A Glossary of Gymnastics Terms for Parents (So You Know What They're Talking About!)

If you’ve ever found yourself nodding enthusiastically while your child says, “I almost nailed my back walkover on the beam after vault rotation,” and you had no idea what they just said… this blog’s for you.

We’ve put together a lighthearted but useful glossary of gymnastics terms, so you can keep up with the flips, tucks, and trampoline chatter — and maybe even impress your child by actually knowing what a Yurchenko is (bonus points if you can say it with a straight face).

🤸‍♀️ Basic Gymnastics Terms Every Parent Should Know:

Apparatus – The equipment used in gymnastics. Think beam, bars, floor, vault… not a Victorian contraption.

Beam – The long, narrow piece of equipment your child somehow manages to walk, leap, and spin on without falling off. (Most of the time.)

Vault – Not a bank vault. A padded platform your gymnast runs at full speed toward before launching themselves into a flip.

Floor – Not just the thing you walk on. In gymnastics, it’s a spring-loaded stage for cartwheels, somersaults, and dramatic music-backed routines.

Trampette – A mini trampoline used for controlled chaos, aka launching into jumps and flips.

Foam Pit – A magical land of soft cubes where gymnasts practise new skills with minimal injury and maximum fun. Adults not allowed (sadly).

🌀 Skills and Moves:

Cartwheel – A sideways rotation using hands and feet. Often starts as a starfish flop and gradually becomes Instagram-worthy.

Handstand – Upside-down magic. Balancing on hands, preferably without toppling into the next mat.

Back Walkover – A backbend that turns into a kickover and makes parents hold their breath for the duration.

Round-off – Like a cartwheel, but with a fancier finish that allows a powerful push-off into the next skill.

Back Handspring – The backwards springy one that looks like it defies physics. Requires confidence and calf muscles of steel.

Somersault – A forward or backward flip in the air. Often practiced over and over with joy, until one is nailed and celebrated wildly.

Split Leap – A graceful leap into the air with (ideally) split legs and a face that says “I’m not terrified, I’ve got this.”

🏅 Other Helpful Terms:

Routine – A series of skills put together in sequence. Think mini-performance meets obstacle course.

Rotation – Moving from one piece of equipment to another. Not to be confused with “rotating the laundry.”

Coach – The brave soul responsible for teaching, supporting, and surviving an entire class of energetic gymnasts.

Spotting – No, not leopard print. This is when a coach helps support or guide a gymnast while they’re learning a skill.

Whether you’re brand new to the gymnastics world or just want to decode your child’s enthusiastic post-class updates, we hope this glossary helps you feel a little more clued up. Bonus points if you use the word “salto” in a sentence without being corrected.

And remember — you don’t have to understand every technical term to cheer wildly when they stick the landing.