A leap is the action of performing a figure in the air. There are two types of balances:

Single leap

Leaps in series: consists of two or more successive, identical leaps, performed with or without an intermediary step.

All leaps difficulties must be performed with a defined and fixed shape during the flight and an elevation sufficient to show the corresponding shape. The difficulty is evaluated after the take-off feet (or foot) have left the floor and before the landing of the feet (or foot) on the floor. If the leap is not executed with a well-defined shape and sufficient height to show a single fixed shape, it will be penalized for execution.

They are evaluated according to the code and must be coordinated with one Fundamental or Non-Fundamental Apparatus Technical element. In series, each leap is evaluated separately.

You can see an example of leap difficulty in the video. It is performed by Anastasia Salos with hoop, a Belarusian gymnast that participated in Tokyo 2020. If you want to know other leaps examples, consult from page 71 to page 78 in the code of points 2022-2024.

Sources

A balance is the action of maintaining a figure a minimum of 1 second. There are three types of balances:

Executed on the foot (on the toes in relevé or flat foot).

Executed on other/different parts of the body (knee, chest, etc.)

Executed in motion (Dynamic Balances).

All balances difficulties must be performed with a defined and clearly fixed shape. It means that all parts of the body has to be in the correct position at the same moment of time. The shape has to be fixed for a minimum of 1 second. In dynamic balances, transitions between figures must be smooth and with continuous movements. If the shape is not well-defined, it will not be valid as a difficulty. In contrast, if there is a loss of balance during the fixed position and the shape is maintained, the difficulty will be valid with the corresponding execution penalty.

They are evaluated according to the code and must be coordinated with one Fundamental or Non-Fundamental Apparatus Technical element.

You can see an example of balance difficulty in the video. It is performed by Nikol Zelikman with clubs, an Israeli gymnast that participated in Tokyo 2020. If you want to know other balances examples, consult from page 85 to page 91 in the code of points 2022-2024.

Sources

A rotation is the action of rotating about an axis or centre. There are three types of rotations:

Rotations on the toes (releve) of the support leg

Rotations on the flat foot of the support leg

Rotations on other parts of the body

All rotations difficulties must be performed with a minimum basic rotation of 360 degrees with a fixed and well-defined shape (there some rotations that could be perform with a rotation of 180 degrees). A well-defined shape means that the correct shape taken by the gymnast is held fixed during a minimum basic rotation. If not, it will not be valid as a difficulty and will be penalized for execution.

They are evaluated according to the number of rotations performed and must be coordinated with one Fundamental or Non-Fundamental Apparatus Technical element.

You can see an example of rotation difficulty in the video. It is performed by Alina Harnasko with ribbon, a Belarusian gymnast that won the bronze medal in Tokyo 2020. If you want to know other rotations examples, consult from page 105 to page 111 in the code of points 2022-2024.

Sources