In gymnastics, specific lingo, adjectives, and verbs  Twist: Rotating the body in the air around

capture the artistry, power, and precision of the the vertical axis.
sport. Here are some commonly used terms:  Stick: To land a skill solidly without extra
steps.
Gymnastics Lingo  Launch: Jumping with force to initiate
flight.
 Mount: The skill used to start a routine,  Hold: To maintain a position, such as in
particularly on apparatus like the beam. handstands or holds on rings.
 Dismount: The skill used to finish a routine,  Extend: To lengthen the body in positions
often involving a flip or twist off the like layouts.
apparatus.  Balance: Maintaining stability on an
 Routine: A sequence of moves performed in apparatus.
succession on any apparatus.  Execute: To perform a skill with precision.
 Pass: A series of tumbling skills performed  Spring: To push off the ground or an
in one continuous line on floor routines. apparatus with power.
 Flight: The part of a skill where the gymnast  Land: To complete a skill by reaching the
is in the air. ground in control.
 Salto: A flip or somersault in the air.
 Twist: A rotation of the body around the These terms highlight the unique blend of strength,
vertical axis. technique, and artistry in gymnastics!
 Spot: Assistance provided by a coach to
help the gymnast safely complete a skill. Floor exercise in gymnastics combines acrobatics,
 Stick: Landing a dismount or skill without dance, and tumbling, requiring a blend of strength,
any extra steps or movement. agility, and grace. Here’s a breakdown of common
 Form: The body’s positioning during skills; lingo, adjectives, and verbs specific to floor
good form is essential for scoring. routines:
 Amplitude: The height of a skill; often
describes how high the gymnast goes. Floor Exercise Lingo
 Combination: A series of skills linked
together in a sequence.  Tumbling Pass: A sequence of acrobatic
skills in one continuous line across the floor.
Adjectives  Corner: The area where gymnasts start or
end a tumbling pass; often used for setting
 Powerful: Describes explosive movements, up or pausing between moves.
especially in vaulting and tumbling.  Combination Pass: Multiple tumbling
 Graceful: Movements that show elegance, and/or dance skills linked in a single pass to
typically in dance sequences on the floor or maximize difficulty and artistry.
beam.  Leap Series: A combination of leaps and
 Dynamic: Energetic and high-powered, jumps linked smoothly, usually emphasizing
showing strength and speed. dance and flexibility.
 Precise: Indicates exactness in movement  Landing: Completing a tumbling pass or
and form. leap with controlled foot placement.
 Controlled: Showing mastery over body  Layout: A skill in which the body is
movements and not wobbling or adjusting extended (straight) while flipping or
balance. somersaulting.
 Fluid: Smooth and continuous movements  Pike: A position with hips bent and legs
without interruptions. straight, often used in tumbling skills.
 Compact: Tightly-held body positions,  Split: When legs are extended in opposite
often seen in tucks and pikes. directions to 180 degrees or beyond,
 Stable: Balanced, without any unnecessary showing flexibility.
movement, especially on beam.  Full-Twist: A 360-degree rotation of the
 Explosive: Sudden power and energy, body in the air while performing a flip.
typically in tumbling.  Double-Back: A skill involving two
 Clean: Clear, sharp, and well-defined backward somersaults in one jump.
movements.  Artistry: The creative and expressive
element of the routine, combining dance
Verbs with gymnastics skills.

