College Gymnastics 102: Another Guide for Mainstream Sports Fans

NCAA gymnastics is back and better than ever! Last season’s championship broke the one-million viewer mark for the first time, and—with the Olympics following closely after the upcoming season—there are more eyes on the sport than ever before. Just look at ESPN, which recently went all-in on NCAA gym by launching its own invitational meet that will feature four of the sport’s top teams and air on ABC in its prime timeslot. 

To aid in new fans’ understanding of our beautiful sport, we have another edition of our how-to guide for following college gymnastics—complete with references to the mainstream sports we all grew up watching. This time around, we’ll be delving into event specifics, terminology, and pathways to winning an NCAA championship highlighted in this preseason’s handbook.

If you need a refresher course, check out last year’s guide, College Gymnastics 101, and our in-depth breakdown of the NCAA Code of Points.

Event Explanations

Vault

Dimensions

Vault table	120 cm long x 90 cm wide x 125 cm tall
Runway	35 m long x 1 m wide
Springboard	6 m x 12 m

The Basics

The gymnast will sprint down the runway, hit the springboard with both feet, use both hands to make contact with the table, and yeet themselves into the air where they’ll complete a salto (i.e., a flip with no hands) and/or twist before (hopefully) landing feet first. 

This is the only event on which a DI team will regularly give a lineup spot to a gymnast competing a start value below 10.0, with the 9.95 SV Yurchenko full being the most popular vault in the NCAA. 

Skills You Should Probably Know

There are four common vault entries (i.e., what the gymnast does in order to make contact with the springboard and the table): 

• Front handspring: self-explanatory; the gymnast jumps toward the table while facing the table and uses their hands to propel themselves into the air 
• Tsukahara (aka Tsuk): like a front handspring except the gymnast does a quarter or half turn onto the table; also called a round-off onto the table
• Yurchenko: the most popular entry competed in NCAA gymnastics; the gymnast does a round-off onto the springboard and a back handspring onto the table, jumping onto the table hands first and facing backward
• Round-off half-on: Like a Yurchenko with a half turn after the round-off so that the gymnast hits the vault table facing forward 

Common Deductions

The size of the deduction varies by the severity of the error, with most non-fall mistakes worth half a tenth to three tenths in deductions. A fall is worth half a point on any event. On vault, the biggest errors are usually form breaks in the air (think flexed feet, bent knees, or piking at the hips) and steps or hops on the landing. 

You can learn more about vault from our resident former judge Rhiannon Franck in her series Judge’s Inquiry. 

Bars

Dimensions

Bar diameter	4 cm
Low bar height	1.7 m
High bar height	2.5 m
Bar length	2.4 m
Distance between bars	130 to 190 cm

The Basics

We’re not going to lie: Bars requirements are weirdly complicated and annoying even when you’ve been following the sport for years. Long story short, the gymnast will mount the apparatus, transition between the bars at least twice, let go of the bar completely at least twice, do a turning element that isn’t part of their dismount, and then dismount. Most DI routines will have a 10.0 SV unless otherwise stated. 

Skills You Should Probably Know

Connecting skills 

• Kip: the gymnast glides under the bar until their body is fully extended, then quickly pulls their feet up to the bar while also pushing themselves into a front support so that their arms are straight and the bar is in front of them at their waist 
• Cast: when the gymnast moves their body away from the bar; at the college level, a gymnast will typically cast out of a kip into a handstand
• Giant: a 360-degree rotation around the bar with the arms and body fully extended; can be done as a back giant or front giant depending on the direction they move and the placement of their hands
• Pirouette: a turn completed while in a handstand; often done as a half (180 degrees) or full (360 degrees)

Transitions

• bail: a high to low bar transition in which the gymnast swings towards the low bar, releases the high bar, and does a half twist before catching the low bar with their back now facing the high bar; can be caught in handstand or with the gymnast’s body at horizontal or parallel to the floor; also known as an overshoot or shootover
• Pak: a high to low bar transition in which the gymnast swings toward the low bar, releases the high bar, and does a salto in a laid out position before catching the low bar
• Maloney: the toe-on variation of the Shaposhnikova in which the gymnast propels themselves up and over the low bar and catches the high bar; the skill begins and ends with the gymnast’s back to the high bar  
• van Leeuwen: a Maloney with an added half twist; the skill starts with the gymnast’s back to the high bar and finishes with their back to the low bar
• Squat-on: pretty much exactly what it sounds like—the gymnast squats onto the low bar and jumps to the high bar; in college, most gymnasts perform this with straight legs

