Gymnastics is unique because it is a year-round sport. Although there is not a set season like there is in football or basketball, the most notorious competition for gymnastics takes place every four years during the Summer Olympics.
Definition
Merriam-Webster defines gymnastics as a physical exercise and competition that uses special apparatuses to develop and demonstrate strength, balance, coordination and body control. It often involves dance moves, flips, twist, jumps and other skill moves. It can be performed as a way to stay fit or specifically to compete locally, nationally as well as internationally.
Misconceptions
Possibly due to the popularity of the female gymnastic events in the Olympics combined with stereotypes of male athletes, gymnastics is often thought of as a sport for females. The truth is that gymnastics requires a lot of strength that makes it an appropriate fit for males. The nonprofit organization USA Gymnastics reports there are 12,098 men registered with it as of 2010That is out of 110,000 registered gymnasts and does not include those participating in trampoline or acrobatics.
Women's Events
Women's gymnastics has four events: the vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercises. In the vault event, gymnasts sprint to a springboard, where they use a vault to push up into the air to twist and flip. On the uneven bars, girls use momentum to swing, flip, turn over the bars and jump between the bars that are at different heights. The balance beam is only 4 inches wide, but gymnasts dance, tumble and jump during this event. The final event, the floor event is a combination of powerful tumbles in the air combined with dance moves to the rhythm of music.
Men's Events
Men's gymnastics has six events. They include floor exercise, pommel horse, still rings, vault, parallel bars and horizontal bar. The floor exercises and vault are similar to the women's events, but the men tend to have more advanced moves due to their added strength. The pommel horse is performed on an apparatus that looks similar to the vault but has two handle on the top. The men continuously move their hands in a circular motion and must also perform a scissor motion. The parallel bars are the same height, and like the uneven bars, gymnasts perform flips, rotations and handstands. The horizontal bar and still rings involve swinging motions. The still ring includes stops to demonstrate strength while the horizontal bar involves continuous flips.
Additional Types
Rhythmic gymnastics involves choreographed routines performed on the floor with simple instruments, including rope, hoops, balls, clubs and ribbon. It involves coordination, agility and endurance. It is performed by females individually or as a team. Trampoline and tumbling include power tumbling, trampoline, synchronized trampoline and double mini trampoline. Each event involves powerful, well-controlled tricks. Men and women participate in all four events. Acrobatic gymnastics is performed with pairs of males, females and mixed pairs, as well as male and female groups of three. The routines involve balance routines, dynamic routines and combinations. The balance exercises involve pyramid-type exercise with one gymnast holding another overhead. The dynamic routines involve tossing gymnasts in the air.
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