have someone take a look at your body position. Is your body straight like a pencil? The tighter you are, the easier it will be for you to hold a handstand.

While they're looking, ask them to take a picture of you -- after all, you're doing a handstand!

BACKFLIP

A back flip is considered a basic skill in gymnastics, but only because it is a building block to many other skills. It's not a simple move to learn, but once you do, you've achieved one of the big milestones of becoming a good gymnast.

Please make sure both you and your coach feel that you’re ready to learn a back tuck. It's not a skill that should be attempted by a beginner gymnast, and it should never be tried on your own without a coach present.

A back tuck is much more than jumping in the air and tucking your legs up. In order to rotate, you’ll have to lift your hips up and over your head. Try this drill to help you get the feel for the right kind of tuck up: Lie on the floor, with your body fully stretched out. Your arms should

be straight and by your ears. Tuck your legs up and over your head, as shown. Be sure to rotate

your hips up, not simply tuck your knees to your chest. Keep your knees together and your toes pointed.

The take-off of a back flip is called the "set" or "lift." To successfully complete a back tuck, you'll need to learn how to set the right way. This set drill can be used with a spotter (as shown) or onto a stack of high mats: Start standing up, with your back to the mat or spotter and your arms

by your ears. Swing your arms down and behind you, while bending your knees.

Swing your arms back up and jump as high as you can. Keep your head neutral – looking straight ahead. Your jump should go upward and slightly backward, onto the mat or the spotter. Your arms should stay straight.

If your gymnastics club has a trampoline, this is usually the best place to first attempt a back tuck. The trampoline will give you the height you need so you can concentrate on your technique.

A spotting belt is an easy way to get started. Your coach will help pull you into the air and keep you high enough until you complete the flip.

Other coaches prefer to spot by hand. You and your coach will both start on the trampoline, and s/he will guide you through the flip.

Technique Hints: Remember the drills you did: Be sure to jump hard and swing your

arms all the way up to your ears while rotating your hips up over your head.

Try to keep your head as neutral as possible, without looking backward until you begin to flip.

Talk to your coach about arm technique. S/he may prefer for you to grab your knees during the tuck, or may advise to keep your arms overhead or down by your legs without grabbing. Each of these methods works.

Once you begin flipping, look for the trampoline. When you can spot it, it’s time to start thinking about your landing.

Land with your knees bent slightly and your hips tucked under you.

Once you can successfully complete a back tuck on trampoline, your coach will decide it’s time to move to the floor. S/he will spot you until you both feel comfortable with your ability to complete the flip. Remember to follow the right technique, and you’ll be able to learn the skill much faster.

Vault is one of two events in artistic gymnastics that both men and women perform. (The other is the floor exercise). It's an explosive, exciting event, with very little margin for error. Though a vault is over in a matter of seconds, it has equal weight to the other events in which a gymnast competes.

The Vaulting Table:

All gymnasts vault over a piece of apparatus called the table, a slightly-inclined, metal piece of equipment with a padded and springy cover.

For men it is set at a height of 4 feet 5 inches (135 cm), while for women it is at a height of 4 feet 3 inches (125 cm).

In 2001, the apparatus was changed, from a long cylindrical structure (similar to the pommel horse) to the current table. Therefore, it's sometimes still referred to as the vaulting horse. The relatively new vaulting table is designed to be safer for gymnasts because of its large push-off area (its length is almost 4 feet and its width about 3 feet).

Types of Vaults:

Vaults are divided into five different groups, called families. The most common families performed are the front handspring style, the 1/4 turn in pre-flight (Tsukahara), and the round-off entry (often ca

In 2001, the vaulting horse was officially changed to this vaulting "table." Both men and women compete on it in the same manner; it no longer is turned lengthwise for men and widthwise for women.

Gymnastics officials, coaches and athletes have praised the new table because it allows the gymnast more space to place his or her hands, making it significantly safer than the old apparatus.

Gymnasts perform five distinct phases to every vault: 1. The Run

The gymnast begins at the end of a runway approximately 82 feet or less from the table. (She* may choose the exact distance of the run). She then runs towards the table, building up speed as she goes. When the gymnast is about 3-6 feet from the springboard, she performs a hurdle (a low jump from one foot to two feet) or round-off onto the springboard. What to Watch: Though this part of the vault is not officially judged, the gymnast should be running as fast as possible in order to build momentum for her vault.

