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The Balance Beam is an artistic gymnastics apparatus only used by female gymnasts. It is not used by the male gymnasts because they have external genitals, which are very sensitive parts of the male body. It made of a metal or steel frame and a wooden beam with a suede or leather cover. The maximum exercise time is 1 minute 30 seconds.
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Dimensions
Measures of the apparatus are published by the FIG in the Apparatus Norms brochure.
Height 125 cm (including about 20 cm landing mats)
Originally, the beam surface was plain polished wood. Since the 1980s, beams have been covered in leather or suede. In addition, they are now also sprung to accommodate the stress of high-difficulty tumbling and dance skills.
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Scoring and rules
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Competitors are scored on form, execution and completion of tumbling and acrobatic skills. At the elite level, the routine choreography and composition are determined by the gymnast and her coaches. Under the Code of Points, gymnasts must perform several required skills, including a 360 degree turn, a leap showing 360 degree split, acrobatic elements backwards, and acrobatic elements forward or sideways. As well as fulfilling the special requirements, gymnasts also gain points for connecting skills of certain value. The dismount is also important. Deductions are taken for lapses in control, balance checks, poor technique, failure to fulfill all the required elements and falls, among other things.
Gymnasts must mount and dismount the apparatus on their own, with skills of their choosing. The element used for the dismount must carry at least a 'D' difficulty value to earn EGR points.
Gymnasts may chalk their hands and/or feet and wear special beam shoes for added stability on the apparatus.
Once the exercise has started, a coach may not inferfere with the athlete in any way. However, if a springboard has been used for the mount, the coach or another member of the gymnast's team may step in quickly to remove it from the mat.
The routine is timed. At the 1:20 mark, a warning bell or tone is sounded; the athlete then has ten seconds to complete her routine and leave the beam. If the exercise lasts longer than 1:30, a deduction is incurred.
In the event of a fall, an athlete has ten seconds to remount the apparatus and continue the routine. If she does not return to the beam within this time limit, she is not permitted to continue.
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Evolution
In the early days of women's artistic gymnastics, beam was based more in dance than in tumbling. Routines were composed with combinations of leaps, dance poses, handstands, rolls and walkovers. In the 1960s, the most difficult acrobatic skill performed by the average Olympic gymnast was a back handspring.
Balance beam difficulty began to increase dramatically in the 1970s. Olga Korbut and Nadia Comaneci pioneered advanced tumbling combinations and aerial skills on beam; other athletes and coaches began to follow suit. The change was also facilitated by the transition from wooden beams to safer, less slippery models with suede-covered surfaces. By the mid 1980s, top gymnasts routinely performed flight series and multiple aerial elements on beam.
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