Tumbling

Tumbling is characterised by the complex, swift and rhythmical succession of acrobatic bounding from hands to feet, feet to hands or even feet directly back onto feet. A tumbling pass may be over in a matter of seconds and is performed on a tumbling track that is 25 meters in length.

In tumbling, a gymnast performs a tumbling pass which sees the gymnast gain speed and power by running along a track and performing a series of somersaults and twists. World-class tumblers perform no less than two double somersaults in one run, the best of them three, with twisting elements in addition.

A typical tumbling competition will include the gymnast completing three tumbling passes. The first is called a straight pass (composed of somersaults), the second is called the twisting pass (twists) with the third and final pass (composed of both somersaults and twists).