Advertisement

I'm Somewhat Baffled That This Is How Gymnasts Are Supposed To Fall Off The Uneven Bars After Seeing Someone At The Olympics Do It

As someone who has dreamed of doing a single cartwheel since I was in the fourth grade, I'm incredibly impressed with the gymnasts in the Olympics.

A gymnast in a full split high over the balance beam
Amin Mohammad Jamali / Getty Images

They're the best athletes in the world — period, end of story.

  Loic Venance / AFP via Getty Images
Loic Venance / AFP via Getty Images

And the other day, I was looking at some uneven bars pictures and was like "holy shit."

Simone Biles reaching for the uneven bars
Nurphoto / NurPhoto via Getty Images

Like...

A gymnast twisting through the air
Nurphoto / NurPhoto via Getty Images

The pictures really put it into perspective.

  Nurphoto / NurPhoto via Getty Images
Nurphoto / NurPhoto via Getty Images

It's terrifying.

  Nurphoto / NurPhoto via Getty Images
Nurphoto / NurPhoto via Getty Images

Anyway, I was on Reddit and I found this video from Tokyo of a gymnast falling on the bars into a big ol' belly flop:

Nastia Liukin did the same at the 2012 Olympic trials.

NBC

Reddit user ikefalcon pointed out that this is actually normal:

They do that an infinite number of times in practice, often on purpose when they’re learning a release. That’s one of the safest falls you’ll ever see in gymnastics.

Olympic gymnast Shannon Miller says you should NEVER stick your arms out when falling, hence the belly flop:

You should never try to stop your fall or brace yourself by sticking your arm out. I learned this the hard way when I reached out my hands during a wayward uneven bar dismount, dislocating and breaking my left elbow just 10 weeks prior to the 1992 Olympic Trials. After that I never once tried to break falls with my hands.

So, basically, when in doubt: belly flop.

  Defodi Images / DeFodi Images via Getty Images
Defodi Images / DeFodi Images via Getty Images