Gymnastics Moves

Gymnastics Moves for Beginners

Start your gymnastics exploration with the movements below if you’re new to the discipline or aren’t ready to compete against other gymnasts. Keep in mind that several of these movements require some preparation. Your first time on a bar or beam should be spent carefully exploring the possibilities. You can eventually progress to more acrobatic gymnastics moves through practise and gymnastics classes. Also, remember to warm up with plenty of stretching—don’t do any acrobatic manoeuvres until you’re limber—and to wear flexible gear like leotards.

A forward roll is a basic forward tumble in which the entire body is rotated along the floor’s surface.
Splits: split your legs sideways or front-and-back such that your entire lower body is in touch with the ground, including your legs and back end. On a trampoline, splits can also be done.
Cast yourself in a semi-plank bar position, with your back slightly rounded and your stomach drawn in.
Handstand: Stand your complete body upright and erect with your hands on the floor, your back and legs straight, and your toes pointed upward, using your hands as a base.
Handspring on vault: a vaulting horse handstand that starts with a running jump, a flip into handstand position on the vault, and then pushing off the fault to finish the flip and land on your feet.
A backward flip into a handstand posture, followed by a forward flip back to your original standing position, is an important floor and tumbling exercise.
Roundoff is a cartwheel-style manoeuvre that entails a half-rotation, a brief pause in handstand posture, and then a return to the initial standing position.
On the floor and beam, turn on one foot is a dance-style pivot.
A split leap is a leap that combines splits and a forward leap.
Tap swing on bars: a swing on uneven bars in which you let go of the bar for a brief moment before re-gripping it.

Gymnastics Floor Moves That Are Frequently Used

In both men’s and women’s gymnastics, the floor exercise features the most diverse set of moves. The following are some of the highlights of the floor routine:

Back handspring: a key tumbling move that entails a backward flip into a handstand, followed by a forward flip back to your original standing position. In this guide, we’ll show you how to do some back handspring drills.
A front handspring is similar to a back handspring, except that the gymnast begins by running and moves forward rather than backward. Our comprehensive guide to front handsprings can be found here.
Front walkover: A front walkover is similar to a front handspring, but the gymnast’s legs move one after the other, creating a smooth, fluid motion.
Back walkover: the inverse of a front walkover, in which the gymnast’s legs move one after the other in a fluid motion.
A forward somersault, also known as a front somersault or forward forward somersault, entails a forward flip along the floor with knees tucked or in pike position.
Backward somersault: a backward somersault with tucked knees and a backward flip across the floor.
Roundoff is a cartwheel-style manoeuvre that entails a half-rotation, a brief pause in a handstand position, and then a return to the original standing position.
A cartwheel is a sideways rotation of the body in which a gymnast starts in a standing position, rotates sideways with hands on the floor and legs split, and then returns to a standing position.
Aerial cartwheel: sometimes known as a side aerial or just an aerial, an aerial cartwheel is a cartwheel performed in midair with no hands touching the ground.
Aerial walkover: sometimes known as a front aerial, this manoeuvre is similar to an aerial cartwheel in that the gymnast completes a full rotation without hitting the ground. An aerial walkover, unlike a cartwheel, is a forward tumble rather than a sideways one.
Straight jump: A forward jump in which the gymnast keeps his or her legs straight throughout the flight and landing.
The scissors jump, also known as the switch leap, is a forward leap in which the legs move in a scissors-like pattern.
A split leap is a running forward leap in which the gymnast splits while in the air.
A cross handstand is a handstand variation in which the hands are put close together on the ground.