It is divided into both the men’s categories that involve activities such as floor exercise, sill rings, vault, parallel bars, high bar, pommel horse and the vault and the women’s categories involve competition in vault, balance beam and uneven bars although women have been known to adequately compete in all the men’s categories in countries such as Russia early in the 1950’s. Another type of gymnastic is the rhythmic gymnastic which is mainly for women and does involve a combination of various elements such as ballet, dance, gymnastics and even apparatus manipulation.

The performers are usually allowed the use of five apparatus of their choice and these apparatus may constitute a ball, hoop, clubs, rope and even the floor. It is currently not available for women but plans are underway to ensure that even men will have their own form of artistic gymnastics. Acrobatic gymnastics on the other hand is a discipline that is carried out by both men and women and it involves a group of three to four individuals that may be mixed in terms of gender performing various routines using their head, feet and even the hands of their various partners. Other forms of gymnastics include the tramp lining and tumbling that may be individualistic, double mini, power tumbling and even synchronized. There are also the team, aerobics and display gymnastics that actually mean exactly what the name spells. Gymnastics has its origins in the exercises that were performed by the ancient Greeks that entailed skills such as mounting and dismounting a horse, circuses and even skill display. As of today gymnastics can be performed by children as young as five years old who mainly participate in what is called kinder gym to even world class athletes. All sports of gymnastics have a body that governs them and this body is called the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) which was formed in 1881. All the other sub bodies that govern gymnastic practices in various countries are governed by the FIG.