Tumbling (gymnastics)

Tumbling

In gymnastics, tumbling, also known as power tumbling, is an acrobatic sporting discipline which combines some of the skills of artistic gymnastics on the floor with those of trampolining. It is practiced on a 25-meter long spring track sometimes. It was developed from tumbling performances performed by entertainers from very early times but as a sport is now codified, regulated, judged, and performed using standardized special acrobatic equipment.

This sport is practiced by both men and women. Competitors perform two passes, each containing eight skills along the track, usually starting with a Round-off, Barani, or Rudi (the Barani and Rudi are forward, twisting somersaults) followed by a series of back-handsprings and/or whips (a fast, long back somersault done in a straight body position) ending in a 'dismount' skill. Only the feet and hands are allowed to make contact with the track.

Governed by rules established by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), tumbling is one of the gymnastic disciplines. Many elements of tumbling are also practiced on Floor Exercise by participants of both Women's Artistic Gymnastics (WAG) and Men's Artistic Gymnastics (MAG). Tumbling elements such as the round-off and back-handspring (flic) are commonly integrated into the balance beam routines of gymnasts.

Tumbling has only been an Olympic gymnastics event once, at the 1932 Summer Olympics, and was a demonstration event in 1996 and 2000. It is one of the events of the World Games. There is an annual World Championships held in conjunction with the Trampoline World Championships.

Equipment

When power tumbling was first started, and for the first ever US National Championships in Tumbling in 1886, gymnasts would perform their skills on thin mats only. From there, "floors" evolved in a wide variety of ways, including rows of skis tied together with the ends cut off under those mats, and then to the rod floor used today. This was[1] developed by Randy Mulkey, which is a 25 metres (82 ft) long by 2-metre (6.6 ft) wide track consisting of fiberglass rods (laid horizontally, to make it springy) under two layers of foam mats.[2][3] It also includes a 10 metres (33 ft) run up at the front. At the end is a mat where the gymnasts land their dismounting skill.

Competition

Competitors perform two passes, each containing eight skills along the track, usually starting with a round-off, barani, or rudi (the barani and rudi are forward, twisting somersaults) followed by a series of back-handsprings and/or whips (a fast, long back somersault done in a straight body position) ending in a 'dismount' skill. In the lower levels, there are rules about what each pass should contain. At more advanced levels there is a choice about the skills performed. This includes adding much more difficulty to the passes by adding twisting somersaults (called single, double or triple fulls) in the middle of the pass. The dismounting skill is often another double or triple full or a double or triple back somersault, which can also include extra twists. Internationally, competitors frequently have 3 double somersaults incorporated in to each pass. All athletes in this sport at high levels are expected to have a finals pass as well as their other two passes. While not used at every meet, it is important to have three passes.

Scoring is similar to trampolining with five judged scores for execution (form, body position and final landing) and one for the degree of difficulty (number of somersaults and twists etc.). The top and bottom execution scores are dropped and the remaining three added to the difficulty score to give the total for the pass.

Basic tumbling moves

Tumbling results

World Champions – Men

FIG era
Year Gymnast Country
2015 Yang Song  China
2014 Yang Song  China
2013 Kristof Willerton  United Kingdom
2011 Yang Song  China
2010 Viktor Kyforenko  Ukraine
2009 Tagir Murtazaev  Russia
2007 Andrey Krylov  Russia
2005 Wang Jiexu  China
2003 Alexsei Kryzhanovskly  Russia
2001 Denis Serdiyukov  Russia
1999 Levon Petrosian  Russia
FIT era
Year Gymnast Country
1998 Levon Petrosian  Russia
1996 Rayshine Harris  United States
1994 Adrien Slenkelwicz  Poland
1992 Jon Beck  United States
1990 Pascal Eouzan  France
1988 Pascal Eouzan  France
1986 Jerry Hardy  United States
1984 Steve Elliott  United States
1982 Steve Elliott  United States
1980 Ken Ekberg  United States
1978 Jim Bertz  United States
1976 Jim Bertz  United States

