Beginner: Saltos

In gymnastics, we are fond of our jargon. Terms like "stacking" and "Gaylord" (no, it's not an insult, it's a skill on high bar and uneven bars) tend to litter our conversations until they are practically foreign tongues. One of the terms most commonly heard, especially when one fan is trying to impress another, is "salto." This is a formal term for a flip or somersault. But we can't just leave it at that, right? So we've invented many different types of saltos. They are: Tucked, piked, laid-out, and Arabian.

Tucked - the most basic form. The legs and bent and held close to the chest during flight. When talking about it conversation, it's called simply a "back/forward tuck" or if done at the end of a tumbling series, a "punch front," because of the forceful landing. A punch front can also be done by itself on the beam. If done twice in the air before landing, it's a "double back."

Piked - Similar to tucked, only the legs are straight as opposed to bent. Too often nowadays, this skill (especially double piked backs on floor) is performed poorly, with the legs separated and the feet "flexed" (that is, flat instead of pointed). But if done well, as the above gymnast is, it's a lovely skill. Called a "piked forward/back" or "double pike" if done twice in the air.

Laid-Out - This can be a very difficult skill to learn, as it requires the gymnast's muscles to be both flexible and strong. As the name suggests, the body is not bent in any way, but keeps a straight shape through the air. Layouts (as they are called) are interesting skills because they can be done correctly in two different ways. One way is completely straight, no bending in the back. This is becoming less common. The second way is what the gymnast above is doing: She has a small but noticeable curve in her back. Check out Nastia Liukin's double layout dismount off of uneven bars for a more extreme and obvious version of this.

Arabian - this is not an arabian, but rather an excellent example of how not to do one. Basically, an arabian is like a double front (two tucked saltos done facing forward), but what makes it unique is that the gymnast begins the skill doing a back handspring. The gymnast pushes off, does a half turn in the air, and does the tucked salto(s), making them an arabian. Correct form for the arabian is like any other skill: Legs together, toes pointed, and so on, but lots of gymnasts, even elite athletes, have lots of trouble with this. If the legs are so far apart it's obvious, then the salto is called a "cowboy" or "cowboyed." This term can also be applied to regular tuck backs and punch-fronts, but is much more common for arabians. Unfortunately, Chellsie Memmel (who is performing the double front in the above photo), you are doing one of my pet peeves in gymnastics. I saw so many cowboyed arabians when I first started watching gymnastics I thought that was what the skill was supposed to look like! But fear not, my fellow fans, it's possible to do it correctly. The current British team seems to be especially good at arabians, so check them out for some lovely ones!