What Is a Tkachev Release? | Gymnastics Explained

Key takeaways

The Tkachev is released on the forward swing: the gymnast lets go and flies backward over the bar, against the direction of the swing.

It's performed on both uneven bars (WAG) and horizontal bar (MAG), making it one of relatively few skills that cross apparatus and discipline.

A straddled Tkachev is a D on uneven bars and a C on horizontal bar in the 2025–2028 Codes — the two Codes value skills independently.

It's named after Soviet gymnast Alexander Tkachev, who first performed it in 1977.

The Tkachev is one of the more recognisable release moves in gymnastics, performed on two different apparatus across both disciplines.

How it works

The gymnast swings down and forward under the bar. As the body rises in front of the bar, she or he lets go and flies backward over the top of it — against the direction of the swing — before catching the same bar on the other side and continuing the routine.

The Codes of Points describe it in just those terms. The 2025–2028 WAG Code lists it as “long swing forward, counter straddle-reverse hecht over HB to hang”, and the 2025–2028 MAG Code as “swing forward and vault backward straddled to hang”. “Counter” means moving against the swing; “hecht” is a flight with the body extended away from the bar.

Shapes and values

The basic Tkachev is straddled — legs wide apart as they pass the bar. Piked and straight (stretched) versions, and versions with turns, are harder. Values from the 2025–2028 Codes:

Version	Uneven bars (WAG)	Horizontal bar (MAG)
Straddled	D	C
Piked	E	C
Straight	—	D

On horizontal bar, a straight Tkachev with a full turn is named the Liukin; on uneven bars, a straddled Tkachev with a half turn is named the Kononenko. The two Codes set values separately, so a letter on one apparatus can’t be compared directly with the same letter on another.

The women’s Code also limits how much a routine can lean on the skill: only one Tkachev-type element from each line of the table counts for difficulty.

Why it appears on two apparatus

Both uneven bars and horizontal bar are built around swinging circles on a single bar, so the same release works on either. That’s unusual — most skills belong to one apparatus. The Jaeger is the other well-known release shared by both.

How to tell it apart

Tkachev or Jaeger? A Tkachev flies backward over the bar from a forward swing. A Jaeger is released from a backward swing and rotates forward, with a salto, to catch the bar.
Tkachev or Pak salto? A Tkachev re-catches the same bar. A Pak salto flies from the high bar to the low bar.

Why it’s named as it is

The skill is named after Soviet gymnast Alexander Tkachev, who first performed it in 1977. For the wider family of releases, see uneven bars release moves and horizontal bar releases.