Apparatus

Apparatus used in Rhythmic Gymnastics are ball, clubs, rope, hoop and ribbon along with freehand (no apparatus- only performed by junior levels).

See Useful Links for retailers that sell apparatus.  Gymnasts also require toe shoes/socks and a variety of other equipment like hoop decorative tape, stretching bands for training and more.

The apparatus are as follows:

 Freehand

Freehand is performed only in levels 1 to 5. It involves the gymnast concentrating on their body movements and using skill and performance to win over the judges and gain points.

Ribbon

The ribbon is moved through the air creating designs in the air such as snakes and spirals. The ribbon can also be thrown and caught in the routine.

The stick is usually made of wood, plastic or fibreglass. The ribbon is often satin, silk or non-starched synthetic such as rayon. The length of the ribbon is 5 metres or more, depending on the level of the gymnast. The stick is usually made of wood, plastic or fibreglass. The ribbon is often satin, silk or non-starched synthetic such as rayon. The length of the ribbon is 5 metres or more, depending on the level of the gymnast.

Hoop

The hoop can be thrown, caught, spun around the body and used to skip through the routine. Handling of the hoop requires changes in grip while changing the motion of the body. Sometimes the gymnast will pass through the hoop while moving across the floor. Hoops are often taped with coloured tape to increase the weight and to add colour to the performance.

The hoop is made of plastic

Ball

The ball can be rolled across the body, bounced on the floor or rebounded on the body. It can also be thrown and caught with spectacular results when performed as part of another movement such as a roll.  The ball is to be held without gripping, it must float on the hand of the gymnast and move in harmony with the body.  

The ball is made of rubber or plastic.

Rope

The rope is thrown around and can be taut or loose to create shapes. Sometimes it is moving gracefully and other times is snapped back to create dramatic effect. 

The rope is made of hemp or a synthetic material. It's length is proportional to the height of the gymnast. 

Clubs

The clubs are swirled and thrown to create as many figures as possible. Throws are sometimes at great heights to enable the gymnast to perform body movements under the clubs before catching them again. Performance with clubs requires good coordination skills as well as a sense of timing to be able to catch them without looking.

Clubs are made of plastic or rubber.

Group Routines

Group routines consist of 3 or more gymnasts performing together, either with the same apparatus or with a combination of two different apparatus. This requires good coordination and control to be able to throw and catch between the gymnasts at the same time as performing different body movements.