 Tumble: To perform a series of acrobatic Adjectives

skills, typically on the floor or in passes.
 Flip: A general term for a somersault.  Graceful: Movements that are elegant and
smooth, particularly in dance sequences.
  Explosive: High-energy, powerful  Active voice is more direct and engaging,
movements, especially during tumbling making the headline more dynamic and
passes. easier to understand. For example, “Carlos
 Fluid: Uninterrupted, seamless movements Yulo Wins Gold” is preferable to “Gold is
connecting skills and dance. Won by Carlos Yulo.”
 Powerful: Strong, dynamic skills, especially
in tumbling passes. 3. Keep it Concise
 Expressive: Showing emotion or story
through facial expressions and dance.  Headlines are typically short, often under 10
 Controlled: Precise, stable movements with words. This means choosing words carefully
minimal adjustments. and avoiding unnecessary articles like "a" or
 Sharp: Clean, defined movements, often "the" unless needed for clarity.
seen in arm or leg positions.
 Dynamic: Energetic, with a high level of 4. Include the Most Important Details First
movement variety.
 Dramatic: Emphasizing intensity or  Lead with key information to capture
emotion to engage the audience. readers’ attention, especially if limited by
 Balanced: Harmoniously combining power character counts on platforms like social
and grace, particularly in transitions. media.

Verbs 5. Use Present Tense and Simple Language

 Tumble: Performing a sequence of flips,  Use the present tense to create immediacy
twists, and somersaults across the floor. and a sense of ongoing relevance, even if the
 Launch: Jumping powerfully to initiate a event already occurred, e.g., “Yulo Claims
tumbling pass. Double Gold.”
 Flip: Completing a somersault or acrobatic
maneuver. 6. Avoid Punctuation (if Possible)
 Twist: Rotating the body in mid-air, often
during a flip.
 Limit punctuation to keep the headline clean
 Leap: Jumping with a split in the air, often
and straightforward. Avoid question marks
as part of a dance sequence.
or quotation marks unless necessary for
 Extend: Lengthening the body to show
context or clarity.
elegant, elongated lines.
 Land: Completing a tumbling skill or leap
with a stable position. 7. Make it Engaging but Accurate
 Balance: Holding a stable pose, especially
during expressive movements.  Sensationalizing or over-promising in the
 Execute: Performing a skill with precision headline can mislead readers and damage
and proper form. credibility. The headline should accurately
 Express: Conveying emotion through body reflect the story's content without
language and dance. exaggeration.
 Spin: Rotating in place, often during dance
elements on the floor. 8. Utilize Keywords for SEO (Search
Engine Optimization)
These terms highlight the balance of athleticism and
artistry that makes floor exercise routines  Including keywords related to the event (like
captivating! “Olympics,” “Carlos Yulo,” “Gold”) helps
the headline appear in search engine results.

Writing an effective news headline requires careful

1. Be Clear and Specific attention to clarity, brevity, and audience
engagement. Here’s a step-by-step guide:
 Avoid ambiguous language; the headline
should immediately convey the main idea. 1. Identify the Key Information
 Use familiar words that provide the most
important details of the story, such as the  Review the news story and pinpoint the core
“who,” “what,” “where,” or “why” of the facts. Typically, the “who,” “what,” and
news. “why” are crucial, sometimes followed by
“where” and “when” if relevant.
2. Use Active Voice
2. Prioritize Key Details
  Decide which details are essential for the  Refinement: Check for SEO, clarity,
headline based on the story’s focus. For conciseness → “Carlos Yulo Claims
example, if an athlete’s victory is central, Olympic Vault Gold”
highlight that achievement and their name.
Following these steps can create a headline that’s
3. Choose Strong, Active Verbs not only engaging and informative but also
optimized for reach and relevance.
 Use concise, action-oriented language that
conveys movement and impact. Active verbs
like “wins,” “claims,” “announces,” or
“reveals” give the headline energy and
urgency.

4. Use Present Tense for Immediacy

Carlos Yulo Soars to Double Gold at Paris
Olympics
 Present tense creates a sense of immediacy,
making the headline feel current. This is a
Carlos Yulo, the 24-year-old Filipino gymnastics
common convention even if the event has
star, delivered a powerful and meticulously
already happened, e.g., “Yulo Claims
executed performance in the floor exercise and
Olympic Gold.”
vault, winning two gold medals at the Paris 2024
Olympics. In his floor routine, Yulo showcased his
5. Keep It Short and Avoid Unnecessary trademark combination of high amplitude,
Words precision, and control. His standout moves included
a double-twisting double backflip and a series of
 Aim for a word count of around 5–10 words. intricate tumbling passes, each landed with perfect
Cut out articles like “the,” “a,” or “an” control. His artistry was evident in the fluid
unless they’re essential to understanding. transitions and sharp movements that kept the
Focus on concise, relevant words only. audience captivated

