In the world of gymnastics, the dismount is often considered the exclamation point at the end of a routine. It’s the final impression a gymnast leaves on the judges and audience, and can make or break a performance.
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What is a Dismount?
A dismount in gymnastics is the final move performed when transitioning from an apparatus, such as the balance beam, uneven bars, or vault, back to the ground. It involves executing a skill—often a jump, flip, or twist—followed by a landing.
Executing a successful dismount requires several key components:
- Preparation: A gymnast must establish their momentum through their routine, setting up for the dismount.
- Take-off: This phase involves generating enough height and rotation. A powerful push off the apparatus is essential.
- Aerial Phase: During this phase, gymnasts execute their flips or twists while controlling their body position.
- Landing: A successful landing requires a stable base, typically with feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and arms in a controlled position to maintain balance.
Gymnastics Events with Dismounts: An Overview
In competitive gymnastics, dismounts are highly valued for their complexity and innovation. Here’s an overview of the main gymnastics events that feature dismounts:
1. Uneven Bars (Women’s Artistic Gymnastics)
The uneven bars are a core apparatus in women’s artistic gymnastics, featuring two parallel bars set at varying heights. The dismount is typically performed from the high bar. Common dismounts include various saltos (flips) with or without twists. Advanced dismounts might involve release moves before the final flip.
Types of Dismounts
- Saltos: These flips can be performed in various forms, such as tucked (knees drawn to chest), piked (body straight with hips bent), or layout (body straight and extended).
- Twists: Many gymnasts add twists to their saltos, increasing the difficulty. A common example is a full twist (360 degrees) or a double twist (720 degrees) added to the somersault.
2. Horizontal Bar (Men’s Artistic Gymnastics)
Also known as the high bar, this event features a single bar set at 2.8 meters high. Gymnasts perform swings, release moves, and giant swings before dismounting.
Types of Dismounts
- Back Somersaults: Commonly performed as a double back somersault, where the gymnast flips backward twice before landing.
- Twisting Dismounts: These involve completing flips while adding twists, such as a full-twisting double back or a layout double with a full twist.
- Front Somersaults: Some gymnasts opt for front dismounts, executing front flips with or without twists.
3. Balance Beam (Women’s Artistic Gymnastics)
Performed on a narrow beam 10 cm wide and 1.25 meters high, routines include dance elements, acrobatic skills, and conclude with a dismount.
Types of Dismounts
- Straight Jump: A simple yet effective dismount where the gymnast jumps straight off the beam, often with a slight elevation.
- Back Handspring: A dynamic dismount that involves performing a back handspring off the beam before landing.
- Somersaults: Many gymnasts perform backward or forward somersaults, including:
- Back Tuck: A backward flip where the knees are tucked tightly to the chest.
- Layout Back Somersault: A back flip with a straight body position, showcasing control.
- Twists: Gymnasts often add twists to their somersaults for increased difficulty. Common variations include:
- Full Twist: Completing a full 360-degree twist during a back or front somersault.
- Double Twist: A more advanced version that involves two full twists before landing.
4. Rings (Men’s Artistic Gymnastics)
Performed on two rings suspended from straps, this event requires immense upper body strength. After a series of strength holds and swings, the routine ends with a dismount.
Types of Dismounts:
- Back Somersaults: Gymnasts can perform a back somersault off the rings, usually in a tucked position.
- Double Back Somersault: This advanced dismount involves two backward flips in the air before landing.
- Full-Twisting Double Back: A more complex dismount that combines a double back somersault with a full twist.
- Front Somersaults: Some gymnasts opt for front dismounts, executing a front flip or front somersault with or without twists.
- Swing to Dismount: Gymnasts may also execute a swing motion before their dismount, which adds to the complexity and aesthetic appeal.
5. Pommel Horse (Men’s Artistic Gymnastics)
The pommel horse is a distinctive apparatus used in men’s artistic gymnastics, featuring a padded horse with two handles (pommels). While not typically associated with spectacular dismounts, the pommel horse routine does end with a dismount. The focus is more on circular movements and scissors on the apparatus itself.
Types of Dismounts:
- Straight Jump: A basic yet effective dismount where the gymnast jumps off the horse and lands with feet together.
- Back Somersault: A backward flip off the pommel horse, typically performed in a tucked position.
- Double Back Somersault: An advanced dismount involving two backward flips in the air before landing.
- Full-Twisting Dismounts: These may include a full twist added to a back somersault, increasing the difficulty and complexity.
- Side Dismounts: Gymnasts can also execute dismounts off to the side, often incorporating a flip or twist as they leave the horse.
6. Vault
While vault is not typically considered to have a “dismount” in the traditional sense, the landing from a vault is analogous to a dismount in many ways:
- It requires a controlled landing after a complex aerial maneuver.
- The landing significantly impacts the overall score.
- Advanced vaults involve multiple flips and twists similar to dismounts on other apparatus.
Spotlight: Simone Biles’ Revolutionary Dismount
The “Biles” dismount, performed by Simone Biles, is indeed remarkable. Following its debut at the 2019 U.S. Gymnastics Championships, this skill was added to the Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Code of Points and named “The Biles”.
- Date: August 11, 2019
- Event Name: 2019 U.S. Gymnastics Championships
- Dismount Description: Double-twisting double backflip (backward salto with two twists and two flips)
The “Biles” dismount is not simply a remarkable feat of athleticism but also a game-changer in terms of difficulty scoring. Prior to Biles’ debut of this skill in August 2019, the most difficult beam dismount commonly performed in elite competition was a full-twisting double back. This dismount set a new standard for difficulty in beam routines and showcases the continuing evolution of the sport.
The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) assigned this groundbreaking skill a “J” rating, the highest possible difficulty value at the time. This rating translated to 0.8 points added to Biles’ D-score (difficulty score), significantly boosting her overall score potential.
Practicing Multiple Dismounts: Training vs. Competition
While gymnasts can and do practice multiple dismounts from the high bar during training, competition rules restrict them to performing a single dismount at the end of their routine.
There are a few aspects that might cause some confusion:
- Multiple Release Moves: A gymnast might perform several release moves (skills where they let go of the bar) during their routine. These release moves could be mistaken for dismounts, but the actual dismount is the final skill that takes the gymnast away from the bars entirely.
- Training vs. Competition: In training, gymnasts often practice different dismounts to improve their skills and prepare for competition. However, they can only perform one dismount in an actual competition routine.
- Terminology: Some gymnasts might use the term “dismount” casually to refer to any skill that takes them off the high bar, even if they are still transitioning to another skill or element on the low bar. However, in the technical sense, the dismount is the final skill that concludes the routine.
In summary, while gymnasts can practice and perform various dismounts in training, only one dismount is allowed in a competition routine, marking the end of their performance on the bars.
