bars gymnastics
Olivia Hensley
Updated on August 13, 2026
The bars are made of fiberglass with wood coating, or less commonly wood. The English abbreviation for the event in gymnastics scoring is UB or AB, and the apparatus and event are often referred to simply as “bars”. The bars are placed at different heights and widths, allowing the gymnast to transition from bar to bar.
What are the two bars called in gymnastics?
Parallel bars are floor apparatus consisting of two wooden bars slightly over 11 feet (340 cm) long and positioned at roughly hand height. Parallel bars are used in artistic gymnastics and also for physical therapy and home exercise.
What is the one bar called in gymnastics?
horizontal bar, also called high bar, gymnastics apparatus introduced in the early 19th century by the German Friedrich Jahn, usually considered the father of gymnastics. It is a polished steel bar 2.8 cm (1.1 inches) in diameter, 2.4 metres (7.8 feet) long, and raised about 2.8 metres (9.1 feet) from the floor.
How high are the bars in gymnastics?
Low bar height: 166 cm (+ or – 1 cm) (approx. 5.4 ft.) High bar height: 246 cm (+ or – 1 cm) (approx. 8 ft.)
What is a high bar made of?
The high bar, also called the horizontal bar, is made of extremely high-tension stainless steel.
What is the easiest gymnastics move?
The following beginner gymnastics skills includes movements that appear throughout a gymnast’s development and across various apparatus.
1) Straddle Sit. 2) Balance on one foot. 3) Hop to safe landing. 4) Log roll. 5) Consecutive jumps. 6) Forward roll. 7) Jump half turn. 8) Tuck Jump.
What is a giant bar?
A giant is an artistic gymnastics skill in which a gymnast rotates 360 degrees around an axis while in a fully extended position. It is performed on the uneven bars in women’s artistic gymnastics and on the parallel bars, horizontal bar, and rings in men’s artistic gymnastics.
What are the parts of parallel bars?
The main part of the parallel bar consists of two horizontally placed parallel poles (350 cm long, oval in cross section, 5 cm in height, and 4 cm in width), which are hinged to pivots inserted in hollow posts that are attached to a metal frame.
How tall are the even bars?
The two bars, made of wood, are oval in cross section, 5 cm (2 inches) thick, 3.5 metres (11.5 feet) long, 2 metres (6.5 feet) high, and 42 cm (16.5 inches) apart.
How high is the uneven bars?
The top bar is 2.4 metres (7.8 feet) above the floor, while the lower bar is 1.65 metres (5.4 feet) high. The apparatus was first used in international competition at the 1936 Olympic Games. It allows a great variety of movements, although hanging and swinging exercises predominate.
What kind of wood are gymnastics bars made of?
According to Gibson Athletic, the wood is usually whatever is available at the time of production and is often maple or oak. Competition bars are made to a higher, exacting standard; using composite instead of wood ensures a consistent level of performance with each equipment piece.
How thick are uneven bars?
The Federation Internationale de Gymnastique also dictates the other dimensions of the uneven bars. The bars themselves must be 4 centimeters, or 1.6 inches, in width.