Tumbling

Tumbling, also known as power tumbling and included as part of the trampoline and tumbling discipline, is a type of gymnastics sport. When tumbling, a person performs a routine that consists of flips, jumps, rolls, somersaults, and handsprings. The routine is sometimes choreographed to music. Tumbling is part of the floor exercise in gymnastics and included in some cheerleading routines. Tumblers do not use equipment like vaults or pommel horses. Tumbling is a competitive sport at the national and international levels, but it is not an Olympic sport, although, it was included in the Olympic Games once in 1932 exclusively as a men's event.

Background

Gymnastics has existed since ancient times. Soldiers used the moves to train for combat. Evidence of the practice was found in drawings in China, Egypt, Greece, and Persia. The Romans and Greeks valued physical fitness and skills demonstration, and used gymnastics to strengthen their bodies. During medieval times, tumbling was performed as part of entertainment at plays and circuses. Royalty used clowns, tumblers, and other entertainers to liven up their courts. Some tumblers became favored members of the courts.

Over time, tumbling experienced a downturn but emerged as a modern sport in the nineteenth century. Competitive gymnastics developed in Germany as a political movement. German gymnast and nationalist Friedrich Ludwig Jahn wanted to unite Germany as an independent nation and build physical strength among Germans. He saw exercise as a way to restore pride and prepare people to resist foreign rule, especially after the German states' humiliation under Napoleonic rule. Because of this, he is often called the "father of gymnastics." He developed equipment to physically and mentally train men for his plans toward unity. These included the horizontal bar, parallel bars, side horse, balance beam, and vaulting horse.

Political unrest in 1820s Germany eventually led people to flee to the United States and other countries. The US was seen as a refuge for political exiles and those seeking freedom, democracy, and economic stability. A few of Jahn's followers settled in Massachusetts in the United States. Charles Beck introduced a gymnastics program in 1825. Around the same time, Charles Follen founded one of the first gymnasiums and debuted the sport of gymnastics at Harvard University. After Follen's departure in 1827, Francis Lieber took over his responsibilities. Though better known for his work in political philosophy, Francis Lieber played a role in bringing German gymnastics to the US. He helped establish its presence in American schools and physical education programs. His efforts, along with those of other German immigrants, laid the foundation for the growth of gymnastics in the United States.

As the nineteenth century ended, gymnastics and several of its disciplines gained popularity and were added to various national and international competitions. In 1881, the Bureau of European Gymnastics Federation (later called the International Gymnastics Federation) was established. The Amateur Athletic Union added gymnastics to its sports roster in 1883. Artistic gymnastics officially became an Olympic sport at the Athens games in 1896; rhythmic gymnastics was added in 1984.

Tumbling debuted at the US National Championships in 1886, but it struggled to gain acceptance as an Olympic sport. Tumbling finally was recognized as an Olympic sport in 1932; however, the sport was not officially added to the Olympics roster after this time. USA Gymnastics accepted the sport into competition in 1999, but as of 2016, tumbling was not recognized at the Olympic level.

Trampolining did not become a competitive sport until American inventor George Nissen developed a portable trampoline in 1936. The sport was then added to several gymnastics competitions and officially was recognized as a competitive sport in the United States in 1967. Double mini trampoline debuted as a competitive sport in 1978, and trampolining was added to the Olympics in 2000.

Overview

Tumblers do not use apparatus when performing. Tumbling is difficult to master and can be dangerous if not performed correctly. It requires athletes to be disciplined and have physical strength, flexibility, grace, and stamina. Tumblers perform whips and tucks, flips, rolls, jumps, somersaults, and back handsprings using the force of inertia to propel their bodies in one quick burst of momentum. The basic moves performed during tumbling have not changed much throughout the years. Tumbling routines are considered both demonstrations of physical skill and artistic performances. They are sometimes accompanied by music. Most tumblers begin the sport at a young age when the body is the most limber and flexible.

