The Most Difficult Beam Skills in Women's Gymnastics #gymnastics #beam

This is her biggest combination right here. It's beautiful. That was the best I've ever seen that done on planet Earth, ever. The Erceg mount consists of a round-off onto the springboard, followed by a jump backward with a half-turn to a salto-forward tucked to cross-stand on beam. Also referred to as an Arabian mount, it is as difficult as it is rare. The blind landing increases its level of risk, since gymnasts can't really spot the landing until their feet hit the apparatus. And this skill can also be prone to a deep squat landing, which can incur a 5-10th deduction. It was submitted at the 2007 World Championships by Croatia's Tina Erceg, and received an F rating. However, since 2013, it has been upgraded to G, making it one of the two highest-rated mounts in the Code of Points. The other G-level mount in the Rulebook of the Discipline is the layout full, also super difficult and, therefore, pretty rare. Most gymnasts avoid taking big risks on their first skill, as one fall can be detrimental to the rest of the exercise. It consists of a round-off onto the springboard, followed by a salto backward stretched with a full twist to cross-stand on beam. Maintaining a straight body position throughout seems to be one of the biggest challenges. Most athletes are not able to generate the proper height and end up piking it at the end, which can incur a 0.1 or 0.3 deduction, depending on the angle. Nonetheless, this is a very impressive and gutsy way to start a routine. The Shishova 2 consists of a salto backward stretched with a full twist, and is named after former Soviet gymnast Albina Shishova. It carries a G rating and is the most difficult skill performed on this apparatus, excluding mounts and dismounts. Like in any twisting element on a 3.9-inch piece of wood, the risk of falling off the apparatus is exponentially increased, especially since the layout full can only be performed in combination. Most gymnasts do it out of a round-off or out of two back handsprings, and China's Deng Linlin even tried to connect a corbet out of it. A great deal of height is required to maintain a fully stretched body position throughout and avoid major deductions. But, similar to the layout full mount, most gymnasts tend to slightly pike their hips before the landing. The Patterson is described as an Arabian double salto forward in a tucked position, and was created by American gymnast Carly Patterson at the 2003 World Championships. It carries a G rating and is one of the four most difficult dismounts on this list. Once more, the gymnast needs to generate enough height to properly land it and avoid the 5 tenth deep squat deduction. To help rotate faster, most gymnasts cowboy it. However, this separation of the knees costs between 1 and 3 tenths, depending on the width. This also makes the skill less pleasing to watch. The Patterson favors the most dynamic and powerful athletes, and the blind landing increases its level of complexity, since the gymnasts cannot spot the ground. The full twisting double tuck dismount was first performed in competition back in 1980 by then 12-year-old Jiang Wei of China. It's valued at G and consists of a double salto backward tucked with a full twist. Technical directives for tucked shapes include a less than 90 degree hip and knee angle. It takes an impressive amount of power and height to complete this element, since the beam does not allow that many steps to generate speed. A poor takeoff can lead to multiple deductions, such as a low chest landing, which can cost up to 3 tenths, plus the extra steps before saluting the judges. A small step will decrease the execution score by a tenth, while anything larger than the shoulder width will decrease it by 3 tenths. Keeping the legs together throughout this skill also seems to be a common issue many gymnasts face. This dismount was particularly popular among the top beam workers of the 90s. The full-in double pike also carries a G rating. However, it's less popular than the tucked version, since it's considered by many as being more difficult to execute, especially when it comes to maintaining the correct body shape. Technical directives for piked shapes include a less than 90 degree hip angle and straight legs throughout. The most common deductions we'll find during its execution are the leg separation, which incurs a 1 to 3 tenth deduction, the flexed feet, a 1 tenth deduction, the slightly bent knees, also a 1 tenth deduction, and the low chest landing. Given it's more challenging to master than the full twisting double tuck, as well as significantly more deduction prone, it leaves many wondering if the full-in double pike deserves a higher rating. The most difficult and only H-rated skill on beam so far is the Biles dismount, a double salto backward tucked with two twists. It was submitted at the 2019 World Championships by American gymnast Simone Biles, who pushed the limits of this apparatus by creating the first ever H-skill. However, the given rating sparked a bit of controversy in the gymnastics community, as many believed it deserved a higher value. The Federation put out an official statement, calling it a safety risk for other gymnasts to try, as double saltos on beam, with or without twists, include a potential landing on the neck. They also claimed their task is to ensure the safety of all athletes around the world, and their decisions were not purely based on one gymnast. In an interview with NBC Sports, the Olympic champion expressed, They keep asking us to do more difficulty and to give more artistry, give harder skills. So we do, and then they don't credit it, and I don't think that's fair. They keep asking for more, we give them more, and they don't credit it. So what's the point of even asking? If you're going to give it an H, nobody's going to try it. But if you give it a J, not saying people will try it more, but at least it makes sense to try it because it's something to shoot for. And like Simone predicted, as of 2024, she's been the only gymnast to perform the double-double in competition. And given its rating, we might not see another gymnast even consider attempting it in the foreseeable future. What's your favorite skill off this list?