Gymnastics

Gymnastics is a sport that combines strength, flexibility, balance, coordination and control. In artistic gymnastics, athletes perform carefully prepared routines on different apparatus. In the men's program, there are six events: floor exercise, pommel horse, still rings, vault, parallel bars and horizontal bar. The women's program has four: vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise. On the floor, gymnasts perform acrobatic movements such as handsprings, twists and somersaults.

The vault involves a fast approach followed by a powerful push over the vaulting table. Other apparatus emphasize different abilities: rings require considerable strength and body control, while the beam demands precise balance on a surface only 10 centimetres wide. Routines are evaluated according to difficulty and execution, with deductions for technical errors such as poor landings or loss of balance. Gymnastics places high demands on the body because movements often involve rapid changes in speed, direction and body position.

During a jump or somersault, gymnasts use force against the floor or apparatus to accelerate their bodies, then control their rotation and position in the air. A gymnast's moment of inertia, which describes how mass is distributed around the body's axis of rotation, affects how easily the body can rotate: drawing the limbs closer generally allows faster rotation, while extending them slows it. Safe practice therefore depends on progressive training, appropriate equipment, good technique and adequate supervision.

Repeated practice can improve muscular strength, flexibility, balance, coordination and spatial awareness. It also trains concentration and the ability to control movements precisely. Because many skills place substantial loads on bones, muscles, tendons and joints, training should be adapted to the athlete's age, experience and physical development, with sufficient recovery between demanding sessions.