Tumbling (sport)

Tumbling, sometimes referred to as power tumbling, is a gymnastics discipline in which participants perform a series of acrobatic skills down a long rod floor. Each series, known as a pass, comprises eight elements in which the athlete jumps, twists and flips placing only their hands and feet on the track. Tumblers are judged on the difficulty and form of their routine. There are both individual and team competitions in the sport.

Tumbling can also refer more generally to similar acrobatic skills performed on their own or in other gymnastics events, such as in floor exercises or on the balance beam.

Tumbling is governed by the FIG, the International Federation of Gymnastics, and is included as an event within trampoline gymnastics. Although tumbling is not currently an Olympic event, elite tumblers competing at the international level can compete in various events organised by the FIG, continental confederations as well as at the European Games and World Games.

History

While the origins of tumbling are unknown, ancient records have shown acts of tumbling in many parts of the world including China, India, Japan, Egypt and Iran. Tumbling became part of the educational system of ancient Greece, from which early Romans borrowed the exercise for use in military training.Template:Rp During the Middle Ages, minstrels incorporated tumbling into their performances, and multiple records show tumblers performed for royal courts for entertainment.Template:Rp The 13th-century poem Our Lady's Tumbler depicts one such performer tumbling as an act of devotion.Template:Rp It is towards the end of this period in 1303 that the verb tumble is first attested in this sense in English. There was renewed interest in formalised physical education during the Renaissance, and shortly thereafter gymnastics began to be introduced into some physical education programmes, such as in Prussia as early as 1776. The FIG was officially formed in 1881, then known as the European Gymnastics Federation.Template:Rp Tumbling, however, was not governed by the FIG until 1999. Before this time, the International Trampoline Federation governed the sport since its founding in 1964. National federations have even longer histories, such as the Amateur Athletic Union of the United States which included tumbling in events as early as 1886.Template:Rp

Tumbling has only been included as an official event in one Olympic games, the 1932 Summer Olympics, and was exclusively a men's event. It was around this time that the floor exercise, which includes many elements of tumbling, became an individual event at the Olympics.Template:Rp

Tumbling has been an event at the World Games since the event's founding in 1980, first appearing at the 1981 World Games.

In the United States

The Amateur Athletic Union of the United States has included tumbling since 1886 and added women's tumbling in 1938.Template:Rp

The National Collegiate Athletic Association previously included tumbling as an event, but removed it in 1962 to emphasise artistic gymnastics.Template:Rp More recently in 2019 the NCAA recommended acrobatics and tumbling be added as a sport to the Emerging Sports for Women program, and this addition became official in the 2020–21 school year.

FIG competitions

Equipment

The main piece of equipment used in tumbling is the tumbling track. The track is long by wide with a height of no more than . The track is sprung and padded to assist the gymnasts during their pass. There are three lines running the length of the track. The middle line marks the centre of the track. The outer two mark the boundary of the track and are apart. Although part of the track extends beyond these lines, a pass is considered interrupted if a gymnast touches the track outside these lines.Template:Rp

Before the tumbling track, there is a run-up area on which the gymnasts can generate speed before beginning their pass. This run-up area measures in length and should be the same height as the track itself.

At the end of the tumbling track there is a mat called the landing area. This mat is long by wide with a thickness of . Within the landing area is a smaller landing zone, measuring by , which is either filled in or outlined with a contrasting colour. Behind the landing area there must be an additional mat for safety, measuring at least by .

