Types of Jumps in Gymnastics
On the floor and the beam, gymnastics jumps are
about height, flexibility, extension, form and speed. While the floor
and the beam have some spring action, most of the height actually comes
from the gymnast's power. The list of jumps landed in competition
continues to grow as the difficulty and creativity of the sport
increase, but all jumps begin from the same skill types.
Hops, Leaps and Jumps
Although hops, leaps and jumps might sound
like the same thing, they are not. The difference lies in the footing.
In a hop, you take off from one foot and land on that same foot, the
same way you do as a young child in hopscotch. In a leap, you also take
off from one foot but land on the opposite foot. Covering the most
distance, leaps are a common way to travel the balance beam. When you
jump, both feet leave the ground at the same time, as in jumping on a
trampoline.
