Floor (gymastics)

In gymnastics, the floor is a specially designed surface on which gymnasts perform a floor routine. The floor is considered a gymnastic apparatus and must, therefore, meet design and construction requirements mandated by the organizations overseeing a gymnastic competition. Men and women both take part in a floor routine in various levels of competition, including in the Olympics and American collegiate athletics, but their routines have different requirements. In the twenty-first century, the floor that gymnasts use differs greatly from those used in the past.

Background

Athletes have been competing in gymnastic competitions for at least 2,000 years, as the sport originated in ancient Greece. However, the modern form of gymnastics began to develop in the late 1800s in Europe and North America with the formation of school clubs and athletic organizations. At this time, mostly men took part in various gymnastic exercises. In 1894, artistic gymnastics was one of the original sports at the Olympic Games. The sport continued to develop over time, with various gymnastic events being added or removed from the Olympic competition. Men first took part in the floor routine at the Olympic Games in 1932, and women first took part in the event in 1952. In the twenty-first-century Olympics, men take part in the six artistic gymnastic events (floor exercise, pommel horse, rings, vault, parallel bars, and high bar), and women take part in four events (vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise).

Overview

All gymnastic events require athletes to use apparatuses. To make competition fair and safe, the apparatuses that athletes use must have consistent, safe designs, which should enable athletes to perform their best while also ensuring their safety. The Federation of Gymnastics (or Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique; FIG), which is the governing body for competitive gymnastics around the world, was founded in 1881 and is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. This organization sets the standards for apparatuses that athletes use in elite competitions such as the Olympics.

FIG has the same requirements for the floor for both men and women’s competitions. FIG publishes apparatus guidelines that Olympic hosts and other competition hosts use to create the gymnastic floors. As of 2024, FIG requires that the floor be square with a performance area measuring 40 feet (12 meters) by 40 feet (12 meters). The measurements of the floor may only differ by 1 inch (3 centimeters) in any direction. The performance area must be horizontal and without gaps. Modern gymnastic floors generally have at least three layers: springs, wooden boards covering the springs, and a soft mat covering the boards. The FIG requires that all parts of the floor have the same “arrangement of elastic elements,” which means that each part should have the same number, size, and arrangement of springs. The surface of the performance area should be made of a material that prevents slipping but does not cause skin burns. The elements of the floor must all be connected firmly so athletes do not fall. According to the FIG, the performance area must be surrounded by a border that is the same height as the performance area.

Although the FIG publishes specific guidelines for elite competitions, other groups and organizations may have their own requirements for the floor at other levels of competition. For example, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) oversees the floor design in American collegiate competitions. Furthermore, the floor design may be slightly altered for different types of competitions. For example, competitions for younger athletes may allow more padding on the floor. In general, however, other organizations follow the guidelines set by the FIG.

The FIG and other organizations have rules about the floor’s design and construction to help ensure athletes’ safety and promote athletic achievement. Despite this, though, not all floors are the same. Some have more springs, which enables athletes to perform more complicated stunts. Others have more padding, which feels more comfortable but requires athletes to adjust their performances to ensure that they can complete stunts and routine elements in the exercises. Athletes generally benefit from trying out a floor apparatus before competing on it.

Several large manufacturers design and create gymnastic floors for hosts. For example, in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, the host country ordered a floor from a French company called Gymnova. The floor cost tens of thousands of dollars to design, build, and transport. Gymnastic floors should also be installed by experienced professionals. The floor at the 2016 Olympics contained approximately two thousand springs. This helped athletes perform more complicated stunts. The springs also functioned as shock absorbers for athletes when they landed after performing stunts.

By the early twenty-first century, rules had to be followed during the design and construction of floors. However, the floor apparatus was not well-regulated until the late twentieth century. Early gymnastic floors were simply hard surfaces covered in sand, grass, or dirt. Various other materials, such as mats filled with horsehair, were also used by athletes during the twentieth century. For example, in 1936, the gymnastic floor was a wooden plank covered in cork. By 1956, the apparatus improved slightly as it was made from felt and had a canvas covering. By the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, the floor was made from wood and covered in carpet. By 1980, floors with springs became the standard for elite gymnastic competitions.

Both men and woman use the floor apparatus when performing a routine. However, although the apparatus is the same for both groups, the requirements for their actual exercises differ. Men’s performances feature a series of exercises and stunts, while women’s performances are choreographed routines that still feature exercises and stunts but are set to music and include more artistic elements. For both men and women, the floor routine allows athletes to use more creativity since both groups get to choose the moves they perform and the order in which they perform them. Men and women must have significant strength, power, and stamina to perform well in the floor exercise.

Men’s floor routines are not accompanied by music and last only 70 seconds. The routines must feature three to five tumbling passes in both directions. The athlete must also include elements that show strength and flexibility, such as handstands. Men must include at least one static balance or strength element in their routines. The athletes are also expected to include transition elements that help them move from one stunt to the next. In men’s artistic gymnastics, the floor exercise is usually the first event they take part in. In most competitions, male gymnasts perform in this order: floor exercise, pommel horse, rings, vault, parallel bars, and high bar.

Women’s floor exercises are set to music and last no longer than 90 seconds. Women’s floor exercises should contain tumbling and acrobatic elements. They should also include dance elements, which are often used to transition between the elements. These athletes must include at least two acrobatic series and one dance series. In women’s artistic gymnastics, the floor exercise is usually the last event that athletes complete. In most competitions, female gymnasts perform their events in this order: vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise.

Floor routines for both groups are judged and scored by judges who understand the sport. The judges base their scores on the athletes’ performances, including the stunts and elements they attempted and achieved. The difficult elements are generally those for which athletes are scored more highly. Furthermore, athletes receive higher scores when they stick their landings, which means they land gracefully with a strong, poised stance. Wobbling, flailing, or falling in any part of a routine, including during landings, will reduce an athlete’s score. Athletes are expected to use as much performance area on the floor as possible during their routines. Those who move to use the entire performance area during their routine generally receive higher scores. The floor exercise has developed and changed just as the floor apparatus has. The springs and mats on modern gymnastic floors help athletes perform moves that would have only been possible on trampolines in the past.

Bibliography

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Dmeyer, Tess. “Flooring It.” Sports Illustrated, vol. 133, no. 1, Feb. 2022, pp. 18–20. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f6h&AN=154780618&site=ehost-live.

“FIG Apparatus Norms.” Federation of Gymnastics (FIG), March 2021, www.gymnastics.sport/publicdir/rules/files/en‗Apparatus%20Norms.pdf. Accessed 13 Dec. 2024.

Piner, Catherine. “How Does Simone Biles Fly So High? There Are Literal Springs Beneath the Floor.” Slate, 16 Aug. 2016, slate.com/culture/2016/08/the-gymnastics-floor-at-the-2016-olympics-has-literal-springs-beneath-it.html#:~:text=The%20%E2%80%9Cintermediate%20layer%E2%80%9D%20is%20made,hook%20and%20loop%20fastener%20bands.%E2%80%9D. Accessed 13 Dec. 2024.

Solly, Meilan. “A History of Gymnastics, From Ancient Greece to Tokyo 2020.” Smithsonian Magazine, 26 July 2021,

www.smithsonianmag.com/history/history-gymnastics-ancient-greece-tokyo-2020-180978270/. Accessed 13 Dec. 2024.

“Gymnastics 101: Apparatus Guide.” NBC Olympics, 25 March 2020, www.nbcolympics.com/news/gymnastics-101-apparatus-guide. Accessed 13 Dec. 2024.