Gymnastics Explained
Men's Artistic Gymnastics
Men's Artistic Gymnastics (MAG) is contested on six apparatus: floor, pommel horse, still rings, vault, parallel bars and horizontal bar.
6 pages in this section
A MAG competitor moves through six apparatus in a single session: floor exercise (tumbling and strength elements, performed without music), pommel horse (continuous circular and pendulum swinging skills), still rings (swing elements combined with held strength positions), vault (a single, fixed-difficulty skill, as in WAG), parallel bars (continuous swinging between and above two rails), and horizontal bar (continuous giant swings and release moves around a single raised bar).
Every apparatus is scored the same way — a difficulty score (D-score) plus an execution score (E-score), minus any neutral deductions — but what counts as difficulty and what counts as a fault differs apparatus by apparatus. See each apparatus page below for its own routine structure and judging emphasis, or start with scoring guides for the shared basics.
Apparatus 1
Floor Exercise
A MAG floor routine is performed without music, combining tumbling passes with strength and balance elements, within a set time limit.
Apparatus 2
Pommel Horse
Pommel horse routines use continuous circular and pendulum swinging skills performed with the hands supporting on the horse or its pommels, without the swing ever stopping.
Apparatus 3
Still Rings
Still rings routines mix swinging elements with held strength positions on two free-hanging rings, and are judged partly on how still those holds are.
Apparatus 4
Vault
A gymnast sprints down a run-up, springs off a board onto the vaulting table, performs flight elements, and lands, with the vault's difficulty fixed by the Code of Points.
Apparatus 5
Parallel Bars
Parallel bars routines combine continuous swinging between and above two parallel rails, support work, and release elements, ending in a dismount.
Apparatus 6
Horizontal Bar
Horizontal bar routines are built entirely from giant swings and release-and-catch elements, with no pauses, ending in a high-flight dismount.