2. The Pre-Flight This is the time between when a gymnast hits the springboard and when she makes contact with the table. What to Watch: Tight form is very important at this stage, because a gymnast doesn't want to lose the power built up from her run. The gymnast’s legs should be together and straight, with toes pointed. Her arms should be stretched by her ears.

3. Contact with the Table The gymnast touches the table, and then pushes off with her hands as forcefully as possible to propel her body into the air. What to Watch: As with the pre-flight, it's very important for the gymnast to maintain a tight body position to create as powerful a vault as possible. Think of a pencil versus a wet noodle. The pencil can bounce off the ground on its end, whereas a wet noodle certainly can't!

4. The Post-Flight This is the most exciting part of the vault. The gymnast has pushed off the table and is now in the air, usually performing flips and twists before she lands. What to Watch: Both height and distance are judged, as well as form such as pointed toes and tight-together legs.

5. The Landing The gymnast makes contact with the ground at the completion of the vault.

What to Watch: The ultimate goal of every gymnast is to stick the landing -- to land without moving her feet. It's also important that the gymnast land between specific boundaries in line with the table. These are marked on the mat.

The Apparatus Used in Rhythmic Gymnastics

There are five pieces of equipment used in rhythmic gymnastics. Every two years, the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) designates four of the apparatus to be used, and the other to be set aside for that time period.

Each event is performed on a floor mat measuring about 42.5 feet by 42.5 feet. It is not the same as the floor exercise mat used in artistic gymnastics – it doesn’t have the same amount of spring or padding to it. This is at the request of rhythmic gymnasts, because it is much easier to perform the skills required on a floor without spring and padding.

The events in rhythmic gymnastics are:Floor Exercise

© Ryan Pierse / Getty Images

This event is unique to the introductory levels of competition in the United States and abroad – you won’t see it at the Olympics and other international competitions. In the U.S., it is a compulsory routine in which all athletes perform the same skills to the same music, without use of any additional equipment. What to Watch: Leaps, turns, jumps and flexibility moves will all be on display. Unlike the floor exercise performed in artistic gymnastics, there are no tumbling (flipping) skills.

Rope

© Bradley Kanaris / Getty Images

The rope is made out of hemp or synthetic material, and is proportional to the size of the gymnast. What to Watch: Look for swings, wraps, figure-eight-type movements, throws and catches of the rope, and jumps and leaps through the open or folded rope.

Hoop

© China Photos / Getty Images

The hoop is made of wood or plastic, and is 31-35 inches in its interior diameter. What to Watch: Rolls, high tosses and catches of the hoop, spins, and passes through and over the hoop will all be executed by the gymnast.Ball

© Richard Heathcote / Getty Images

The ball is made from rubber or synthetic material and is 7-7.8 inches in diameter. Very bright-colored balls are not allowed, and the only pattern permitted on the ball is a geometric one. What to Watch: The athletes will perform body waves, throws and catches, balances, and bouncing and rolling of the ball.Clubs

© Julian Finney / Getty Images

The two clubs are of equal length, about 16-20 inches long. Clubs are made from wood or synthetic material and weigh about 5.2 ounces each. What to Watch: Circles (the clubs swing parallel to each other) and mills (the clubs swing opposite each other), throws and catches with the clubs as a unit and with the clubs separately, and rhythmical tapping are all skills in a club routine.Ribbon

© China Photos / Getty Images

The ribbon is a single strip, made of satin or a non-starched material, attached to a stick made of wood or synthetic materials. The ribbon is about 6.5 yards long, and 1.5-2.3. inches wide. The stick is 19.5-23.4 inches long and only .4 inches wide. What to Watch: The gymnast will create all sorts of patterns with the ribbon, including spirals, circles, snakes and figure-eights. She'll also throw and catch the ribbon. It must always stay in motion throughout the entire routine.

History of the Uneven Bars In the 19th century (around 1830), there were reports of uneven bars in France, but it was only in the second half of the 20 th century when this apparatus with the asymmetrically adjusted bars gained its importance. It was at the first “real” World Championships in Budapest in 1934, which were the very first ones for women as well, when it came into favor as a competition apparatus and two years later, when it had its Olympic debut in Berlin. Today the uneven bars are the most many-sided, most dynamic and most demanding apparatus of women’s gymnastics. It is long since the

structure of the many-sided movements on and between the upper and the lower bar corresponds to a “double horizontal bar”…

At first, they did gymnastics like the men did... (History and development of women’s gymnastics at uneven bars)

 

A sight backwards ...

