Women's Artistic Disciplines
The beam is 500cm long but only 13cm (4 inches) wide and it stands at 120cm high for competitions. A beam exercise lasts for a minimum of 70 seconds and must include set elements. A routine on the beam should be an artistic combination of a variety of acrobatic elements, gymnastic leaps, jumps, turns, step and running combinations, waves and balance elements in standing, sitting and lying positions.
Floor exercises take place on a sprung carpeted area 12m x 12m. A set floor exercise must last between 70 and 90 seconds and again this must include set elements including, jumps, leaps, spins and tumbles mixed in with choreography that is in time and keeping with the music chosen by the performer.
The old vaulting horse has now been replaced by a vaulting table, standing at different heights depending on the age and level of the gymnast. It has a sprung suede cover and each element is graded in difficulty giving the more difficult moves a higher start value.
The upper bar is 2.45m, and the lower bar 1.65m, from the floor. Swinging continuous movements are predominant on the Asymmetric Bars. The exercise should include movements in both directions, above and below the bars. Gymnasts are expected to demonstrate a fluid swing and hit handstands at a 180 degree angle to the bar. The dismount is important; both in terms of difficulty level, and judges look for a "stuck" landing.