If desired, the gymnast may use a vaulting board to begin their pass. This may be placed either on the tumbling track or the run-up.Template:Rp

Format

Tumbling competitions consist of two rounds. The first of these is a qualifying round for all participants, and the second is the final round for the top eight participants or teams. In the qualifying round, every participant performs two passes. In the final round, individual competitors perform an additional two passes while teams perform one pass per member. Each pass comprises eight elements. The first element of a pass may begin on the run-up but must land on the tumbling track. Passes are only allowed to move in the direction of the landing area, with the exception of the final element which may be performed in the opposite direction. A pass must have at least 3 elements to be scored and can be considered interrupted for a variety of reasons, such as the gymnast being out of bounds, the spotter touching the gymnast or a fall during the pass. All passes must end with a somersault, meaning the gymnast must flip at least once in the final skill.Template:Rp

In each round, a participant is not allowed to repeat the same element, with some exceptions. Some common moves with low point value are excluded from this rule. Elements can differ by the number of somersaults, twists or even the position of the gymnast's body. The same element may be repeated if it is preceded by a different element, and a skill with at least two somersaults and a twist may be repeated if the twist happens in a different phase of the skill.Template:Rp For instance, a double somersault with a twist may be repeated if the twist happens during the first somersault in one element and during the second somersault in the other.

Federations are allowed to add requirements to the passes in the qualifying round or even make a particular pass required. At FIG events special requirements are placed on the qualifying passes such that the first pass does not award any difficulty points for twists greater than a half-twist and the second does not award difficulty points for the final element if it does not include at least a full twist and deducts points for not including two somersault skills with at least a full twist each thereby focusing the first pass on somersaults and the second on twisting. As a result, these passes are respectively known as the salto pass and twisting pass.Template:Rp

Scoring

Tumbling passes are judged on two major components: difficulty and execution. Both are calculated to the tenth of a point. Scores are determined by a panel of eight judges. Two judges are responsible for the difficulty score. Five are responsible for the execution score. And one oversees the panel and handles miscellaneous or contested judging issues.Template:Rp

Difficulty judges are given competition cards before the gymnast performs this pass. These cards lay out the intended skills of the pass, and these judges are responsible for deducting points when the gymnast fails to perform the intended skills. Each skill has a pre-defined point value. Common connecting skills such as round-offs and handsprings have low difficulty values, and cartwheels have no value at all. Somersaults are given difficulty points based on how many flips and twists the gymnast performs and the position of their body during the skill.Template:Rp

Difficulty scores are consistent throughout all types of competitions with two exceptions. In youth competitions, skills have a maximum difficulty score of 4.3. In women's competitions, there is a 1.0-point bonus for each additional element with a difficulty value of at least 2.0 beyond the first.Template:Rp

Execution is scored based on each element's form, control, height and rhythm as well as the form and stability of the landing. Deductions are calculated independently by all five judges and taken from the maximum score of 10.0 points. The largest and smallest scores are ignored and the remaining scores are added together. At FIG events, this process of taking the middle three scores is done per element rather than per judge.Template:Rp

The gymnast's final score comes from adding the 3 execution scores and the difficulty score and subtracting any penalties incurred for things such as improper dress, improper procedure or an improper pass. Final scores are rounded to three decimal places.Template:Rp

Banned skills

In youth competitions, quadruple somersaults are banned. Performing this skill will result in the gymnast being disqualified from the competition.Template:Rp

Tumbling skills

Common types of skills in tumbling

Skill	Explained
Round-off	A common entry skill seen in every type of gymnastics to turn horizontal speed into vertical speed.
End skill	The skill competed at the end of the run; this is either a double/triple somersault, a twisting somersault or a combination somersault.
Flick	A long somersault where a gymnast moves from feet to hands to feet again in a backwards motion.
Whip	A long, low and fast somersault done without the hands. This move is unique to tumbling and the trademark of the discipline.
Double somersault	The tumbler launches into the air and rotates twice vertically around before landing on their feet. This skill is done in a tuck, pike or straight position.
Triple somersault	The gymnast launches into the air and rotates three times vertically before landing on their feet. This skill is done in a tuck or pike position.
Twisting somersault	A single somersault in which the tumbler rotates horizontally. This can be done as a single 'full' twist, a double twist or a triple twist.
Combination somersault	A somersault that is a combination of double/triple and twisting skills. For example, in a double-twisting double straight, the gymnast will rotate twice vertically and twice horizontally before landing.
Transition skill	A double somersault or a combination somersault in the middle of a run as opposed to an end skill.

