Pommel horse

The pommel horse is a solid apparatus with two handles, or pommels, on top; originally it was made of a metal frame with a wooden body and a leather cover but modern pommel horses have a metal body covered with foam rubber and leather, with plastic handles.

This apparatus is used by men in artistic gymnastics. In their performance, they do a series of manoueuvres defined by complex hand placements and body positions while holding themselves above the apparatus. Gymnasts aren’t allowed to pause during that routine, and must continue to move throughout once mounting the apparatus.

Evolution of the pommel horse along the time

The dimensions of the apparatus, wich were published by the FIG in the “Apparatus Norms, are:

• Length at top: 160 cm
• Lenght at bottom: 155 cm
• Height from top surface to floor: 115 cm
• Width at bottom: 30 cm
• Width at top: 35 cm
• Height of the pommels: 12 cm
• Distance between the pommels: 40 cm

 

Nowadays, Alex Naddour is one of the best gymnasts at this modality, he has won three straight titles from 2011 to 2013, was second in 2014, and won again in 2015. In the following video you can see a performance of this year of this amazing athlete:

 

The pommel horse has a lot of exercises in the routines, but some of these, differentiated by it categories are:

• Basic skills
  • False Scissor
  • Front support swing
  • Rear support swings
  • Stride swings
• A
  • Double leg circle
  • Flair
  • Front loop
  • Front moore
  • Kehr
• B
  • Bailie
  • Circle in a cross support on one pommel
  • Direct stockly B
• C
  • Double Scissor Hop travel
  • 900 Degree russian wendeswing to wende
  • Flair with 1/1 spindle within 2 circles
• D
  • 1080 degree russian wendeswing on the leather
  • 3 flops
  • Magyar
  • Sivado
• E
  • 4 flops
  • Kehr 1/1
  • Kolyvanov
  • Wu Guonian

 

Source

Text: own with query data from:

http://www.olympic.org/artistic-gymnastics-equipment-and-history

http://www.drillsandskills.com/skills/pig/A

http://gymnastics.about.com/od/gymnasticsapparatus/p/gymnasticspommelhorse.htm

 

Photo: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/2015_European_Artistic_Gymnastics_Championships_-_Pommel_horse_-_Oleg_Stepko_11.jpg

http://www.gymmedia.com/ghent2001/appa/pommel/history_ph.htm