POMMEL HORSE
The pommel horse is an artistic gymnastics apparatus. It is only used by male gymnasts. Originally
made of a metal frame with a wooden body and a leather cover, today the frame may contain plastic or composite materials,
and the body is made of plastic and may be covered with synthetic materials.
Dimensions
Measures of the apparatus are published by the FIG in the Apparatus Norms brochure.
• Height: 115 cm (including about 20 cm landing mat)
• Length: 160 cm
• Width: 35 cm
• Height of the pommels: 12 cm
• Distance between the pommels: 40 cm to 45 cm (adjustable)
Exercise
A typical pommel horse exercise involves both single leg and double leg work. Single leg skills are generally found in the form
of scissors, an element often done on the pommels. Double leg work however, is the main staple of this event. The gymnast swings
both legs in a circular motion (clockwise or counterclockwise depending on preference) and performs such skills on all parts of
the apparatus. To make the exercise more challenging, gymnasts will often include variations on a typical circling skill by turning
(Moores and spindles) or by straddling their legs (flares). Routines end when the gymnast performs a dismount, either by swinging
his body over the horse or going through a handstand and hopping off. The pommel horse, its gymnastic elements, and various rules
are all regulated by the Code of Points.
Pommel horse is considered one of the more difficult men's events. While it is well noted that all events require a certain
build of muscle and technique, pommel horse tends to favor technique over muscle. This is due to the fact that horse routines
are done from the shoulders in a leaning motion and that no moves except the handstand need to be held unlike other events.
Therefore, stress induced in one's arms is reduced meaning less muscle is needed in this event than events like
still rings or parallel bars.
Form
As with all events in the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique guidelines, form is crucial to any
successful routine. For pommel horse, form consists of keeping one's feet pointed and legs straight during all tricks.
Furthermore, it is important to keep one's legs together during all tricks, exceptions beings scissors, single legged tricks,
and flares. Proper form aids in trick execution in that loose limbs and flailing extremities hinder the cohesive momentum
of one's body and increase the risk of touching one's feet on the horse, resulting in deductions.
Judging and Routine Construction
There are five element groups or skill categories into which all pommel horse skills are categorized. These are:
1. Single leg swings and scissors
Scissors consist of a swinging motion of one's back leg, in reference to the horse and motion of swing, to around a height
of 1 to 3 feet above the horse. Once attaining this height in a swing a scissor is accomplished by simply bring ones front leg
behind the horse and switching the back leg to the front. Scissors may consist of a variety of twists and turns during the scissors
motion. Also, scissors can be used to travel from one area of the horse to another.
Single leg swings include leg cuts and any cut down version of double leg swing tricks like stock-ins, front-ins, stock-outs,
and front-outs. Leg cuts are transitioning moves used during routines to position gymnasts to do scissors and maintain routine
direction. To do a leg cut one must kick one leg behind or to the front of the horse on any section of the horse.
2. Circles and flares (with and without spindles and handstands)
Circles consist of rhythmic leaning motion of the wrists in reference to an elliptical motion of the body on top of the horse.
Circles may be performed on the pommels themselves, the surface of the horse, or any combination thereof. Furthermore, circles
may be used in method to travel from one section of the horse to another through the use of moving ones hands while maintaining
the original elliptical motion.
Flares in theory are very similar to circles, except the positioning of one's legs. In circles, a gymnast should generally
try to keep his/her legs together, whereas during flares they are apart and raised above one's body plane in the elliptical motion.
Spindles are shifts of motion in one's body direction during a circles and flares. This entails doing a circle or flare and then
changing one's hand's place on the horse in the appropriate manner to swing the rest of circle or flare over the top of the pommels
or ends instead of the sides of the horse.
3. Side- and cross-support travels
Side- and cross-support travels consist of double legged swings like stock-ins, front-ins, stock-outs, front-outs, and
Russians, in an effort to move a gymnast to one side or section of the horse to another. Most of these move consist of having
one's legs on the same side of the horse and placing the hand (right or left depending on the gymnasts routine direction)
and swinging the body over and around the pommel(s). This also includes scissors in traveling motion over one or both pommels.
Russians are the transition of both hands to one pommel in a double legged cross support travel and then to the other
pommel until the gymnast has returned to his starting position. If the gymnast is half way back to his starting position, then
this is called a Moore.
4. Kehrswings, Wendeswings, flops and combined elements
Combined element skills are normally a rapid connection of horse skill described above normally followed by a circle or
Russian in any fraction thereof. Skills of this caliber include the Wu, Tong Fei, Roth, Kroll, Sherlock, Wendeswings, and
Kehrswings, which are named after the gymnasts who first introduced and executed the moves.
5. Dismounts
Dismounts off the pommel horse apparatus are limited to one of three moves: a jump off, loop off, and handstand.
A jump off is the simplest dismount in that it is simply a hop off the horse after a gymnast last trick on the pommel horse apparatus.
A loop off is a swinging move over and off the horse after completing the last trick in a routine.
A handstand dismount is performed when the gymnast swings one leg above his raised shoulders after the last performed skill.
The momentum then carries the other leg up until the handstand position is reached. To dismount out of the handstand the gymnast
performs a pirouette to land facing the pommel horse.
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