World Champions – Women

FIG era
Year Gymnast Country
2015 Jia Fangfang  China
2014 Rachael Letsche  United Kingdom
2013 Jia Fangfang  China
2011 Jia Fangfang  China
2010 Anna Korobeynikova  Russia
2009 Anna Korobeynikova  Russia
2007 Anna Korobeynikova  Russia
2005 Anna Korobeynikova  Russia
2003 Elena Chabenenko  Ukraine
2001 Elena Chabenenko  Ukraine
1999 Elena Bluyina  Russia
FIT era
Year Gymnast Country
1998 Elena Bluyina  Russia
1996 Chrystel Robert  France
1994 Chrystel Robert  France
1992 Chrystel Robert  France
1990 Chrystel Robert  France
1988 Megan Cunningham  United States
1986 Jill Hollembeak  United States
1984 Jill Hollembeak  United States
1982 Jill Hollembeak  United States
1980 Tracy Conour  United States
1978 Nancy Quattrochi  United States
1976 Tracy Long  United States

World Games

Men

Games Gold Silver Bronze
1981 Santa Clara  United States
Steve Elliott		  United States
Randy Wickstrom		  United States
Steve Cooper
1985 London  United States
Steve Elliott		  United States
Chad Fox		  France
Didier Sammola
1989 Karlsruhe  United States
Jon Beck		  France
Pascal Eouzan		  France
Christophe Lambert
1993 Den Haag  United States
Jon Beck		  United States
Rayshine Harris		  Russia
Aleksey Kryzhanovskiy
1997 Lahti  Russia
Vladimir Ignatenkov		  United States
Rayshine Harris		  South Africa
Tseko Mogotsi
2001 Akita  Russia
Levon Petrosian		  South Africa
Tseko Mogotsi		  United Kingdom
Robert Small
2005 Duisburg  Poland
Jozef Wadecki		  Belarus
Andrey Kabishev		  Russia
Aleksandr Skorodumov
2009 Kaohsiung  Russia
Andrey Krylov		  United Kingdom
Michael Barnes		  Ukraine
Viktor Kyforenko
2013 Cali  China
Zhang Luo
 Ukraine
Viktor Kyforenko		 None awarded  United Kingdom
Kristof Willerton

Women

Games Gold Silver Bronze
1981 Santa Clara  United States
Angie Whiting		  United States
Kristi Laman		  United States
Stacey Hansen
1985 London  France
Isabelle Jagueux		  United States
Megan Cunningham		  Canada
Maria Constantinitis
1989 Karlsruhe  France
Chrystel Robert		  United States
Michelle Mara		  United States
Melanie Bugg
1993 Den Haag  France
Chrystel Robert		  Belarus
Tatyana Morosova		  United States
Michelle Mara
1997 Lahti  Ukraine
Olena Chabanenko		  France
Chrystel Robert		  Russia
Natalya Borisenko
2001 Akita  Russia
Elena Bluyina		  United Kingdom
Kathryn Peberdy		  Belarus
Anna Terenya
2005 Duisburg  Ukraine
Olena Chabanenko		  Russia
Anna Korobeynikova		  United States
Yuliya Hall
2009 Kaohsiung  Russia
Anna Korobeynikova		  Russia
Anzhelika Soldatkina		  Canada
Emily Smith
2013 Cali  China
Jia Fangfang		  United Kingdom
Rachael Letsche		  Canada
Emily Smith

Other notable tumblers

Person Country
Edwin Gross  United States
William Herrmann  United States
Rowland Wolfe  United States
Judy Wills Cline  United States

See also

References

  1. ↑ Bertz, Jim. "Through The Years: How the Competitive Tumbling Floor Evolved". Retrieved 20 May 2011.
  2. ↑ Ross, Athletic Supply. "Competition Equipment". Archived from the original on 13 October 2007. Retrieved 20 October 2007.
  3. ↑ FIG (2009). "Part II". Apparatus Norms. pp. 83–84.

External links

Videos of power tumbling

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