Already in 1830 the Frenchman Amoros wrote of uneven and asymmetrically adjusted bars in a very successful textbook (“Manuel d’education physique et morale”),

 which was still published in 1859 in its ninth edition. This modification of the bars was not really established in the following time, not at all as a

specific feminine apparatus, since the equal participation of women was not possible for a long time due to social circumstances. There were women

doing gymnastics around the turn of the century in the German Gymnastics League, but the real upturn started after World War II only.

Women gymnastics, 1861 >>>

Before that, women’s gymnastics was strongly reminding of men’s gymnastics. As for them, the twelve events were considered to be the “crown of men’s gymnastics”, while there were nine events for the women, which consisted of a mixed competition of athletics and apparatus exercises: horizontal bar, parallel bars, horse, compulsory without apparatus and exercise with clubs as well as hundred-meter sprint and ball throw. Later on, seven events emerged for the women emerged from that in Germany around 1927, which contained a compulsory at bars as well, but at still at parallel bars.

The asymmetrical adjusting of the bars was introduced at the first World Championships for women in 1934 in Budapest.....

Uneven bars on public relation photo 1936

 

... its Olympic debut as a feminine apparatus took place in 1936 in Berlin, even if there were still two apparatuses available: the men’s bars for the compulsory and the

“other” one as a choice for the voluntary exercise. Out of the leading nations at that

time, it was only Czechoslovakia who chose the uneven bars. It was here where the tendency to “double horizontal bar”-

gymnastics was realized for the first time, since these exercises were not exclusively

similar to men’s gymnastics at bars.

Käthe Sohnemann from the golden German  team -

but on parallel bars  >>>

After World War II, at the World Championships in 1950 in Basel, the uneven bars were still not fully accepted, since the women could (for the last time) choose between the uneven bars and the swinging rings. The Austrian Kolar and the Swedish Petterson were the first World Champions to be entered in the history book of gymnastics.

Special Olympic preparation in Great Britain 1952:

Synchron, just for fun

The Olympic Games in Helsinki two years later pushed the development of the apparatus forward, since it was a

full apparatus there. The first Olympic Champion at uneven bars was the Hungarian Korondi. At the World competitions in 1954 the still non-stayed uneven bars were placed as full and lone apparatus; the growing

dynamics of modern gymnastics led to 39 (!) bar-breaks then!

Marjorie Carter (GBR)at the Olympic Games in Helsinki 1952

In Western Germany the public interest decreased, not only concerning the uneven bars but generally the international development of women’s gymnastics. Inconsistent with that were the innovations of German apparatus-developers such as Richard Reuther and Rudolf Spieth, who created useful constructions of stayed double horizontal bars already at the beginning of the 1950ies (German Gymnastics Celebrations, 1953). But it was only in 1965 when perfectly stayed double horizontal bars with struts at all the four posts were

erected at the Palatinate Gymnastics Celebrations. 

The first world performance took place at the V. Gymnaestrada in Vienna, which caused enthusiasm on the side of the gymnasts. The Technical committee of the World Gymnastics Federation released the apparatus short time later for the Universiade in Budapest. Even if the uneven bars had initiated a new era in the training practice and were applied for a patent in 1966, they were not employed at the World Championships in Dortmund. When the exercise of the German-American Doris Fuchs-Brause met the revolutionary opportunities of the new apparatus with nonstop swinging, flying and bar-changing there was whistling and booing in the audience for minutes-with their scores the judges had not fully appreciated this “new” and dynamic way of gymnastics…  

One year later, however, at the European Championships in the Dutch capital Amsterdam, the new double horizontal bars of women’s gymnastics could be employed for the first time. Vera Caslavska (CSR) became European Champion; in Ljubljana in 1970, the German (GDR) Karin Janz became the first World Champion at this modern apparatus, which was in constant technical development in the following years.

Karin JANZ, Olympic Champion 1972 in Munich

and inventor of "Janz Sault"

 

Maxi GNAUCK - fom 1979 to 1983 the "Queen of Uneven Bars"

 

<<< The revolution on Uneven Bars:

Olga Korbut and her flic flac.

Due to the integration of two fiberglass cords, patented since the mid-1960ies, no single bar-break occurred at the Olympic Games in Munich in 1972!

