Differences between artistic and rhythmic gymnastics

An inexperienced gymnastics beginner must learn to recognize the main differences between artistic gymnastics and rhythmic gymnastics in order to appreciate the movements with physical strength, elasticity and coordination. If you still don’t know which discipline to choose for you or your daughter, for example, here are the main differences between these two sports in this article.

Men’s and women’s artistic gymnastics

Artistic gymnastics is a variant of contemporary gymnastics and an Olympic sport that requires great muscular strength, great elasticity and great coordination to recreate scenic movements with jumps and free-body acrobatics or with special tools. Men’s artistic gymnastics includes six different specialties and five tools on which the gymnast can compete, in addition to free body movements. Exercises with rings, straddle exercises, jumps, parallel exercises and barre exercises. At the competitive level, the evaluation of the exercises by the jury takes into account the complexity of the sequence, the level of precision and elegance during the execution. Women’s artistic gymnastics, as an Olympic discipline, includes four specialties and three tools to try out. In addition to the free body, gymnasts can use the asymmetrical parallels, the balance beam and the vault. Also in this case, the jury is obliged to evaluate the execution on the basis of the exercise, the level of technique, precision and elegance.

Rhythmic gymnastics

Rhythmic gymnastics is presented as a discipline halfway between dance and artistic gymnastics, a variant often considered to be limited by the use of tools. It is a demanding sport that requires the execution of dance steps and acrobatic movements both with the free body and with tools, strictly in a well-defined space. Everyone knows the pros and cons of rhythmic gymnastics, which emphasizes flexibility. The tools authorized in artistic gymnastics performances are five in number (ball, hoop, ribbon, rope and clubs) and must be of the same weight, size and shape.