6. Consider SEO and Keywords In the vault, Yulo performed a difficult handspring
double front with a half twist, earning near-perfect
 Include key terms that help the headline scores for both his height and clean landing. His
appear in search engines. For instance, if the ability to stick the landing with no extra steps
news is about a sports achievement, terms underscored his growth in confidence and technical
like “Olympics,” “Gold,” and the athlete’s mastery since Tokyo 2020, where he narrowly
name are crucial. missed a podium finish. This time, Yulo
demonstrated impeccable form and difficulty, which
7. Review for Accuracy and Engagement secured his place at the top of the standings

 Ensure the headline accurately reflects the Yulo’s double gold win marks a historic moment
story’s content without exaggerating. Ask if for Philippine gymnastics, only the second and third
the headline would intrigue a reader while Olympic golds in the country’s gymnastics history.
staying true to the article.

8. Refine for Clarity and Readability

How is Olympic gymnastics scored?
 After drafting, read the headline aloud to
check flow and clarity. Make sure it’s In Olympic gymnastics, the score for an athlete is based
understandable at a quick glance, especially on two different components; the Execution Score and
for readers skimming through. Difficulty Score.

Example Process: Each Execution Score starts at 10.0 points. The judges
on the execution panel deduct points for errors, such as
 Story: Carlos Yulo wins Olympic gold in steps on landings, falls, flexed feet, bent knees, etc. The
vault. Difficulty Score starts at zero, and an athlete will earn
 Key Information: Carlos Yulo, Olympic points for composition requirements, difficulty of the
gold, vault event. elements and connection value. In women’s gymnastics,
 Draft Headline: “Carlos Yulo Takes Gold each routine receives points for the eight most difficult
in Olympic Vault” elements, while in men’s gymnastics, 10 are counted.
How is a gymnast’s final Score. This is determined by the
score determined?
execution and artistry of a
For each Olympic gymnastics gymnast’s routine. This score
event, nine judges are chosen starts at 10.0 and deductions are
from a pool of multinational made for various errors.
candidates approved by the
International Gymnastics The difficulty score and
Federation (FIG). They are execution score are combined
categorized into three groups: for the final score. A score under
the current Code of Points
D-panel: This panel calculates typically lands between 12 and
the Difficulty Score. 15 points.

E-panel: This panel calculates Final Score = [Difficulty +

the Execution Score. Execution] - Any neutral
deductions

Reference panel: This panel

corrects any problems with the Difficulty Score
Execution Score.
Both judges on the D-panel
Two judges sit on the D-panel individually record a Difficulty
and determine the Difficulty Score. This includes the
Score. A routine has a set dismount. The two judges
difficulty score that is calculated compare scores following the
starting from 0 and determined completion of a routine and
by combining the total difficulty reach a consensus, which
value achieved through each becomes the Difficulty Score.
skill and connection.
The difficulty value of a routine is
Six judges sit on the E-panel to determined by totaling the
determine a routine’s Execution values of the most difficult skills
in the routine. The eight most score, which is shown to the
difficult skills are counted for the judges on a scoreboard at the
women and the 10 most difficult beginning of the runway. The
skills are counted for the men. difficulty score is assigned to
Each element is assigned a set each vault in the Code of Points.
difficulty value as outlined in the
Code of Points. Elements must Execution Score
be performed as technically
described to receive the Six judges on the E-panel
difficulty value and can only be independently record a routine’s
performed once in an exercise. Execution Score. The highest and
lowest scores are dropped, with
Judges also award connection the four remaining scores
values on every event, except averaged for the final Execution
for vault, for unique Score. The score is determined
combinations of elements. These based on the execution and
connections are evaluated at 0.1 artistry of a routine with
or 0.2 points. deductions for falls, errors in
technique and execution.
Composition requirements are Deductions range from 0.1 to
the basic skills or elements that 1.0. Neutral deductions can be
must be included and differ by taken for stepping out of bounds,
apparatus. The men define violating time requirements, as
‘composition requirements’ as well as attire or podium
Element Groups in their Code of violations.
Points. If all the requirements are
included, a maximum of 2.5 Final Score
points are rewarded.

