Parallel Bars Skills List (in-depth)

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Parallel bars are one of the most challenging and exciting events in gymnastics. Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced gymnast, mastering the skills on parallel bars is essential to improving your overall performance. In this article, we present a comprehensive list of parallel bar skills, from basic swings and supports to advanced elements such as giant swings and dismounts.

With clear descriptions and helpful tips, this guide will help you progress in your parallel bars training and achieve your goals in gymnastics.

parallel bars swinging

Table of Contents

Essential Parallel Bars Skills

The parallel bars require a variety of skills, including swinging, balancing, strength, and dismounts. Because the parallel bars are used by male gymnasts the focus is on upper body strength. Here are the essential parallel bars skills that every gymnast should master:

Swinging Skills

Swinging is a critical skill on parallel bars. It involves moving your body back and forth between the two bars. Here are the key swinging skills to master:

Glide Swings

Glide swings involve swinging your body back and forth while keeping your legs together. Start by standing on one bar with your hands on the other bar. Swing your body backward, then forward, and then backward again, keeping your legs straight and together. Glide swings are the foundation of all other parallel bar skills, so it’s essential to master them first.

Stride Swings

Stride swings involve swinging your body back and forth while alternating your legs. Start by standing on one bar with your hands on the other bar. Swing your body backward, then forward, and then backward again, alternating your legs with each swing. Stride swings require more coordination than glide swings, but they are an essential skill for more advanced parallel bar routines.

Balancing Skills

Balancing on the parallel bars is a challenging skill that requires a combination of strength and control. Here are the key balancing skills to master:

L-sits

L-sits involve holding your body in a straight line with your legs raised in an L-shape. Start by sitting on one bar with your legs straight out in front of you. Raise your legs until they are parallel to the ground, keeping them together. Hold the position for as long as possible. L-sits are an essential skill for many parallel bar routines.

Planche

The planche is an advanced balancing skill that involves holding your body parallel to the ground with your arms extended. Start by holding your body in an L-sit position. Slowly lean forward until your hips are higher than your shoulders, and your body is parallel to the ground. The planche requires a tremendous amount of strength and control, but it’s an impressive skill to master.

Strength Skills

Parallel bars require a lot of upper body strength. Here are the key strength skills to master:

Dips

Dips involve lowering your body down between the two bars and then pushing back up. Start by holding your body up with your arms straight and your feet off the ground. Lower your body down until your arms form a 90-degree angle, then push back up. Dips are an essential strength-building exercise for parallel bars.

Presses

Presses involve pushing your body up into a handstand from a seated position on one of the bars. Start by sitting on one bar with your hands on the other bar. Push your body up until you are in a handstand position, then lower yourself back down. Presses require a lot of upper body strength and control.

Dismounts

Dismounts are the final skill in a parallel bars routine. They involve ending the routine with a graceful and controlled landing. At a higher level dismounts will include somersaults and double somersaults.

Advanced Parallel Bars Skills

Once you’ve mastered the fundamental techniques, you can start working on more advanced parallel bars skills. Here are some of the most impressive and challenging skills that you can learn:

Diamidov

This is a skill that involves swinging your body around one of the parallel bars while maintaining a handstand position.

Giant

This is a skill that involves performing a full 360-degree swing around both parallel bars.

Healy

This is a skill that involves performing a 180-degree turn around one of the parallel bars while transitioning from a support hold to a handstand.

Peach

This is a skill that involves swinging your body around one of the parallel bars while maintaining a piked or straddled position.

Back Toss

This is a skill that involves flipping backward in between the bars and landing in a handstand.

Toumilovich

This is a skill that involves a backward somersault with a half twist into the upper arm hang.

Press Handstand

This is a skill that involves lifting your body from a straddle L position to a handstand without any swinging or momentum. It can be performed with hands on one rail or two rails.

Morisue

This is a skill that involves performing a double somersault to upper arm hang.

Moy

Moy is a skill that starts in a handstand, swings under the bar and then into a support shape above the bar.

Conclusion

In this article, we’ve covered a comprehensive list of parallel bar skills that range from basic to advanced. We hope that this article has been informative and helpful to anyone looking to improve their parallel bar knowledge.

Remember, safety should always be the top priority when performing any physical activity, especially when working with equipment like parallel bars. Make sure to warm up properly, use proper form, listen to your body to prevent injuries and take advice from a professional coach in a recognized facility.