The 6 Apparatuses in Men’s Gymnastics
In the wild world of Men’s Gymnastics, athletes must conquer 6 events. As they embark on their journey, gymnasts master the ins and outs of each apparatus at the beginning of their careers and transform into mighty All-Arounders. With enough daring feats under their belt, they can choose to tackle all 6 apparatuses, or they can opt for a more specialized path and become event specialists, honing their skills on one, two, or sometimes three events.
The Olympic order in artistic gymnastics refers to the sequence in which a gymnast performs from one exercise after another in a competition. Male gymnasts use six apparatuses in Olympic order while female gymnasts use four apparatuses.
For male gymnasts, the Olympic order is as follows:
For the All Around competition, the Olympic order follows a circular format, where each apparatus may accommodate several athletes in the initial rotation. Subsequently, each group of gymnasts transitions to the next apparatus during the second rotation. For instance, male Gymnast X may commence with Floor Exercise in the first rotation, then proceed to Pommel Horse in the subsequent rotation, followed by Still Rings in the third rotation, and so on to Horizontal Bar. Meanwhile, Gymnast Y starts on Parallel Bars, then moves to High Bar, Floor, Pommel Horse and Rings, and eventually finishes on Vault:
Key data about each apparatus
| DIMENSIONS | MAIN ELEMENTS | ||
| FLOOR EXERCISE | 12 m x 12 m 16.97 m diagonal | Tumbling forwards and backwards Non-acro. skills (handstand, flairs…) | |
| POMMEL HORSE | 1.15 m high (+/-1 cm) 1.60 m long | Single-leg + double-leg workouts Scissors, circles, flairs, with or without spindles Side and cross-support travels | |
| STILL RINGS | 2.50 m from floor 0.5 m apart | 2.50 m from the floor 0.5 m apart | |
| VAULT | 1.35 m high 25 m run-up | Single or multiple saltos with/without twists Yurchenko or Tsukahara entries | |
| PARALLEL BARS | 2 m high 3.40 m long | Elements in support or through support Skills starting in the upper arm position Long swings in hang and underswings | |
| HIGH BAR | 2.78 m high 2.40 m long | Hang swings with and without turns Release elements (Tkachev, Kovacs) In-bar elements |
Floor Exercise
9 things to know about Floor Exercise
Men’s Floor Exercise timeline and evolution since 1920
The G.O.A.T.S of Floor Exercise
(Source: Getty, FIG and BBC)
Pommel Horse
8 things to know about Pommel Horse
Pommel Horse’s timeline and evolution since 1896
The G.O.A.T.S of Pommel Horse
(Source: Getty, FIG and BBC)
Still Rings
7 things to know about Still Rings
For more information about Still Rings, check out this book by Simone Pozzoni, available on Amazon:
English ebook version: Amazon – English Version
Italian ebook version: Amazon – Italian Version
Italian paper version: Amazon – Italian Hard Copy
Also: Men’s Gymnastics Rings Against Gravity
Still Rings timeline and evolution since 1896
The Lords of the Rings
(Source: Getty, FIG and BBC)
Vault
8 things to know about Vault
Vault’s timeline and evolution since 1896
The G.O.A.T.S of Vault
(Source: Getty, Alamy, Olympic Committee, FIG and BBC)
Parallel Bars
9 things to know about Parallel Bars
Parallel Bars’ timeline and evolution since 1900
The G.0.A.T.S of Parallel Bars
(Source: Getty, Alamy, FIG and BBC)
Horizontal Bar
7 things to know about Horizontal Bar
Horizontal Bar’s timeline and evolution since 1900
The G.O.A.T.S of Horizontal Bar
Source: FIG, Getty and Alamy)
2023 World Championships Apparatus Finals
More info:
FIG: How Men’s Artistic Gymnastics Competitions Work
A Guide to the Scoring System in Men’s Artistic Gymnastics
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