Chinese acrobat in midair being watched by other acrobats

A springboard is a platform set upon one or usually multiple springs used in

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 ...

to propel a

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 ...

who jumps upon it further than if they had otherwise jumped off a fixed platform. The springboard is a vital part of the

vault Vault may refer to: * Jumping, the act of propelling oneself upwards Architecture * Vault (architecture), an arched form above an enclosed space * Bank vault, a reinforced room or compartment where valuables are stored * Burial vault (enclosure ...

event, and is commonly used in some routines of other events, such as 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 ...

, or uneven bars, to start the event by springing onto the apparatus. The springboard is usually about wide and long. The number of springs in a springboard depends on the gymnast.

References

Artistic gymnastics apparatus {{gymnastics-stub