Tumblers perform on special floors called fiberglass rod floors that are designed to provide padding, bounce, and flexible support. At competitions, athletes sprint down an elevated runway that is 6 feet (1.8 meters) wide by 84 feet (25.6 meters) long and then perform several sets of tumbling skills known as passes, for which they are judged and scored. The specially designed runways allow tumblers to jump very high in the air so they can perform a series of acrobatic maneuvers. Judges award points based on the difficulty of the performance and execution of the moves. In tumbling, judges score routines on a ten-point scale, with ten being a perfect score. Points are deducted for mistakes in form, landings, or missing elements. To ensure fairness, the highest and lowest scores from multiple judges are dropped, and the remaining scores are averaged to determine the final score.

Tumbling is part of a competitive organized sport known as trampoline and tumbling. In this discipline, athletes perform tumbling routines on the floor, on a traditional trampoline, or on a double mini trampoline. Trampoline is the only Olympic sport of the three. It became an Olympic sport in 2000 at the Sydney Games. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board made the decision in 1997 after years of lobbying from top trampolinists.

The trampolines used provide athletes with more bounce than standard trampolines. They allow them to leap high into the air and perform multiple skills. Most trampolinists compete individually but some participate in synchronized trampoline routines with a partner. The partners perform on separate trampolines and must execute the routine exactly like the other to receive high scores.

A double mini trampoline is smaller than a traditional trampoline, but it has two jumping surfaces. One is angled toward the floor, and the other is flat and set parallel to the floor. The angled part is used to launch the trampolinist into the air and onto the other trampoline surface, where the athlete performs the skill sets. Trampolinists usually perform two different routines on the mini trampoline.

USA Gymnastics (USAG) and the United States Trampoline and Tumbling Association (USTA) govern the sport of trampoline and tumbling and oversee several national and international competitions. USAG also governs artistic, acrobatic, and rhythmic gymnastics. It is associated with the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) and the US Olympic Committee, and it helps train athletes to compete at these levels. George Nissen founded the USTA. The organization holds national championships every year and is affiliated with the Amateur Athletic Union. It is not directly associated with FIG or the US Olympic Committee.

Bibliography

"Friedrich Ludwig Jahn." Oxford Reference, www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100016379. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

Gebreyes, Rahel. "This Teen's Tumbling Routine Is Legitimately Ridiculous." Huffington Post, 27 May 2016, www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/angel-rice-tumbling-routine-gymnast‗us‗5747573de4b03ede44144986. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

Gordon, Jeff. "Gymnastics Moves for Beginners." SportsRec, 11 Dec. 2018, www.sportsrec.com/7785110/gymnastic-moves-for-beginners. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

"Gymnastics 101—Trampoline & Tumbling." USA Gymnastics, members.usagym.org/pages/gymnastics101/tt/. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

McMahon, Mary. "What Is Tumbling?" Sports N' Hobbies, 24 May 2024, www.sportsnhobbies.org/what-is-tumbling.htm. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

Starrs, Jenny. "Gravity-Defying Tumbler Showcases the Sport the Olympics Forgot." Washington Post, 20 May 2016, www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/05/20/gravity-defying-tumbler-showcases-the-sport-the-olympics-forgot. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

"Trampoline at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games." NBC Olympics, 22 July 2024, www.nbcolympics.com/news/trampoline-2024-paris-olympic-games. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

"Tumbling." Sportsmatik, 6 July 2022, sportsmatik.com/sports/tumbling/about. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

"Tumbling Code of Points 2025." USA Trampoline & Tumbling, 6 Oct. 2024, static.usagym.org/PDFs/T&T/Rules/devcop/tu.pdf. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

"What Is Power Tumbling?" Washington Post, 20 May 2016, www.washingtonpost.com/video/sports/what-is-power-tumbling/2016/05/20/bf1f2d40-1e62-11e6-82c2-a7dcb313287d‗video.html. Accessed 16 Nov. 2016.

"What Is Power Tumbling and How Is It Different from Gymnastics?" HubPages, 16 Mar. 2018, discover.hubpages.com/sports/What-is-Power-Tumbling-and-how-is-it-Different-from-Gymnastics. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.