The World of Gymnastics

Archive for the ‘GYMNASTICS BALANCE BEAM’ Category

• Gymnastics level 1, 2 and 3 balance beam routine has a time limit of 30 seconds
• Gymnastics level 4 balance beam routine has a time limit of 50 seconds
• Gymnastics level 5 balance beam routine has a time limit of 1 minute and 5 seconds
• Gymnastics  level 6 balance beam routine has a time limit of 1 minute and 10 seconds
• Gymnastics level seven balance beam routine must be a minimum of 30 seconds and a maximum of  1 minute 20 (80 seconds)
• Gymnastics level 8, 9 and 10 minimum of 30 seconds maximum of 1 minute and 30 seconds (90 seconds)

Ten seconds before your time is up the person timing will either ring a bell or say “warning.” Once your time is up you will either hear a bell ring again or the person timing say “time.” If you go over time you will receive a 0.10 deduction from your average score. If you are a level  7-10 and your routine is shorter than 30 seconds you will receive a 2.00 point deduction from your final score plus a deduction for whatever is missing in your routine. The time for a beam routine will began as soon as the gymnast takes off from the mat or springboard.  And the time ends as soon as the gymnast lands on the mat after her dismount. If the gymnast falls during her beam routine the person timing will stop the time once the gymnast makes contact with the floor.  The time will restart as soon as the gymnast makes her first move to continue her beam routine. The gymnast only has 30 seconds to remount the balance beam after she falls off. This time will be timed separately; this means there must be two stop watches. The person timing  will notify the gymnast when she has 20 seconds and also 10 seconds remaining  to remount the beam. If she doesn’t remount the beam within the  time limit the balance beam routine will be terminated. Within the 30 second fall time a gymnastics coach is allowed to coach and talk to the gymnast without receiving any deduction.  During the fall time the gymnast may perform a skill on the mat but will receive a 0.20 deduction.

I have seen countless number of gymnasts do a near perfect routine and not score as high as they thought they would. Their disappointment and agony shows as tears start rolling down their cheeks. Then they ask that famous little question, “what did I do wrong?”

It is not so much that they did something wrong, they usually are just missing the WOW FACTOR in their floor routine and beam routine.

Keep in mind, a judge may see the same gymnastics routine 100s of times. In all honesty they get a little board and want to see something that stands out. You can’t just hit your routine, you got to leave a mark and a good impression on the judges by giving them the WOW FACTOR they are looking for.

What is a WOW FACTOR? A wow factor is going to be something that wows the judges. A little extra spice in your routine that get the judge’s attention and makes your floor routine and beam routine stand out. This means you cannot just go through the motions of your routine.

Every judge wants to see a tight, clean, flawless routine, but this won’t get a gymnast the high score they are striving for. There is more to a routine than that. Presentation  and showmanship is very important when competing. This means every gymnast must finish every skill, stay in releve, have full body extension, keep their chin up, smile constantly and go all out on every skill. They must show a great amount of confidence and enthusiasm and not look timid or afraid. This will grab the judges attention and give them the wow factor they have been looking for!

You need to practice the way you compete. Going through the motions during practice and a meet is not good enough. You need to give it 110% on every skill and every beam routine and floor routine. This will give the judges the wow factor they want to see and will set you apart from the rest of the gymnasts.

Give the judges and audience a gymnastics routine to remember!!! GO GET THEM GIRLS!!

Nervousness and anxiety are extremely normal in artistic gymnastics. Especially when it comes to the balance beam. By far, balance beam is the event that almost every gymnasts get the most nervous about. The thought of tumbling 4 feet over the ground on a 4 inch beam can be very scary. It doesn’t matter how much experience you have, you will still get nervous when it’s your turn to compete your balance beam routine. There are a few things you can do as a gymnast to eliminate anxiety and nervousness.

Cutting down you anxiety before you compete balance beam at a gymnastics meet is not something that comes easy. It takes a lot of practice! But in the end it is worth it.

