Bars

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Bars, also known as the uneven bars are made up of two bars, parallel to one another, set at different heights. The first, and lower bar is typically set to approximately 5.5 ft and the second, high bar, is set to approximately 8ft or higher. The space in between the two bars is typically set to 6ft.  The dimensions at which the bars are set to vary depending on whether gymnasts are at a collegiate, Olympic or elite level. 

3 Parts of a bar routine:

1. The Mount

The mount is when the athlete starts the routine by hopping onto the bar. Over time, the way in which gymnasts have mounted the bar has gone from simply hopping on to performing various skills such as jumps or flips.

2. The Routine

The bar routine itself is made up of 15-20 skills and lasts for about 45 seconds. Each skill flows back and forth between the high and low bar, without any additional swings or pauses. In this portion of the bar routine, you will see gymnasts performing handstands, pirouettes, release/flight elements, different grips, and transition moves.

During this section of the routine, if the gymnast falls off the bar, they have 30 seconds to re-mount. Failure to do so will lead to their routine being cut short.

3. The Dismount

The final phase of a bar routine is the dismount in which the athlete lets go of the bar and returns to the floor. Gymnasts typically perform flipping and twisting skills in their dismounts. There are 3 main things that judges look for in a gymnasts dismount: the height and distance from the bar if the athlete sticks the landing and the overall execution of the dismount skill.