The back hip circle is an element in men's and women's

artistic gymnastics Artistic gymnastics is a discipline of gymnastics in which athletes perform short routines on different apparatuses. The sport is governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), which designs the Code of Points and regulates ...

. It is usually performed on the

uneven bars The uneven bars or asymmetric bars is an artistic gymnastics apparatus. It is made of a steel frame. The bars are made of fiberglass with wood coating, or less commonly wood. The English abbreviation for the event in gymnastics scoring is UB or ...

high bar The horizontal bar, also known as the high bar, is an apparatus used by male gymnasts in artistic gymnastics. It traditionally consists of a cylindrical metal (typically steel) bar that is rigidly held above and parallel to the floor by a syste ...

, but can also be done on the

balance beam The balance beam is a rectangular artistic gymnastics apparatus and an event performed using the apparatus. Both the apparatus and the event are sometimes simply referred to as "beam". The English abbreviation for the event in gymnastics scoring i ...

. It is a basic skill, and is usually one of the first learned by beginning gymnasts, but also appears as a component of more advanced moves. The back hip circle is first used in level 2 women gymnastics. On bars, the back hip circle is usually performed in combination with a

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. To perform the skill, the

gymnast Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, sh ...

rests on the bar in a front support. He casts away, returns to the bar, and travels around it, returning to a front support. A more advanced version of the back hip circle is the clear hip. In this move, the gymnast still circles backwards around the bar, but does not return to a front support. A clear hip can be linked to a handstand, dismount or release move. On beam, the Yurchenko loop and the Teza both end in back hip circles. Back hip circle training machine

External links

Animation and explanation of the back hip circle
Gymnastics elements