Aerial: A manoeuvre where a gymnast completes a full rotation in the air without touching the apparatus.

   Amplitude: The height or degree of execution of a move.

   Arabesque: A pose on one leg with the other leg extended behind the body, which is lowered from the hips to form a graceful curve; often used in a balance or pivot.

   Arch position: A position where the body is curved backward.

   Assemblé: A common jump where the legs are brought together in the air.

   Back flip: A move that begins with taking off from one or two feet, then jumping backward onto the hands and landing on the feet.

   Back handspring: A move where a gymnast takes off from one or two feet, jumps backward onto the hands and lands on the feet; also known as a "flic-flac" or "flip-flop".

   Back-in, full-out: A double salto with a full twist performed during the second salto.

   Balance: A static position which holds a distinct shape.

   Balance beam: A five-metre beam 10 centimetres wide and 1.2 metres above the floor, used for routines involving leaps, turns and tumbling moves.

   Body wave: A wave-like movement of the entire body passing through the hips, shoulders, arms and head.

   Boomerang throw: A throw of the ribbon where the cane is thrown but the gymnast grasps the end of the ribbon and pulls back on it, sending the cane flying towards her.

   Cabriole: A leap where one leg is raised to the front and the other leg is brought up swiftly underneath and beats against it before the gymnast lands on the foot used for take-off.

   Cartwheel: A sideways acrobatic roll with the arms and legs extended.

   Cat leap: A leap where a gymnast takes off from one foot, raising one knee and then the other.

   Chainé turn: A turn on the balls of the feet.

   Chassé: A movement of the feet which gives the impression of one foot chasing the other, often used as a lead-up to a leap.

   Circumduction: The act of moving the body, with or without apparatus, in a full circle with forward and backward flexion of the trunk and one hand leading the other to make a small circle in front of the body or a large circle around the body and overhead.

   Composition: The structure of a gymnastics routine.

   Compulsories: Pre-designed routines that contain specific movements required of all gymnasts.

   Cossack: A leap where both legs are horizontal with the floor, one leg straight, the other bent at the knee.

   Cross: A rings position where the arms are stretched fully and sideways, supporting the body, which is held vertically.

   Degree of difficulty: A rating that measures the difficulty of specific moves and is factored into the total score after judges have scored the execution of the moves.

   Développé: The unfolding of a leg into an open position in the air.

   Dismount: To leave an apparatus at the end of a routine, usually done with a difficult twist or salto.

   Element: A single move that has a recognised way of performance and technical value.

   Execution: 1. The performance of a routine. 2. The form, style and technique used to complete the skills included in a routine.

   Flexion: Any movement of a joint which brings connected body parts closer together.

   Flic-flac: A move where a gymnast takes off from one or two feet, jumps backward onto the hands and lands on the feet; also known as a "flip-flop" or "back handspring".

   Flip-flop: A move where a gymnast takes off from one or two feet, jumps backwards onto the hands and lands on the feet; also known as a "flic-flac" or "back handspring".

   Fouetté: A pivot involving a sharp turn of the body away from the extended leg and a swift inward action of the lower leg, reminiscent of cracking a whip.

   Frontal plane: An imaginary surface in front of, and parallel to, the body, where moves are performed.

   Full-in, back-out: A double salto with a full twist performed during the first salto.

   Gaylord: A move, named after US gymnast Mitch Gaylord, involving a front giant into a 1½ salto over the bar to grasp it again.

   Giant: A swing through 360 degrees around the bar, with the body fully extended.

   Grand jeté: A scissor-like movement from one leg to the other with legs outstretched in the air.

   Grand plié: A position where the gymnast stands with legs fully bent.

   Half-in, half-out: A double salto with a half-twist on each salto.

   Handspring: A linking move involving a spring off the hands, performed by placing the weight on the arms and pushing strongly from the shoulders, which can go forward or backward.

   Healy: A common manoeuvre on the parallel bars where a gymnast starts with a handstand on top of the bars, then falls forward, releasing one arm, executing a half-turn with the other, grasping the bar again and continuing the swing.