Constant technical development… Contributing to that was the Dutch apparatus manufacturer Janssen&Fritsen, who supplies international gymnastics events since the mid-1960ies, having had his Olympic apparatus debut in 1968 and having presented his apparatus creations at World Championships for the first time in Warna (Bulgaria) in 1974.  .

After the supply in Lausanne in 1997, is now the "Official Apparatus Supplier" of the first World Championships of the new millennium in the

Belgian town Ghent 2001.

There will used the Top competition bars J&F SYSTEM. F.I.G approved.Secured by means of a dual cable system with patented slide lock for easy adjustment. Round railswith fibreglass core and laminated wood.    (Photo right >>>)

 Three months before this highlight of the year already, J&F, as a partner of the Vlaamse Turnliga VTL, supplies the new gymnastics center right behind the World Championships gym in Ghent, which is the biggest gymnastics center in the Benelux states. At the World Championships these highly modern facilities -evidently with most modern uneven bars as well- will be used as official warming-up gym before the performances of the top-

gymnasts in the competition arena in the “Topsporthal Vlanderen”.

(Sources: Geschichte der Turngeräte. J.Göhler; The History of British Gymnastics. J.Prestidge; Das Turnjahrhundert der Deutschen. A.Götze/E.Herholz; Flickflack

Weltbühne des Turnens. A.Götze/H.-J.Zeume; Gerätturnen einst und jetzt. W.Pahncke; Janssen&Fritsen.Katalog 2000)

History of Gymnastics on Balance BeamThis apparatus is rather lately used in competitive gymnastics. However, as apparatus for balancing it is actually as old as later body exercises. It might started with a "horizontal laying, totally round pine tree trunk..." to balance on. Jahn called it later "Schweben" (engl.: floating) which is the origin of the present name still used in Germany. The lower part of the long "Schwedenbank" (Swedish bench) still integrates the balance beam.

1934 the balance beam was part of the world championships in Budapest for the first time. That was also the first time actual women's international championships took place. The beam was only 8 cm wide. Nowadays, this discipline is not only a demonstration of feeling for balance but also of acrobatic of highest difficulty in the artistic area.

 From Balancing to Back Flips and more.... 

German version

This apparatus is rather lately used in competitive gymnastics. As apparatus for balancing, however, it is actually as old as later body exercises. Already Johan Christoph GutsMuths (1759 - 1839) dedicated one chapter to balancing in his pioneering work "Gymnastics for the Youth". His beam was a "horizontal laying, totally round pine tree trunk... of about a length of 64 feet (ca. 20 meters!). The posts wearing the trunk were of that kind that the height can be changed."

Friedrich Ludwig Jahn (1778 - 1852) takes GutsMuths' balancing on the round beam over in his "Deutsche Turnkunst" (German Art of Gymnastics, 1816), but being a declared enemy against foreign words he calls it "Schweben" (floating):

1814: Gymnastics on Jahn's "Schwebebaum"

"Schweben means being in balance: in rest as well as in action". Jahns "Schwebebaum" is "a slim, straight-grown and smooth resinous pinewood or fir tree trunk; the longer, the better, and not good under a length of 40 feet and a diameter of 10 inches at the end of the trunk. It rests between to pairs of strong posts on bolts of iron which can be put high or low". Jahn did not attach great importance to perfect stability of the apparatus, on the contrary: "It must not sway too much, not too little, but it must have the proper life" (The German Art of Gymnastics, 1816).

 

 

 

1913: Gymnastics Festival in Leipzig, Gymnastics at the "Schwebekante"

The Swedish Gymnastics (Pehr Hendrik Ling; 1776 - 1839) integrates the balance beam ("Balansribba"), too. R. Gasch calls it "Schwebekante" (floating edge) and counts it to the main apparatus.Balance exercises on this beam, that was combined with the "Schwedischen Bank" (Swedish bench) is part of the "basic plan of daily Swedish exercises".

Physical Education:Swedish Bench

Later on this (low) balance beam was taken over into school's physical education by German followers of Ling's system, (Hugo Rothstein; first director of the Prussian Central Institution of Gymnastics in Berlin), even though Rothstein lost influence because of the "quarrel about bars" in 1863. Gymnastics pioneers Spieß (1810 - 1858) and Kloß (1818 - 1881) thought highly of this low balance beam as apparatus for girls' gymnastics.Still the long Swedish bench with its as balance beam constructed lower part is part of the basic equipment of school gyms. The balance beam became an apparatus used all over the world.