FIG World Championship results

Men's individual

Year	Location	Gold		Silver		Bronze
2007	Quebec City	Template:FlagIOCathlete	79.200	Template:FlagIOCathlete	77.200	Template:FlagIOCathlete	74.900
2009	Saint Petersburg	Template:FlagIOCathlete	77.300	Template:FlagIOCathlete	75.000	Template:FlagIOCathlete	73.900
2010	Metz	Template:FlagIOCathlete	76.300	Template:FlagIOCathlete	75.400	Template:FlagIOCathlete	74.600
2011	Birmingham	Template:FlagIOCathlete	79.100	Template:FlagIOCathlete	76.500	Template:FlagIOCathlete	75.800
2013	Sofia	Template:FlagIOCathlete	74.900	Template:FlagIOCathlete	74.800	Template:FlagIOCathlete	74.200
2014	Daytona Beach	Template:FlagIOCathlete	78.800	Template:FlagIOCathlete	77.000	Template:FlagIOCathlete	75.000
2015	Odense	Template:FlagIOCathlete	79.100	Template:FlagIOCathlete	78.300	Template:FlagIOCathlete	77.700
2017	Sofia	Template:FlagIOCathlete	76.800	Template:FlagIOCathlete	75.500	Template:FlagIOCathlete	75.500
2018	Saint Petersburg	Template:FlagIOCathlete	79.200	Template:FlagIOCathlete	77.900	Template:FlagIOCathlete	77.700
2019	Tokyo	Template:FlagIOCathlete	78.700	Template:FlagIOCathlete	77.200	Template:FlagIOCathlete	76.300
2021	Baku	Template:FlagIOCathlete	80.000	Template:FlagIOCathlete	76.300	Template:FlagIOCathlete	75.400
2022	Sofia	Template:FlagIOCathlete	28.900	Template:FlagIOCathlete	28.300	Template:FlagIOCathlete	27.400
2023	Birmingham	Template:FlagIOCathlete	31.100	Template:FlagIOCathlete	30.100	Template:FlagIOCathlete	27.800

All results correct according to FIG database. Records only available from 2007.

Women's individual

Year	Location	Gold		Silver		Bronze
2007	Quebec City	Template:FlagIOCathlete	70.700	Template:FlagIOCathlete	68.200	Template:FlagIOCathlete	67.700
2009	Saint Petersburg	Template:FlagIOCathlete	69.400	Template:FlagIOCathlete	66.900	Template:FlagIOCathlete	62.800
2010	Metz	Template:FlagIOCathlete	68.200	Template:FlagIOCathlete	65.500	Template:FlagIOCathlete	63.400
2011	Birmingham	Template:FlagIOCathlete	71.700	Template:FlagIOCathlete	70.900	Template:FlagIOCathlete	68.400
2013	Sofia	Template:FlagIOCathlete	70.700	Template:FlagIOCathlete	67.400	Template:FlagIOCathlete	67.000
2014	Daytona Beach	Template:FlagIOCathlete	67.500	Template:FlagIOCathlete	67.300	Template:FlagIOCathlete	66.100
2015	Odense	Template:FlagIOCathlete	71.800	Template:FlagIOCathlete	69.100	Template:FlagIOCathlete	67.900
2017	Sofia	Template:FlagIOCathlete	72.300	Template:FlagIOCathlete	72.100	Template:FlagIOCathlete	71.500
2018	Saint Petersburg	Template:FlagIOCathlete	71.100	Template:FlagIOCathlete	69.500	Template:FlagIOCathlete	69.500
2019	Tokyo	Template:FlagIOCathlete	69.900	Template:FlagIOCathlete	69.600	Template:FlagIOCathlete	69.000
2021	Baku	Template:FlagIOCathlete	67.800	Template:FlagIOCathlete	66.800	Template:FlagIOCathlete	66.500
2022	Sofia	Template:FlagIOCathlete	24.400	Template:FlagIOCathlete	24.200	Template:FlagIOCathlete	24.100
2023	Birmingham	Template:FlagIOCathlete	26.000	Template:FlagIOCathlete	25.800	Template:FlagIOCathlete	25.300

All results correct according to FIG database. Records only available from 2007.

