International Terminology of Acrobatic Gymnastics
II. Balance
5. Motions
- Motion is a change of position, going from one position to another. Motions are differentiated into Base Motions and Top Motions. An example for a base motion is to move from a standing position into a sitting position while holding the partner in a handstand. An example for a top motion is to move from a straight handstand into an arched handstand while standing on the hands of the base. In German a motion is called “Verwandlung” (transformation).
Base Motions in Pairs
- Base Motions (Pairs) are changes of position of the base partner while performing a partner element (e.g. while holding the top). There are douzens of base motions and many do not have any common term to describe them yet. For pair motions I am suggesting the following terms. Please note that these terms are meant for easy reference when talking about a specific motion; in practice it is often most easy to just say: “into sit”, “to splits” etc., and that makes it clear already which kind of motion is meant when the starting position is known from which the motion has to be done. The terms below can be useful though when referring to them or teaching them in isolation, as the words contain both the starting position, the target position and the way towards it.
- Sit-Down, getting from a standing position into a seated position. The Sit-Down has to be distinguished in a Sit-Down while holding the top on two arms and a sit down while holding the top on one, as the technique differs significantly.
- One Arm Sit-Down: When holding the top on one arm, the base squats down and reaches for the floor behind him with the free hand. Depending on his flexibility and preferences, the squat is either performed all the way down “ass-to-grass”, then the legs straightened, or one leg is internally rotated to put the lower leg unto the floor and make it easier to straighten the legs from there.
- Two Arm Sit-Down: With the top held on two arms, since there is no free hand, the technique commonly used is to first kneel down on one side, while positioning the other leg straight to the side, slightly in front; then sliding down with this leg while lowering the hips down and back into a sitting position, resulting in a half Straddle-Sit and half W-Sit, then moving the kneeling leg out over the side and straighten it to reach a full Straddle Sit.
- Stand-Up, getting from a seated position into a standing position.
- Kneel-Down, getting from a standing position into a kneeling position.
- Lunge-Up, getting from a kneeling position through a lunge into a standing position.
- Sit-Up (Base-Motion), getting from a lying position into a seated position.
- Lie-Down, getting from a seated position into a lying position.
- Get-Up, getting from a lying position into a standing position (e.g. as done in a Turkish-Get-up).
- Torch-Up, is a motion when lying in ??? (lying on the back, legs up slightly straddled) and pushing oneself up into a Torch position.
- Torch-Down, opposite motion of the Torch-Up, when lowering from a Torch into a position lying on the back while keeping the legs vertical.
- Plough-Down, is a move from Torch to Plough, by lowering the legs from a vertical position in the Torch down to the floor into the diagonally downward position of the Plough.
- Plough-Over, is a motion from lying on the back into the Plough position by lifting the legs over ones body towards the floor.
- Split-Slide, sliding from a standing position into a frontal splits (Front Split Slide) or side splits (Side Split Slide).
- 180° in the context of base motions is a motion performed with a 180° turn of the body. For instance: Standing, then turning to face the other direction while kneeling down, would be a 180° Kneel-Down.
- 270°, see 180°.
- 360°, see 180°. The 360° is most commonly done with a Sit-Down, resulting in a very complex motion of performing a full turn while sitting down, therefore called 360° Sit-Down, which can be and is done in various styles in different acrobatic schools. I am distinguishing the following major techniques:
- Yaroslavl Style: This technique is used most famously by Aleksandr Kurennoi from the Yaroslavl School in Russia; first with his partner Anna Ivaseva, later with Anastasia Gorbatyuk. The major characteristic is that it is done through a wide and deep lunge without kneeling down at all (or if so then only lightly as e.g. in a hip flexor stretch with the hips in extension); then as soon as possible straightening the front leg to move it into the seated position; the focus on the wide lunge and the straight lines makes it a very elegant style and it widens the base of support, but it requires more hip flexibility than the other styles.
- Gurgenidze Style: …
- Sinyavskaya Way: …
- Israelian Style: …
- Roll-Down, also sometimes referred to as a “Chinese Roll” is an advanced base motion only possible with the top held in one arm, which is a transition from standing or kneeling to lying through a forward roll, while keeping the balancing arm overhead, which requires extraordinary shoulder stability and strength. In its easiest forms it is done with the top held at the hips in a horizontally lying split or scorpion, which doesn’t require much balance from the base; in its most extreme form it is done with the top in a 1on1 handstand, which requires tremendous balancing skill. While being hard, the opposite motion, the Roll-Up, is much harder to perform.
- Roll-Up, a base motion from lying to kneeling and eventually standing (although one can also move to a different position after reaching the half-kneeling position, e.g. sliding into splits); it is basically a reversed Roll-Down with significantly higher difficulty.
- Lying-Turn-Around is a motion in which the base holds the top in his hands in a lying position and turns around sideways either from prone to supine or from supine to prone (in other words: from belly to back or from back to belly), whereas in the prone position the arms are always bent, while in the supine position the arms can be bent or straight and have to be straightened and bended to some degree during the motion.
- Standing Bend-Back is a motion from standing into a backbended position. We call it “Bend-Back” and not “Backbend” to lay focus on the process of bending back (not all the way down, as which the Backbend is defined, as the motion from Standing into Bridge).
- Kneeling Bend-Back is a motion from kneeling into a backbend position on the knees. This motion is getting removed from the ToD as of 2026 due to health concerns.
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- Sit-Down, getting from a standing position into a seated position. The Sit-Down has to be distinguished in a Sit-Down while holding the top on two arms and a sit down while holding the top on one, as the technique differs significantly.
Base Motions in Groups
- Base Motions (Groups) are motions of one or more base and middle partners of a group while holding an element (e.g. a motion of the middle in a pyramid while holding the top in a handstand). Base motions may be performed by one of the partners, by two partners in succession or by two or even three partners simultaneously. I am suggesting the following terms:
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Top Motions
** Top Motions, …
- Press Handstand or Press to Handstand, short “Press HS” is a press from a standing position into a Handstand. A Press HS can either be performed through straight-straddled legs, which is called a Straddle Press, through tucked-closed legs, which is called a Tuck Press, through half-tucked-straddled legs, which we call a Frog Press (no value) or through straight-closed legs, which we call a Pike Press. There are also variations of entering the handstand without momentum over the side, which is commonly called a Puppy Press. But depending on flexibility and body proportions there may be no “pressing” involved in it at all (consequently, pressing over one leg first is a common way of cheating the regular press). Another, uncommon variant we call the Side Press, where the press is initiated while standing with both legs sideways to the hands in a 45° angle; then pressing up with a 45° rotation; this press is a valuable progression towards the One Arm Press HS.
- Spichag is the russian name for pressing to handstand from a straddle support, in English it is called “Stalder Press” by some and “Endo” by others, due to a different usage in artistic gymnastics. In German it is called “Aufgrätschen” (literally “Straddle-Up”), but this word, while being very descriptive, may be more fitting for a Sit-Up (German “Aufsetzen”) or V-Up (German “Aufbücken”) with straight, straddled legs (thus “Aufgrätschen”); we are therefore preferring Spichag for a common terminology.
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