Team Gym Gymnastics: A Complete Guide (for beginners)

If you’re interested in gymnastics, you may have heard of Team Gym. It’s a discipline that combines elements of artistic gymnastics, tumbling, and trampoline to create a team-based competition. In this guide, we’ll take a closer look at Team Gym gymnastics and provide a comprehensive guide for beginners.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• What is Team Gym Gymnastics?
• History of Team Gym Gymnastics
• The Benefits of Team Gym Gymnastics
• Equipment Used in Team Gym Gymnastics
• Skills Required for Team Gym Gymnastics
• Training for Team Gym Gymnastics
• Team Gym Gymnastics Competitions
• Rules of Team Gym Gymnastics Competitions
• Scoring in Team Gym Gymnastics Competitions
• Famous Team Gym Gymnastics Teams
• Conclusion
• FAQs

Introduction

Team Gym is a form of gymnastics that emphasizes team-based competition. It’s an exciting and fast-paced sport that combines the disciplines of artistic gymnastics, tumbling, and trampoline. Team Gymnastics is an excellent choice for anyone looking to develop their gymnastics skills in a team environment.

It’s mainly practiced in European countries, especially Scandinavia, where the discipline originated in the late 80s and early 90s.

What is Team Gym Gymnastics?

Team Gym is a competitive gymnastics discipline that is based on a team competition in three events. It involves a team of gymnasts performing a floor routine together that includes elements from artistic gymnastics. The routines are choreographed to music and can last up to two and a half minutes.

Teams also compete tumbling passes with teammates performing in close succession. This is known as streaming and is not found in any other gymnastics discipline.

The third event is Trampette. For those unfamiliar with Trampette, they are essentially mini trampolines but gymnasts run towards them and have only one bounce to take off. In Team Gym, the Trampette event is also streamed with one of the three runs needing to use a vault. Because the Trampette is higher than the usual springboard, the Vault is raised higher than in artistic gymnastics.

History of Team Gym Gymnastics

Team Gymnastics originated in Sweden in the 1990s. It was created as a way to make gymnastics more accessible and to increase participation in gymnastics. The first Championships were held in 1996 in Finland, and the sport has continued to grow in popularity ever since. Originally the sport was called EuroTeam, but the name changed to Team Gym in 2002.

Although the sport has grown in Europe, it is rarely known outside of the continent. As a result, the discipline is not governed by the FIG (the world governing body of gymnastics) as an official gymnastics discipline.

Instead, it is governed by the UEG (European Union of Gymnastics). The UEG organizes the top Team Gym competition – The European Championships.

Some Team Gym gymnasts begin their career as artistic gymnasts but cross over to Team Gym if they cannot meet the intense demands of four-piece or six-piece competitions.

The Benefits of Team Gym Gymnastics

Team Gymnastics offers a wide range of benefits for participants. Talented gymnasts can reach the pinnacle of Team Gym on a much lower number of training hours than in Artistic. Gymnasts in my own gym that compete in Team Gym typically train around 6-8 hours per week, much less than the 30 to 40 hours per week needed to excel at Artistic gymnastics.

This is a huge benefit for gymnasts that want to train seriously but cannot commit to the intensity of Artistic.

The three events also offer some variation to the training. Some gymnasts are happy to become Tumblers and only focus on that, but some will get bored and like the appeal of training on vault and floor routines as well.

Team Gym also encourages teamwork, communication, and trust. Additionally, it can help to build self-confidence and self-esteem.

Equipment Used in Team Gym Gymnastics

Team Gymnastics requires several different pieces of equipment. The most important pieces are the floor, the tumble track, vault and the trampette.

The floor area is 14 meters by 12 meters and is non-sprung. This is larger than an artistic floor which is only 12 meters by 12 meters and is also sprung.

The tumble track is very similar to the one used in Power Tumbling but is only 14 meters long instead of the 25 meters used in Power Tumbling.

Trampettes are super springy compared to springboards usually used in Vault. The most recognized brands of trampette in Team Gym are Continental, Gymnova, EuroTramp and Dorado. These are completely different to the mini rebounders you might find in a fitness class or someones backyard!

Skills Required for Team Gym Gymnastics

Team Gymnastics requires a wide range of skills. These include skills from artistic gymnastics, such as handstands, cartwheels, and backflips, as well as tumbling skills, such as round-offs, back handsprings, and layouts. Trampoline skills, such as front somersaults, back somersaults, and twists, are also important. On the Vault, Handsprings and Tsukahara type vaults are used, but not Yurchenkos as you cannot back handspring safely onto the trampette in the same way as you can with a springboard.

At the elite level of Team Gym, you will commonly see triple somersaults on both trampette and tumbling track.

Training for Team Gym Gymnastics

Training for Team Gymnastics involves developing the necessary skills and techniques. This includes building strength, flexibility, and coordination through various exercises and drills. It also involves practicing routines and perfecting the different elements of the routines.

Team Gym Gymnastics Competitions

Team Gymnastics competitions involve teams of gymnasts competing against each other. The competitions are divided into three events – women’s, men’s, and mixed. Each team performs a routine that includes elements from all three gymnastics disciplines – floor, tumbling, and trampette.

Tumbling requires three different passes as does Trampette.

Rules of Team Gym Gymnastics Competitions

The rules of Team Gymnastics competitions are set by the European Union of Gymnastics (UEG). The routines are judged based on the difficulty and execution of the elements, as well as the overall choreography and synchronization of the team. Teams can receive deductions for errors or mistakes during the routine.

Scoring in Team Gym Gymnastics Competitions

Teams are scored on a scale of 0 to 20, based on the difficulty and execution of the routine. The scores from all three disciplines are added together to give a final team score. The team with the highest score wins.

Famous Team Gym Gymnastics Teams

Team Gymnastics has produced several famous teams over the years. One of the most successful teams is the Swedish National Team, which has won numerous European Championships. Other successful teams include the Danish National Team, the Norwegian National Team, and the Finnish National Team.

Conclusion

Team Gym Gymnastics is an exciting and challenging discipline that combines elements of artistic gymnastics, tumbling, and trampoline. It’s a great choice for anyone looking to develop their gymnastics skills in a team environment. With proper training and instruction, anyone can learn the skills necessary to compete in Team Gym Gymnastics.

FAQs

1. What is the difference between Team Gymnastics and Artistic Gymnastics?

• While both sports involve gymnastics, Team Gymnastics is a team-based competition that combines elements from three different gymnastics disciplines – artistic gymnastics, tumbling, and trampoline. Artistic Gymnastics, on the other hand, is an individual competition that involves four apparatuses – floor exercise, vault, uneven bars, and balance beam or six apparatuses for men – floor, vault, high bar, pommel horse, parallel bars and rings.

2. How many gymnasts are on a Team Gymnastics team?

• A Team Gymnastics team can have between 6 and 12 gymnasts, depending on the competition.

3. Is Team Gymnastics safe?

• Like all gymnastics disciplines, safety is of utmost importance in Team Gymnastics. Proper equipment and safety measures should be in place at all times. Gymnasts should also receive proper training and instruction from qualified coaches.

4. Can anyone try out Team Gym Gymnastics?

• Yes, anyone can try out Team Gymnastics. It’s important to start with proper training and instruction from qualified coaches.

5. What is the scoring system in Team Gymnastics?

• Teams are scored on a scale of 0 to 20, based on the difficulty and execution of the routine. The scores from all three disciplines are added together to give a final team score. The team with the highest score wins.