The gymnast's final score is

Vault is the only apparatus that determined by totaling the
has a predetermined difficulty Difficulty Score and the
Execution Score, then  0.50 - A coach spotting a
subtracting any neutral gymnast during the routine.
deductions.

Penalties can be disputed by

Are there penalties in athletes and coaches by
gymnastics? submitting an inquiry.

In gymnastics, penalties come in

the form of neutral deductions. Inquiries

These deductions range from

0.10 to 0.50 and are subtracted An inquiry is a verbal challenge
from a gymnast's final score. of a routine’s score. It is followed
Examples of neutral deductions: by a written inquiry that must be
submitted before the end of the

 0.10 - Stepping out of rotation. The challenge can only

bounds with one foot, be brought forward after the

warming up on the podium gymnast’s final score is posted

before the start of a routine, and before the end of the next

finishing a routine past the gymnast’s routine. A fee is

90-second time limit, etc. required for filing an inquiry and

is returned if the inquiry is
upheld. It can be resolved by
 0.30 - Stepping out of
using video review.
bounds with two feet, not
saluting the judges before
or after a routine, the A score can be raised, lowered,

gymnast not having their or remain the same as a result of

nation's emblem on their an inquiry.

uniform or competing
without their competition What is a perfect score in
bid number pinned to their
gymnastics?
uniform, etc. The Code of Points was
introduced in 2006 to allow for a
more open-ended scoring their vault again as long as their
system. It removed the ‘Perfect feet do not touch the
10’ (earned by a 10.0 execution springboard and their hands do
score) but that doesn’t mean a not touch the vault table. If they
gymnast can no longer receive a do, this counts and the gymnast
perfect score for their routine. will receive a zero.

Now, a perfect score for a Are there banned

gymnast would be receiving no gymnastics moves in the
Olympics?
deductions from the judges,
while also completing their There are several banned moves
planned routine with full in men’s and women’s
difficulty. Under the open-ended gymnastics.
scoring system, no gymnast has
received a perfect score. In men’s gymnastics, the Code of
Points states that a vault is
What is the lowest score invalid if a salto (a forward flip
you can get in gymnastics? without touching the ground with

The lowest score you can receive your arms) is performed in the

in gymnastics is a zero. This is first-flight phase, or if the athlete

most commonly seen on the has straddled legs in the second

vault. A gymnast can receive a flight phase.

zero if their hands do not touch

the vaulting table, they fail to In women’s gymnastics, the

land feet first, they perform the Code of Points states that vaults

same vault twice, they receive with sideward takeoffs or

significant spotting assistance landings are prohibited, as well

during the vault or fail to use the as dismounts on uneven bars

safety collar for round-off entry where the gymnast takes off

vaults. The gymnast is allowed from two feet, dance elements

to stop mid-run and attempt with a cross-sit landing on the

balance beam or, in floor A bluffer’s guide to
routines, acrobatic elements with artistic gymnastics:
sideward takeoffs or that land in Vault
a forward roll. Artistic gymnastics always creates a buzz at
any Olympic Games, so if you’re a newbie and
want to know what’s what, check out Tokyo
2020's new weekly series, which delves into
In women’s gymnastics, there each event. First up, vault.
lung-bursting sprint down a 25m runway,
are also elements that have a explosive power on and off a platform,
somersaulting stratospherically high, then
reduced value due to safety boom, an abrupt, controlled landing
accompanied by a facial expression that reads,
concerns, including the Biles, a ‘That was so easy’. Welcome to artistic
gymnastics' quickest piece of apparatus, the
double-twisting, double vault.
somersault dismount off the What judges are looking for in this event, which
is competed by both men and women, is
balance beam, as well as the something akin to McKayla Maroney’s vault in
the women’s team final at London 2012.
Biles II, a Yurchenko double pike Height, form and a perfect landing. Boom.
vault. How vault works
Both men and women compete on vault,
although the platform is slightly higher for the
What is a 'Dead Loop'? male gymnasts (1.35m) than for female
gymnasts (1.25m).