Competing a balance beam routine is way different than being at practice and performing it. You could do your balance beam routine in practice a thousand times and never get nervous and then go to a gymnastics meet and fall apart once you mount the beam. The question is, how can you eliminate your anxiety and nervousness at a gymnastics meet?

You can eliminate nervousness by competing! But the problem is there is not enough meets in a season to get a lot of experience from. This means you need to create situations that will help you train and prepare for a gymnastics meet other than practice and competition.

You can start by performing your balance beam routine while there are loud progressive/cheerleading classes in the gym, or when a birthday party is going on. You can also try turning up music really loud while practicing your gymnastics beam routine. Invite friends and family to watch and encourage them to talk and cheer while you are on the beam. While all this is going on you need to try to focus and tune everything out. Another good way to practice is to go to as many small/fun gymnastics meets as possible.

Just remember if you fall off beam your anxiety level will rise, this is not a good thing. So don’t rush it, take a deep breath and even a short pause if needed. It is better to get a small deduction for going over time or for pausing in your routine than to receive a deduction for a fall. Plus once you fall it is much harder to get back up and finish without letting your anxiety get the best of you.

The hardest thing about beam isn’t the gymnastics dance, skills, turns, jumps, or leaps that are in the routine, it is the mental inclinations the gymnast’s have. The main reason girls shake on beam and get so nervous is because they are head cases. This is by far the hardest thing to get over! The only things that can help with mental inclinations is practice, practice, practice.



Gymnastic beam is one of two events in gymnastics that are timed. A level 4 gymnastics beam routine time limit is 50 seconds. If a gymnast goes over her time she will receive a 0.10 deduction from her beam score. Based on the height of the beam and gymnast, a mat or spring board may be needed to mount the gymnastics beam. This is allowed as long as the extra mounting surface is removed as soon as the gymnast mounts. If it is not removed the gymnast will receive a deduction from her beam score.

LEVEL 4 GYMNASTICS BEAM- MAIN GYMNASTICS VAULT SKILLS, REQUIREMENTS, AND DEDUCTIONS!

*Leg Swing Mount-Must turn 180 degrees in a continuous motion ending in a straddle sit with correct body position

*V-Sit to Tuck Stand-must maintain a straight and hollow body position until both feet are above the beam. Once legs are above the beam pull them in to land in a tuck stand.

*Heal Snap Turn-When stepping in coupe you must remain on toe until foot arrives next to ankle. Once the foot arrives at ankle go flat then rise in releve to perform a heal snap turn. Once the turn is finished, immediately drop to a flat foot and pause.

*Leap-leg separation on the leap must be a minimum of 60 degrees. Must maintain straight legs and pointed toes throughout the leap and land in a low, paused, arabesque position

*Handstand-Handstand must be ¾ minimum. Be sure to lever in and out of the handstand while stretching out body and closing legs at the top. Hands must be side by side while in the handstand; they cannot be staged.

*½ Turn-Must complete a 180 degree turn on toe; show control before stepping out to finish.

*Straight Jump (Stretch Jump)-Push through toes to get great height while maintain a straight body and close feet together during the jump.

*Tuck Jump-Tuck must be a minimum of 90 degrees. Tuck must be tight and quick and must open before landing back on the beam

*Arabesque- Back leg must lift behind at a minimum of 45 degrees and must be held for at least 1 second.

*Scale- Back leg must lift a minimum of 90 degrees and be held for at least 2 seconds. The Gymnast must keep both legs locked out and chest up while performing both the scale and arabesque.

*Pivot Turn-Stay in full releve while completing a sharp and tight 180 degree turn.

*Dismount- Must maintain a straight tight body while doing a cartwheel to side handstand. Once at the top legs much touch together and be held for a minimum of 1 second. After being held, do a ¼ turn dismount. Body should remain straight from start to finish.

Gymnastics beam is all about balance. Make sure your routine is not lacking in connections and/or rhythm. Each gymnastics skill needs to lead into the next with grace and aggressiveness.