FIT-era world champions

Men

Year	Gymnast	Country
1976	Jim Bertz
1978	Jim Bertz
1980	Ken Ekberg
1982	Steve Elliott
1984	Steve Elliott
1986	Jerry Hardy
1988	Pascal Eouzan
1990	Pascal Eouzan
1992	Jon Beck
1994	Adrian Sienkiewicz
1996	Rayshine Harris
1998	Levon Petrosian

Women

Year	Gymnast	Country
1976	Tracy Long
1978	Nancy Quattrochi
1980	Tracy Conour
1982	Jill Hollembeak
1984	Jill Hollembeak
1986	Jill Hollembeak
1988	Megan Cunningham
1990	Chrystel Robert
1992	Chrystel Robert
1994	Chrystel Robert
1996	Chrystel Robert
1998	Elena Bluyina

World Games results

Men

Games	Gold	Silver	Bronze
1981 Santa Clara	Steve Elliott	Randy Wickstrom	Steve Cooper
1985 London	Steve Elliott	Chad Fox	Didier Semmola
1989 Karlsruhe	Jon Beck	Pascal Eouzan	Christophe Lambert
1993 The Hague	Jon Beck	Rayshine Harris	Aleksey Kryzhanovskiy
1997 Lahti	Vladimir Ignatenkov	Rayshine Harris	Tseko Mogotsi
2001 Akita	Levon Petrosian	Tseko Mogotsi	Robert Small
2005 Duisburg	Jozef Wadecki	Andrey Kabishev	Aleksandr Skorodumov
2009 Kaohsiung	Andrey Krylov	Michael Barnes	Viktor Kyforenko
2013 Cali	Zhang Luo Viktor Kyforenko	None awarded	Kristof Willerton
2017 Wroclaw	Zhang Luo	Austin Nacey	Maxim Shlyakin
2022 Birmingham Template:DetailsLink	Template:FlagIOC2medalist	Template:FlagIOC2medalist	Template:FlagIOC2medalist

Women

Games	Gold	Silver	Bronze
1981 Santa Clara	Angie Whiting	Kristi Laman	Stacey Hansen
1985 London	Isabelle Jagueux	Megan Cunningham	Maria Constantinitis
1989 Karlsruhe	Chrystel Robert	Michelle Mara	Melanie Bugg
1993 The Hague	Chrystel Robert	Tatyana Morosova	Michelle Mara
1997 Lahti	Olena Chabanenko	Chrystel Robert	Natalya Borisenko
2001 Akita	Elena Bluyina	Kathryn Peberdy	Anna Terenya
2005 Duisburg	Olena Chabanenko	Anna Korobeynikova	Yuliya Hall
2009 Kaohsiung	Anna Korobeynikova	Anzhelika Soldatkina	Emily Smith
2013 Cali	Jia Fangfang	Rachael Letsche	Emily Smith
2017 Wrocław	Jia Fangfang	Anna Korobeinikova	Lucie Colebeck
2022 Birmingham Template:DetailsLink	Template:FlagIOC2medalist	Template:FlagIOC2medalist	Template:FlagIOC2medalist

Other notable tumblers

Person	Country
Ed Gross
William Herrmann
Rowland Wolfe
Judy Wills Cline
Surya Bonaly

See also

• Men's tumbling at the 1932 Summer Olympics

External links

• FIG Trampoline and Tumbling Homepage
• FIG Trampoline Gymnastics Code of Points
• FIG Apparatus Norms
• USA Gymnastics Tumbling Homepage
• UEG Trampoline and Tumbling Homepage
• British Gymnastics Discover Tumbling Homepage