The "Dead Loop," also known as Due to its brevity, the vault is known as the
apparatus where gymnasts can score big
the Korbut Flip, is one of the towards collective scores – the longer the
routine, the more room for errors – so look out
more infamously banned for teams, or individuals in the all-around
competition, leaping up the table following this
gymnastics moves, first used by piece.

Olga Korbut in the 1972 Munich To win medals at top international level,
gymnasts need to score in the high 14's and
Olympics. The move, performed into the 15's. Occasional 16's wow fans, such
as Maroney’s vault above, which scored
on uneven bars, involves the 16.233.

gymnast standing on the high Scores on all apparatus, including vault, are
made up of an execution score (the E score)
bar, doing a backflip and and the difficulty score (the D score). Both
marks are shown to viewers, so for fans of the
regrasping the bar. It was old-school perfect 10 scoring system, check
out the E score. This starts at 10 and marks
banned in the 1980s because of are removed by judges for loss of form such as
toes that are not pointed or a fall from the
safety concerns. apparatus. Maroney’s E score in the vault
above was 9.733.

The D score is the total marks calculated by

judges from the value given to each move
performed by the gymnast via a Code of
Points, which is renewed every Olympic cycle.
Each vault is given a difficulty score, so the won his three Olympic medals so far – one
extremely popular double twisting Yurchenko, silver and two bronze. But the elusive Olympic
for example, is worth a 5.4. so the maximum a gold enticed him back to the gym and it is the
gymnast can achieve with this vault is 15.4. supremely difficult vault named after him, the
What to expect in the vault Dragulescu, favoured by many gymnasts in the
vault final, that he hopes will help him achieve
apparatus final his goal. But will anyone out Dragulescu,
Dragulescu?
Those competing in the final, perform two
styles of vault, in order to showcase different In men’s gymnastics, the vault involves performing
skills. One vault must have a forward entry a complex, high-speed maneuver over a vaulting
onto the platform, the other, a backward entry table. Here are the essential rules and scoring
(shown in the pictures below with forward entry criteria:
first). The average of both scores gives the
result; so there's no point smashing the first 1. Approach and Take-Off
vault, and making a mistake on the second.
Any apparatus final tends to be a free-for-all in  The gymnast runs down a runway (25
terms of those winning medals, so expect meters maximum) and uses a springboard to
emotional moments from unexpected winners. launch onto the vaulting table.
Many of the top gymnasts will have already  Only one approach is allowed. If the
competed over three days in the qualifiers, the gymnast fails to initiate the vault after
team event, and individual all-around touching the springboard or table, it is
competitions, so start to get weary by the latter considered a "void" (zero score).
stages of the nine-day event.
2. Vault Table
This is when the apparatus specialists step up,
those who focus on one or two events only.  The vaulting table is set to a height of 135
Some gymnasts have literally just qualified for cm (4 ft 5 in) for men.
Tokyo 2020 for one piece of apparatus, via  The table’s surface allows the gymnast to
various events and World Cups leading up to push off effectively to gain height and
the Games. Their country may not have even execute their moves.
have qualified a team. So for them, it’s all or
nothing in the qualifiers, 30 seconds of exertion 3. Execution
to try and make the top eight. If they make a
mistake, that’s it, Games over.
 The gymnast performs one vault (two if in
What to look out for in men's finals) involving twists, flips, and rotations
in different combinations.
vault  Vaults are scored based on difficulty,
execution, and landing.
Want an example of the ‘that was so easy’
expression mentioned earlier? Nikita Nagorny’s
your man. The Russian Olympic Committee
4. Scoring
gymnast, also a favourite for the all-around
title, performs two of the most difficult vaults in  Difficulty Score (D-Score): Based on the
the world. A double front half if you’re difficulty value of the vault performed.
interested, also called a Dragulescu after the Higher difficulty vaults have a higher
gymnast who first performed it (see below), potential score.
and the Yurchenko double pike (see the video  Execution Score (E-Score): Begins at 10.0
of Simone Biles below). But it’s the way and deductions are made for errors such as
Nagorny walks away from the vault with bent legs, incomplete twists, or steps on
absolute nonchalance that makes fans smile. landing.
 Final Score: The sum of the D-Score and E-
Marian Dragulescu is set to compete in his fifth Score gives the final score for the vault.
Olympic Games this summer and he’s after
just one thing – Olympic gold. The Romanian, 5. Landing
who turned 40 in December, will become the
oldest male gymnast since Japan’s  A stable landing is crucial. Steps, hops, or
TAKEMOTO Masao at Rome 1960 to compete falls on landing lead to deductions. Falls
at an Olympic Games. The father of one – 12- result in significant penalties.
year-old Richard is also a gymnast – has
retired a number of times during his 20-year 6. Finals (Two Vaults)
career, including after Athens 2004 when he
  In event finals, gymnasts must perform two
vaults with different entry types (e.g.,
handspring vs. round-off entry). The scores
are averaged to determine the final score.