As competition apparatus this low and narrow balance beam was never used. When the German female gymnasts carried out their first national championships in Leibzig in 1921, there was gymnastics on high bar, parallel bars and vault, but no gymnastics on beam.There was no change until 1934. Then, balance beam was integrated in the programme of the world championships in Budapest - the first women's world championships in history. There the beam - which was still known as "Schwebekante" - was only 8 cm wide, so that it was a remarkable feat of Hungarian Gabi Muzaros who mastered a split on this narrow edge. The Italian 14-year-old Elda Lividino stood far out of the competition field with her 9,55 points and led a new way of rhythmic art of gymnastics with her compulsory routine.

From now onwards balance beam became a standard apparatus in women's international competitive gymnastics. The routines tended to include an increasing number of acrobatic elements. As a consequence the wish for firmer foothold grew permanently stronger to enable gymnasts to perform more difficult leaps and rolls.

Thus, it is not surprising that the beam's surface was widened from 8 to 10 cm. Its sides were slightly rounded so that the middle of the beam measured 13 cm in diameter. Now, a perfect stability of the apparatus was necessary. 

The balance beam was not supposed "to vibrate on the stands during usage" as it says in the little Book of Norms "Measures, Regulations and Forms", edition 1965, page 30. 

The beam had to be adjustable between 0.80 and 1.20 m, in distances of 50 mm. However, the competition height was generally 120 cm. Its length is defined as 5 m; and that it is still today.

1952: British Olympic preparation, Margaret Neale

The stability of the 5 m long beam had to be ensured as well as a certain elasticity that is described in this regulation: "At a height of 1200 mm and with a testing load of 135 kg in the middle of the beam it is ought to bend a maximum of 8 mm" (Book of Norms, edition 1965, page 31). Such precise regulations highly guaranteed uniformity for international competitions; everywhere in the world the balance beam secured equal opportunities which is one of the basic laws of any fair competition in Olympic artistic gymnastics. The acrobatic coined gymnastics on beam challenged designing engineers as well as people responsible of the International Federation of Gymnastics. In the Sixties it was mainly the then president of FIG, Artur Ganthe, who demanded in the "supplementations..." to the Book of Norms a purpose orientated design (especially in consideration of the new and more difficult kinds of moves), better stability and transportability, and in the interest of safety enough mats on the free space beneath the beam.

1964: Worldpremiere of the back flip, Erika Zuchold (GDR)

The tendency of performing acrobatic elements on beam started with the courageous deed of Leibzig's Erika Zuchold and her coach Ellen Berger at the latest: Zuchold being the first woman in the world to perform a back flip on beam (1964).

The technical consequence following these demands were already put into practise at this time: There were four instead of only two stands as underconstruction (Book of Norms 1965), two of them were installed at the beam's ends; the two inner ones in a distance of only 75 cm to the end to increase stability to a maximum.

Sheath and elastic overlay on the beam's surface: In 1965 it was not mentioned yet. It did take seven years to get the official agreement for a padded beam at the conference of the women's technical committee in Stuttgart (1973).

1987: Original neckstand, 1/1 rotation >>Daniela Silivas (ROM)       

When somersaults and free handsprings on beam became increasingly standard, improvements of the beam had to follow as it is stated in this demand, for instance: "The beam must have an elastic overlay... In spite of a certain elasticity it has to ensure a safe

footstand and good balance. The sheath must be tearproof as well as grippy and firmly fixed to the beam" (Book of Norms by FIG).It is commendable that the beam's width of 10 cm was not changed despite the progress in acrobatics with risky somersaults and handsprings.

But in times to come main emphasis should again be directed to further progress of aesthetic, rhythmics, and expression. And: The surface of the beam had become more "humane"! The hard wood was replaced by an elastic overlay consisting of foam rubber (6 mm), plywood (5 mm) and the sheath of which it says in the Book of Norms (edition 1974) that it must consist of an "appropriate material of high firmness" "that allows a certain gliding of the feet as well as good footstand and balance, and is hygroskopic enough to take in a certain moisture."

