Giant (gymnastics)


A giant is an artistic gymnastics skill in which a gymnast rotates 360 degrees around an axis while in a fully extended position. It is performed on the uneven bars in women's artistic gymnastics and on the parallel bars, horizontal bar, and rings in men's artistic gymnastics.

Technique

The gymnast begins in a handstand position. With legs together, toes pointed, and body fully extended, the feet begin to descend. The upper body hollows very slightly until the gymnast passes through horizontal. On the upswing, the abdominal muscles are engaged to slightly arch the body and prevent anterior pelvic tilt, which adversely affects the strength of the swing. The gymnast either returns to the handstand position or continues through handstand to perform another giant or other element.
The gymnast must remain in a stretched position for the entire giant, except on parallel bars where the apparatus height necessitates bended knees at the bottom of the swing.

Variations

Some variations on the standard giant include:
In the current Federation Internationale de Gymnastique 2017-2020 Code of Points, a giant is a B element on uneven bars for women, and a B element on parallel bars and an A element on the horizontal bar for men.