   Inward turn: A turn in the direction of the supporting leg or arm; also known as a "reverse turn".

   Jeté: A graceful move where a gymnast springs from one foot to the other.

   Kip: A move from a position below an apparatus to a position above it.

   Leg circle: A standard pommel-horse move where a gymnast keeps the legs together and swings them in a full circle around the horse, with each hand lifted in turn from the pommel to let the legs pass.

   Legmount: A balance on one leg, with the other leg fully extended in a front, side or rear split position.

   Lunge: A position often used to prepare for a pivot, with one foot well in front of the other and taking most of the weight with the knee bent.

   Needle scale: A balance on one foot, with the other leg lifted high behind, the body dropped forward and the hands either on the floor or gripping the ankle.

   Optionals: Manoeuvres selected by the gymnast which portray their best skills, often with a high degree of difficulty.

   Passé: A basic balance position where one leg is turned outward with the thigh at horizontal, knee bent and toes touching the inner knee of the other leg.

   Penchée: A balance position where the straightened legs are split vertically, one supporting and the other pointed toward the ceiling, while the chest is angled down toward the knee of the supporting leg and the hands are not touching the ground.

   Pirouette: To turn on one foot around the body's longitudinal axis, as defined by the spine, in dance elements.

   Pivot: A turn on the ball of the foot.

   Plié: A position with the knees bent and the back straight.

   Push-up arch: A move starting from a sitting position with the legs bent in front of the body and one hand behind the body for support, pushing up into a standing back arch (or back flexion) and ending in a standing position.

   Release: To leave the bar to perform a move before grasping it again.

   Relevé: A swift rise or lift onto the ball of the foot.

   Reverse turn: A turn in the direction of the supporting leg; also known as an "inward turn".

   Routine: A combination of movements or manoeuvres displaying a full range of skills on one apparatus.

   Salto: A flip or somersault where a gymnast rotates around the axis of the hips.

   Scale: A balance on one leg, with the other leg raised backwards, sideways or forwards and the upper body lowered slightly.

   Scissor kick: A jump from one foot to the other with legs straightened as they swing forward, simulating the motion of scissors.

   Somersault: An acrobatic movement where the body makes a complete revolution, heels over head; also known as "salto".

   Spiral: Continuous circling movement of the body or apparatus.

   Split leap: A forward leap from one foot, landing on the opposite foot and assuming a split position in mid-air.

   Splits: A position where one leg is extended forward and the other backward, at right angles to the body.

   Stick: To complete a landing without taking any steps.

   Straddle: A position where the legs are split sideways.

   Stutz: A common swing used on the parallel bars where the gymnast starts from a handstand atop the bars and swings backward between the bars, executing a half-turn along the way and returning to the handstand position to face the opposite way.

   Thomas flares: Named after US gymnast Kurt Thomas, straddle leg rotations on the pommel horse.

   Timochenko: Named after Soviet gymnast Alexandra Timochenko, a side flexion performed in standing side splits.

   Tkatchev: Named after Russian gymnast Alexander Tkatchev, a move from a backward giant to a backward straddle release over the bar.

   Tour jeté: A jump with a half-turn which transfers weight from one foot to the other.

   Tuck: A position where the knees and hips are bent and drawn into the chest, with the body folded at the waist.

   Turn: A rotation on the body's axis supported by one or both feet.

   Twist: A move in acrobatic skills where a gymnast rotates around the body's longitudinal axis, defined by the spine.

   V-sit: A position where the legs are raised off the floor close together and the body is supported by the hands to form a "V" shape.

   Walkover: A move where a gymnast moves from a standing position through a handstand position to a standing position while "walking" through the air with the feet.

   Yurchenko vault: Named after Soviet gymnast Natalia Yurchenko, a vault that begins with a round-off entry onto the beatboard and continues with a back handspring onto the horse and a back 1½ salto off.

Credit: IOC

For further info., please visit http://www.olympic.org/uk/sports/programme/disciplines_uk.asp?DiscCode=GA.