<< 1981: First back flip as mount, Maxi Gnauck (GDR)

1991: Aesthetic, Rhythmics, Expression -Svetlana Boginskaya (URS) >>

In 1974 only "safety of footstand" was mentioned, but in 1979 this safety is defined more precisely: Then it says: "...To prevent injuries after falls the surface must be designed to give in at least 5 mm at the maximum loading capacity at the point of load incl. edges". The risk of injury is explicitly mentioned: "The ends must be padded to prevent injuries.

(Translation/Webdesign:Florian Schmid-Sorg)

Official FIG certificated Beam of Janssen&Fritsen:

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* Sources: "Der Vorturner", 1927/28; "Das Turnjahrhundert der Deutschen", Götze/Herholz: Beckmanns Sportlexikon A-Z, Leipzig, Wien 1933; "Deutsche Turnzeitung", 1901; "Neue deutsche Turnzeitung", 1961, J. Leirich; "Geschichte der Turngeräte", J. Göhler/R. Spieth; "Mondsalto", gymbooks Verlag 1994, A. Götze/J. Uhr; "FlickFlack...", Sportverlag Berlin, A .Götze/H.-J. Zeume; "The History of British Gymnastics", 1988 by BAGA

In trampoline, gymnasts perform high-flying flips and twists on every bounce. It became an Olympic discipline for the 2000 Olympics, under gymnastics. (To add trampolinists to the quota allotted for gymnastics, artistic teams were reduced from seven team members to six).

Participants are both male and female, and must be at least 18 years old by the end of the Olympic year in order to compete.

The Competition

There is an individual competition for women and for men, with a gold, silver, and bronze awarded in each competition.

Equipment

Athletes use only the trampoline – a metal frame surrounding a nylon spring bed. The trampoline is 3 ft. 9 in. off of the floor, with mats on both sides in case the gymnast comes off the trampoline. The trampoline is 16 ft. 6 in. long, and 9 ft. 6 in. wide.

Gold, Silver and Bronze

In the preliminary round, 16 gymnasts perform a compulsory and voluntary routine with ten skills. The top eight trampolinists move on the final round, where each competes one voluntary routine.

Though the scores from the preliminary round don’t carry over, the competition order in the final round is based on preliminary round rankings. The top-ranked athlete in preliminaries has the advantage of going last in finals.

The top three scores from the final round receive the gold, silver, and bronze medals

Olympic Gymnastics: Trampoline Rules & Judging

The trampoline scoring system is pretty complex – but you can enjoy being a spectator without knowing every single rule. Here are the basics.

Scoring

The final mark a trampolinist receives is based on two different scores: The difficulty (“A”) score starts at 0.0 and increases with every difficult

skill performed. It usually ranges from the high 15s to low 16s for men, and the high 13s to high 14s for women.

The execution (“B”) score begins at a 10.0, and the judges deduct for errors in performance such as a break in form or an extra bounce.

For the execution mark, five judges each score the routine. The highest and lowest marks are thrown out, and the three middle scores are added to the “A” score to total the final mark. Therefore, execution is weighed more heavily than difficulty in the final score.

Judge for Yourself

It’s possible to pick out a great routine without knowing every scoring nuance. When watching trampoline routines, look for:

Good Form and Execution: In all positions, the feet and legs should be together, and the toes should be pointed. The body should be in one of three positions at all times: tucked (knees bent), piked (legs are straight and hip angle is less than 135 degrees), or straight (legs are straight and the angle of the hips is greater than 135 degrees). Arms should be straight and close to the body as much as possible.

A High Degree of Difficulty: As mentioned earlier, part of the score a gymnast receives is due to the difficulty of his/her routine. In general, the more flips and twists a gymnast performs before hitting the trampoline, the more difficult his/her routine is.

Variety of Elements: No skill may be repeated during a routine. Performing a skill in the straight position and in the pike position counts as two different skills. (e.g. A full-in straight and a full-in piked are two different elements). In the qualifying rounds of the Olympics, this carries over to both of the routines a gymnast performs. S/he may not repeat the same element in either of his/her routines in that competition.

Continuous Flow of the Routine: The gymnast must perform a skill on every bounce, without taking an extra bounce between skills. S/he may not stop at any point, receive help from a spotter, or touch anything besides the trampoline bed, and s/he must land every skill with both feet hitting the trampoline simultaneously.

The Right Ending: The gymnast must end his/her 10-skill routine with both feet on the trampoline, standing upright. S/he must stand upright and in control for three seconds or a deduction is incurred.