7. Prohibited Movements

 Certain dangerous moves, such as landing

on the head, can result in disqualification for
safety reasons.

These rules ensure a balance between difficulty and

precision, highlighting both athleticism and control.

In men’s gymnastics vault, there is no fixed Carlos Yulo has finally capitalised on his
"highest score" because it depends on the Difficulty otherworldly ability.
Score (D-Score) of the vault performed and the
Execution Score (E-Score) awarded by judges. The history-making Filipino gymnast wrote his
name in the record books once again Saturday
Typical High Scores: (3 August), claiming the gold medal in the
men's floor exercise final at the Olympic
 Historically, elite gymnasts performing Games Paris 2024.
exceptionally challenging vaults with
flawless execution achieve final scores in Yulo earned a 15.000 after he stuck his three-
the high 15s to low 16s range. and-a-half twist dismount cold. Savoring the
 The vault’s D-Score can go up to 6.0 or moment on the podium, he pumped both his
higher for extremely difficult vaults, while fists before presenting the judges, later saluting
the E-Score ideally would be close to 10.0 the fans in the audience and putting his hands
for perfect execution. to his heart.

Record-High Scores: "I'm so overwhelmed. I'm feeling grateful for

having this medal and for God. He protected
 Denis Ablyazin of Russia scored a 16.399 at me, as always," he said afterward. "He gave
the 2014 European Championships, one of me the strength to get through this kind of
the highest recorded vault scores. performance and perform this well."
 Yang Hak-seon of South Korea also scored
over 16.0 at the 2012 Olympics for his Tokyo 2020 champion Artem Dolgopyat of
famously difficult "Yang" vault. Israel took the silver (14.966), with Great
Britain's Jake Jarman (14.933) claiming
So while 16.0+ scores are rare and challenging, they bronze.
represent the upper limits in men's vault scores
under current rules. It's the first medal of any colour for the
Philippines in gymnastics and just their second
Olympic gold ever after Hidilyn Diaz won the
Women's 55 kg event in weightlifting in Tokyo.

The triumph comes as the 24-year-old has

struggled in recent years, including at the last
Games in Tokyo, with consistenty and
delivering in the most important moments.

For every breakthrough - including his first gold

on the floor exercise at the 2019 Worlds - there
have been heartbreaks, like last year's World
Championships where he finished last in the
all-around during qualifications, counting a
0.000 on the vault.

*"*I'm grateful for the people who really

supported me. I could not do it without them,"
said Yulo.