# Gymnastics

- Source: Simple English Wikipedia (simple.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, Simple English Wikipedia contributors
- Reading level: Grades 9 and up
- Subjects: Sports
- Topics: gymnastics, wheel, artistic, gymnasts, rhythmic, balance
- Length: 221 words, about 2 min
- Published: 2007-03-17
- Original: <https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gymnastics>
- Page: <https://sprout.rootsofreason.org/r/simple-wikipedia/gymnastics>
- Open in Sprouts: <https://sprout.rootsofreason.org/?read=simple-wikipedia/gymnastics>

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![](https://sprout.rootsofreason.org/media/simple-wikipedia-gymnastics-7b1791f20f.jpg)

Australian artistic gymnast Lauren Mitchell does a layout step-out during the 2009 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in London.

![](https://sprout.rootsofreason.org/media/simple-wikipedia-gymnastics-c4c0601613.jpg)

A gymnast on the pommel horse at a competition.

**Gymnastics** is a sport which involves doing exercises which need strength, flexibility, balance and endurance. This may include running, jumping, tumbling, somersaulting, flipping and balancing. Mental skills are also involved such as confidence, diet control and focus.

In women's gymnastics, there are four activities: floor, uneven bars, balance beam, and vault. In men's gymnastics, there are six activities: floor exercise, parallel bars, high bar, pommel horse, vault, and rings.

Gymnastics is a Summer Olympic sport. It began as a form of exercise in ancient Greece. It was one of the first sports in the Ancient Olympic Games.

## Forms of gymnastics

There are several forms of gymnastics, including rhythmic gymnastics, artistic gymnastics, acrobatics, trampolining, and wheel gymnastics and no handed gymnastics. In *artistic gymnastics*, gymnasts perform short routines using different pieces of equipment. *Acrobatics* involves showing balance and performing flips on the floor or in the air. In *trampolining*, gymnasts do routines using only the trampoline. *Wheel gymnasts* exercise in a large wheel called a German wheel.

![Rhythmic](https://sprout.rootsofreason.org/media/simple-wikipedia-gymnastics-ba0b402f86.jpg)

Rhythmic

![Trampoline](https://sprout.rootsofreason.org/media/simple-wikipedia-gymnastics-3e15ee0235.jpg)

Trampoline

![Wheel](https://sprout.rootsofreason.org/media/simple-wikipedia-gymnastics-a0b067d166.jpg)

Wheel

In *rhythmic gymnastics*, gymnasts perform with ribbons, rope, ball, hoop and clubs. Usually, only females do rhythmic gymnastics because they are more flexible than males.

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## Picture credits

- Photograph by Steven Rasmussen, Explorerdk Derivative by Keraunoscopia, CC BY-SA 2.0 (<https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lauren_Mitchell,_41st_AG_World_Championship,_2009_(full_tone_blur).jpg>)
- brokenchopstick, CC BY 2.0 (<https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gymnastics_brokenchopstick.jpg>)
- No machine-readable author provided. Okino assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0 (<https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cervenkova.JPG>)
- Trampqueen at English Wikipedia, Public domain (<https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Girls_Synchro_WAGC_2007.jpg>)
- Magnussen, Friedrich (1914-1987), CC BY-SA 3.0 de (<https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sportpressefest_1966_in_der_Ostseehalle_(Kiel_77.669).jpg>)