Same Bar Releases

• Tkatchev: the gymnast swings forward on the high bar before letting go, propelling themselves backward up and over the bar, and then re-catching it; a true Tkatchev is performed with a giant entry and legs straddled during the flight, though there are numerous variations of entries and leg positions while in the air—straddled, piked, or laid-out; it was originally called a reverse hecht, but that terminology these days is rare
  • Ray: a toe-on straddled Tkatchev named for 2000 Olympian and Michigan alumna Elise Ray; one of the most popular same bar release currently being competed in the NCAA
  • Hindorff: a clear hip circle to straddled Tkatchev; these are exceedingly rare in NCAA gymnastics, although commentators frequently (and incorrectly) refer to any Tkatchev variation as a Hindorff
• Jaeger: the gymnast swings backward on the high bar before letting go, doing a forward salto, and re-catching the bar; like the Tkatchev, the flight element of a Jaeger is usually straddled or piked 
• Gienger: the gymnast swings on the high bar as if going into a giant before letting go around bar height, doing a back salto with a half twist, and re-catching the bar
• Deltchev: the gymnast swings on the high bar as if going into a giant before letting go around bar height, doing a half twist into a forward salto, and re-catching the bar; this skill looks very similar to a Gienger to the untrained eye—the half turn occurs first in the Deltchev—but is much more rare in NCAA competition compared to the Gienger

Common Deductions

The size of the deduction varies by the severity of the error, with most non-fall mistakes worth half a tenth to three tenths in deductions. A fall is worth half a point on any event. On bars, handstands need to be within 10 degrees of vertical; anything short of that will result in a deduction. Release moves must fly high and be caught with straight arms or be subject to amplitude deductions. Dismounts should be stuck cold—any hops, steps, or other movement after landing is a deduction. 

You can learn more about bars from our resident former NCAA judge Rhiannon Franck in her series Judge’s Inquiry.

Beam

Dimensions

Width	10 cm (approx. 4 in)
Length	5 m
Height	1.25 m

The Basics

Between mounting and dismounting the beam, a gymnast must fulfill a handful of requirements to earn her 10.0 SV—which most do by performing an acro series with at least two flight elements, connecting either two dance skills or one dance skill to an acro skill, show a full 180-degree split in a leap or jump, and do a full turn.

Skills You Should Probably Know

Acro Skills

• Layout step-out: a straight-bodied back salto landed with one foot at a time
• Side aerial: a cartwheel with no hands
• Front aerial: a front walkover with no hands
• Side somi: a sideways tucked salto
• Korbut: a back handspring with a swing down to a seated straddled position on the beam; also called a swingdown or splashdown
  • Author’s note: There is no such thing as a Korbut Death Loop on bars or any other apparatus. The actual skill—the Korbut flip—wasn’t banned because it was too dangerous, it simply faded out because the modern Code of Points no longer allows gymnasts to stand on the high bar. Stop sharing clickbait.
• Front toss: a front salto where the gymnast takes off from one foot but finishes on two; also called a kickover or a chicken dump (but only if you’re a total heathen); the most common position for this skill is tucked, but some gymnasts do it piked

Dance Skills

• Split leap/jump: the gymnast extends one leg forward and one leg backward while in the air, hitting 180 degrees between each leg; a leap takes off of and lands on one foot and a jump takes off of and lands on two feet
• Straddle: a jump where both legs are extended fully to the side of the gymnast, ideally at hip height or above to reach a full 180 degrees
• cat leap: the gymnast alternates bringing each knee at or above waist height with the leg turned out so the lower leg is as parallel to the floor as possible
• Beat jump: while jumping with the legs straight, the gymnast quickly alternates one foot in front of the other before landing
• Sheep jump: the gymnast jumps straight up and bends their legs while leaning their head back to make contact between the feet and the head (yes, we’re serious); check out the College Gym News logo for a visual of the apex of the jump

Dismounts

• Gainer: either done off the front or on the side of the beam, the gymnast swings their free leg, allowing the momentum to carry them into a backward salto or twist while their body moves away from the beam; a rarer version of this skill is the front gainer, performed on the side of the beam with the gymnast swinging their leg back and performing a front salto

Common Deductions

The size of the deduction varies by the severity of the error, with most non-fall mistakes worth half a tenth to three tenths in deductions. A fall is worth half a point on any event. Deductions are usually pretty easy to spot on beam, as every wiggle, bend, or leg lift to maintain balance is an opportunity for a judge to put pen to paper. Keep an eye on leaps as well: Every split position must hit a full 180 degrees to avoid deductions. As always, form breaks during the dismount and any movement after the gymnast’s feet hit the mat are a deduction. 

You can learn more about beam from our resident former NCAA judge Rhiannon Franck in her series Judge’s Inquiry.

