Gymnastics moves build incredible strength, flexibility, and confidence, whether you’re just starting out or training for competition. This guide breaks down 30 essential gymnastics skills into beginner-friendly categories, giving you clear names, descriptions, and practical insights for each move. From basic rolls to impressive aerial skills, you’ll find something here to challenge and inspire your gymnastics practice.
Basic Floor Gymnastics Moves for Beginners
1. Forward Roll
The forward roll is where most gymnasts begin. Start in a squat position, place your hands on the floor, tuck your chin to your chest, and roll forward along your spine. This move teaches body awareness and proper rolling technique.
2. Backward Roll
Similar to the forward roll but in reverse. Begin in a squat, roll backward with hands beside your ears pushing the floor to help you over. This builds shoulder strength and spatial awareness.
3. Cartwheel
Place your hands on the floor one at a time while kicking your legs over to the side. Your body forms a star shape during the move. Cartwheels develop coordination and lateral movement skills.
4. Handstand
The foundation for many advanced skills. With arms straight up by your ears, kick one leg up followed by the other to balance vertically. Beginners can practice against a wall. Handstands build upper body strength and balance.
5. Bridge/Backbend
Lie on your back, bend your knees, place your hands beside your head, and push up to form an arch with your body. This develops back flexibility and shoulder strength.
6. Straddle Forward Roll
A variation of the basic roll where your legs stay in a wide straddle position throughout. This helps prepare for more advanced skills that require leg separation.
7. Crab Walk
From a seated position, place your hands behind you, lift your hips, and walk on your hands and feet with your belly facing up. Great for building wrist, arm, and core strength.
8. Bear Walk
Walk on all fours with knees slightly bent but not touching the ground. This builds core strength and prepares the body for more advanced movements.
Tumbling Moves in Gymnastics Routines
9. Round-Off
Similar to a cartwheel but you land with both feet together while facing the direction you came from. This move generates momentum for other skills and is the foundation for back tumbling.
10. Back Handspring
From standing, swing your arms up, jump backward onto your hands, and push through your shoulders to land on your feet. This dynamic move generates power for tumbling passes.
11. Front Handspring
Run, hurdle, place hands on the floor while kicking over to land on your feet. This move develops forward momentum and is often used in tumbling combinations.
12. Aerial Cartwheel
A cartwheel performed without hands touching the ground. This skill demonstrates power, body control, and air awareness.
13. Back Tuck
A backward somersault performed in a tucked position. The gymnast jumps up and backward, bringing knees to chest while rotating in the air. This introduces flipping skills.
14. Front Tuck
A forward somersault in the tucked position. The gymnast runs, hurdles, jumps up while tucking the knees to chest and rotating forward. This develops forward rotation skills.
Strength and Conditioning Gymnastics Moves
15. Hollow Body Hold
Lie on your back, lift your shoulders and legs off the floor while keeping your lower back pressed down. Arms can extend overhead. This foundational position builds core strength crucial for almost all gymnastics moves.
16. Plank
Hold a push-up position with straight arms and legs, keeping your core tight. This builds shoulder stability and overall body tension needed for gymnastics.
17. L-Sit
Sit with legs extended straight in front and hands on the floor beside your hips. Press down to lift your entire body off the floor. This challenging move builds incredible core and arm strength.
18. Press Handstand
From a straddle stand, place hands on the floor and slowly press your legs up to a handstand without kicking. This advanced strength move demonstrates control and power.
19. Pull-Ups
The classic upper body exercise where you hang from a bar and pull your chin above it. Essential for developing the back and arm strength needed for bar work.
20. Leg Lifts
Hang from a bar and lift your straight legs to the bar. This builds the core and hip flexor strength needed for many gymnastics skills.
Balance and Flexibility Moves in Gymnastics
21. Split
With one leg forward and one back, lower until both legs form a straight line with hips square. Front, side, and middle splits are all valuable for gymnastics flexibility.
22. Scale
Balance on one leg while extending the other leg behind you parallel to the floor, with arms out to the sides. This builds balance and leg strength.
23. Arabesque
Similar to a scale but with the chest lifted and arms in various artistic positions. This move demonstrates grace and control, especially on balance beam.
24. Needle Scale
From a standing position, lift one leg behind you while bending forward until your leg points directly upward. This demonstrates extreme flexibility and control.
25. Straddle Jump
Jump with legs spreading wide to the sides in mid-air. This develops explosive power while displaying flexibility. Gymnasts aim for flat splits in the air.
Advanced Competitive Gymnastics Moves
26. Giant Swing
On the high bar or uneven bars, the gymnast rotates 360° around the bar with the body fully extended. This fundamental bar skill generates momentum for releases and dismounts.
27. Yurchenko Vault
A vault where the gymnast performs a round-off onto the springboard, then a back handspring onto the vault, followed by a flip off. Named after Soviet gymnast Natalia Yurchenko.
28. Wolf Turn
A balance beam and floor skill where the gymnast rotates on one foot while in a squat position with the other leg extended. This demonstrates balance and control.
29. Double Back Flip
Two backward rotations performed in one jump, usually in tucked position. This high-difficulty move requires significant power and air awareness.
30. Layout Stepout
A back handspring where the body remains straight (layout position) and lands on one foot followed by the other. Common in beam routines, this skill shows body control and precision.
How to Learn Gymnastics Moves Safely
Learning gymnastics safely requires proper preparation and progression:
- Always warm up properly with dynamic stretches and light cardio to prepare your muscles and joints.
- Use appropriate mats and safety equipment, especially when learning new skills.
- Work with a qualified coach who can spot you and provide feedback on technique.
- Master prerequisite skills before attempting more advanced moves. For example, perfect your handstand before trying a handspring.
- Progress gradually through skill levels rather than rushing to difficult moves.
- Listen to your body and rest when needed to avoid overtraining injuries.
If you’re looking for guided instruction, platforms like Perspire.tv offer on-demand gymnastics training videos from professional coaches that can supplement in-person training.
The Bottom Line
Gymnastics moves build extraordinary physical abilities that transfer to many other sports and activities. The strength, flexibility, body awareness, and mental focus developed through these skills can benefit anyone, regardless of competitive aspirations. Start with the basics, be patient with your progress, and celebrate small improvements. Gymnastics is as much about the journey as the destination, teaching discipline and perseverance alongside physical skills.
Whether you’re practicing in a formal gym setting or learning basic moves at home, proper technique and safety should always come first. With consistent practice and the right guidance, many of these impressive gymnastics moves can become part of your movement vocabulary.