Event
Balance beam

Skill type
Dance

Value
B
(upgraded from A to B in 2017)

Known as
Split jump
Split

About
The split jump is one of the cornerstone elements in beam composition. As a skill, it should be more-than-straightforward for any gymnast reaching an elite level, but it is nonetheless so useful in composition that it remains an essential routine component for even the most talented beam workers in the whole wide universe.

Rated a B (0.2) dance element, the split jump is eligible to be connected onto a sufficiently difficult acrobatic element for a bonus tenth and/or included in a three-element series for an additional bonus tenth. It is also the easiest split element to connect with another dance element to fulfill the dance combination requirement for 0.5.

For example, a gymnast could perform a front aerial (D) + split jump (B) + straddle jump (B), to earn 0.1 bonus for connecting the aerial into the split jump, 0.1 series bonus for all three together, and 0.5 composition for connecting the split jump into the straddle jump. Seven tenths hinging on a humble split jump. And that’s why everybody does it.