Floor

Dimensions

Side length	39 ft
Diagonal length	55.68 ft
Space out of bounds	1 m

The Basics

You’re probably already somewhat familiar with this one. The gymnast will alternate dancing, tumbling, and jumping to music. Artistry actually does matter, so the gymnast should demonstrate some sort of connection between their choreography, the music, and their performance. Routines must include at least one tumbling pass with two saltos, at least three different types of saltos throughout the routine, a final salto of at least a C value or higher, and a dance pass with at least two leaps and/or jumps.      

Skills You Should Probably Know

Acro

• back handspring: the gymnast jumps backward, lands on their hands, and snaps their legs over their head before raising their chest and arms back up; typically used in combination with a round-off to gain momentum before a difficult salto or twisting skill 
• Whip: a back handspring with no hands 
• Salto: a flip or somersault with no hands; may be done in a tucked, piked, or laid-out position
• Arabian: a skill that starts with a back half twist into a forward salto

Dance

• Switch leap: the gymnast begins by swinging one leg forward around 45 degrees then flicking it back and hitting a 180-degree split with the opposite leg forward and the swing leg behind; may include a half or full turn 
• Tour jete: similar to a switch leap half except the gymnast rotates their body away from the swing leg
• Ring leap: a 180-plus-degree leap where a gymnast fully extends their front leg, tilt their head back and bend their back leg to make contact between their foot and their head

Common Deductions

The size of the deduction varies by the severity of the error, with most non-fall mistakes worth half a tenth to three tenths in deductions. A fall is worth half a point on any event. Like on beam, poorly done splits and form breaks on any elements are deductions, but landings are the big-ticket item on the floor: After every tumbling pass, a controlled lunge in the direction of the final salto is allowed (a step back after a backward-flipping salto or a step forward after a forward one), but hops, multiple steps, and foot raises will incur a deduction, as will a low chest or squatty landing. Stepping out of bounds costs a tenth for one foot and three tenths for both, though—unlike most ball sports—the line is still considered in.

You can learn more about floor from our resident former NCAA judge Rhiannon Franck in her series Judge’s Inquiry.

Postseason

Conference Championships

A one- or two-session meet with no direct impact on the postseason beyond giving teams one last opportunity to tweak their National Qualifying Score. While not officially part of the postseason, gym fans typically recognize conference champs weekend as the start of it. Beyond bragging rights and last-minute tune-ups, conference championships do matter to the power-wielding athletics directors, and so they matter to the gymnasts, coaches, and fans, too.

NCAA Championships

The NCAA gym postseason formally refers to regionals and nationals, but there is a full bracket complete with play-ins just like March Madness. The top 36 teams by NQS at the end of the regular season (i.e., post-conference championships) qualify for the postseason, with teams ranked one through 16 seeded between four regionals and the rest of the teams distributed geographically whenever possible. 

It’s an imperfect system, particularly when it comes to deciding the play-in teams: Instead of seeding every team and having Nos. 29 through 36 face off, the two lowest-ranked teams in each regional are relegated to the first round dual meets—even if they’re ranked higher than No. 29—while everyone else gets a first-round bye. 

Starting in the second round of regionals, the top two teams from each four-team session advance to the next round, culminating in a four-team national championship meet known as the team final or Four on the Floor. The top score in that final session is your NCAA gymnastics champion. 

Confused? Take a look at last year’s complete bracket if you need a visual:

Individuals

Since there are individual—not just team—NCAA titles at stake, gymnasts can qualify for the postseason even if their team doesn’t. Using the final regular season NQS standings, the top 12 all-arounders and top 16 event specialists not on a top 28 team qualify for regionals. Individuals from teams competing in the play-in round at regionals are included on the list of qualifiers in case their team doesn’t move on to round two. Individual qualifiers whose teams do advance from the first round keep their spots but compete with their team and not individually.

Individuals can also advance to nationals without being on one of the eight teams that qualify to the semifinals. To do so, a gymnast must have the highest score in the all-around or on a single event at their regional, not including gymnasts on nationals-qualifying teams.

All-around and individual event NCAA champions are determined in the semifinal round at nationals. The top score on each event and in the all-around after both sessions have concluded wins (or usually ties for) the title.

Championship Format Timeline

While the NCAA has used a regionals-nationals format since it began sponsoring women’s gymnastics in 1982, the number of teams at each stage has fluctuated.

• 1982: four teams at regionals, 10-team NCAA final
• 1983: seven teams at regionals, 10-team NCAA final
• 1984 to 1986: six teams at regionals, 10-team NCAA final
• 1987 to 1992: seven teams at regionals, 12-team NCAA final
• 1993 to 1998: seven teams at regionals, 12 teams to nationals, six-team NCAA final (named Super Six)
• 1999 to 2018: six teams at regionals, 12 teams to nationals, Super Six team final
• 2019 to present: nine teams at regionals, eight teams to nationals, four-team NCAA final

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Article by Claire Billman and Brandis Heffner