Still Rings Positions: Support, Levers, Crosses and Planches
Still rings positions are easier to recognize when you look at three things: which way the body faces, whether the shoulders are above or below the hands, and where the legs point. An iron cross makes a vertical T shape. A Maltese stretches horizontally near ring height. A planche also faces down, but sits higher above the rings.
Contents
This is a visual glossary of the positions, not a training progression. For the moving skills between them, including swings and dismounts, use our guide to still rings skills.
Read the body shape before the skill name
A hold is a position in which the gymnast visibly stops. A whole rings element may include more than that final shape: a swing, pull or slow roll can lead into the same hold. Recognizing the destination is the first step; identifying the complete movement comes next.
The drawings below show eight useful reference positions. Front views make the arm spread clearer; side views show whether the torso faces up or down. The dashed lines mark the bottoms of the rings, so you can compare their height with the shoulders.
Support, hanging and inverted positions
Support hold and L-sit
In a support hold, the gymnast is upright above the hands, with straight arms beside the body and the rings near the hips. Compare that with a basic hang, in which the hands are overhead and the body hangs below them. Both positions can appear between more complex movements.
An L-sit keeps the upright torso but brings the straight legs forward to form an L. The hands still support the gymnast from below. An L-cross also has the legs forward, but its arms extend out to the sides; the leg shape alone does not identify the hold.
Support and hang describe relationships to the apparatus, not promises about how easy or safe a task will be for a particular person. Our beginner rings guide covers starting practice separately.
Handstand
In a rings handstand, the feet point upward and the straight arms support the body above the rings. The narrow, vertical outline separates it from an inverted cross, where the arms spread out sideways.
A press to handstand and a swing to handstand can finish in the same visible position. They are different movements, so do not assign a difficulty value from the final still image alone. For the balance demands and preparation, see handstands on still rings.
Horizontal holds: front and back levers
A front lever has a straight horizontal body facing upward, hanging below the hands. The hips and knees stay extended in the full position. A tucked version may be useful in a training context, but its bent body outline is different from the full hold shown here.
A back lever also hangs below the hands, with the body horizontal, but the chest faces the floor. In the Code of Points, these are called hanging scales frontways and rearways. The everyday names are easier to remember if you watch which way the chest faces.
The back lever, Maltese and planche all face down. Their hand-to-shoulder relationship tells them apart: the back lever hangs below the hands, the Maltese lies near ring height, and the planche is supported above the rings. The front-versus-back-lever comparison explains their different demands without treating one as an automatic prerequisite for the other.
Cross, Maltese and planche
Iron cross
The ordinary iron cross is upright, with straight arms spread to the sides and the legs pointing down. From the front, the arms and body form a T. An inverted cross reverses the vertical body position, with the legs pointing upward.
In competition descriptions, “cross” may refer to the final hold within a longer element. A gymnast who arrives by a slow roll has performed more than an isolated cross, even if the last two seconds look familiar.
Maltese, or swallow
The Maltese is a straight, face-down horizontal hold with wide arms. The Code calls it a support scale at ring height, also known as a swallow. Its precise reference is the middle of the shoulders in line with the bottoms of the rings.
“Maltese cross” can be confusing because the torso does not stay upright like an ordinary iron cross. Read the whole name and look at the body orientation, rather than assuming every cross has the same shape.
Planche, or support scale
A full planche also has a straight horizontal body facing down, but the shoulders are completely above the tops of the rings. The Code calls it a support scale. Spreading the legs creates a straddled version; it should not be labeled as the legs-together hold.
The iron cross, Maltese and planche comparison puts those three positions side by side and explains their separate competition values. This atlas is for recognition, so it does not rank them as a personal learning ladder.
Watch the positions within a routine
In this USA Gymnastics recording of Donnell Whittenburg at the 2025 U.S. Championships, watch the contrast between movement and a clearly established hold. Pause during a hold and compare the shoulder, hand and body lines with the atlas. The purpose is to recognize shapes, not copy an elite routine.
For recognized FIG hold elements, the two-second requirement concerns a stopped body, including the shoulders and feet. Passing through a shape is different from holding it. A still photograph cannot establish the duration or reveal the entire entry.
Body position and execution matter as well as time. For the judging detail, use how still rings scoring works. There is no need to memorize the complete scoring system to start recognizing the positions.
Common questions
Is a muscle-up a rings position?
A muscle-up is a movement from a hang into support. Its finishing support is a position, but the whole muscle-up is not a static hold.
Are the Maltese and planche the same?
No. Both face down horizontally, but the Maltese is at ring height and the planche is above the rings. “Support scale” without the ring-height qualification usually describes the planche.
Does every stop on rings earn difficulty credit?
No. A familiar body position is not automatically a separately credited element. The Code identifies the eligible elements and their performance requirements.
Final Takeaway
Start by recognizing vertical versus horizontal body shapes, then compare the shoulders with the rings. That separates the cross, levers, Maltese and planche more reliably than a list of impressive skill names.
The atlas describes what viewers see. Actual preparation belongs with a qualified coach and the appropriate specialist guide, rather than a fixed sequence of holds for everyone.
Main Sources
- FIG 2025–2028 Men’s Artistic Gymnastics Code of Points — Section 12 and the rings element tables; body positions, hold requirements and official names.
- USA Gymnastics: Donnell Whittenburg, 2025 U.S. Championships still rings — the embedded performance example.