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somersault

 
Dictionary: som·er·sault  sum·mer·sault (sŭm'ər-sôlt') pronunciation
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also n.
  1. An acrobatic stunt in which the body rolls forward or backward in a complete revolution with the knees bent and the feet coming over the head. Also called somerset, ; also called regionally tumbleset.
  2. A complete reversal, as of sympathies or opinions.
intr.v., -sault·ed, also -sault·ed, -sault·ing, -sault·ing, -saults, -saults.
To execute a somersault.

[Obsolete French sombresault, variant of sobresault, from Old Provençal sobresaut : sobre-, above (from Latin suprā) + saut, leap (from Latin saltus, from past participle of salīre, to leap).]


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WordNet: somersault
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Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: an acrobatic feat in which the feet roll over the head (either forward or backward) and return
  Synonyms: somersaulting, flip

The verb somersault has one meaning:

Meaning #1: do a somersault

Wikipedia: Somersault
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Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
For the film, see Somersault (film). For the Chicane album, see Somersault (Chicane album).

A somersault (sometimes salto from the obsolete French word sombresault; also somerset an archaic term[1]) is an acrobatic feat in which a person rotates around the somersault axis, moving the feet over the head. A somersault can be performed either forwards, backwards, or sideways and can be executed in the air or on the ground.

Contents

Types of Somersault

There are many variations of front and back somersaults with most technically recognized versions being defined in the competitive sport of Trampolining - in which a somersault can be competitively performed in three shapes: tucked, piked or straight.

Front somersault in the pike position

In addition to full somersaults, somersaults can be used in 1/4 rotations. These create variations such as:

  • Crash Dive (3/4 Front Somersault to back landing)
  • Lazy Back (3/4 Back Somersault to front landing)
  • Ballout (1 1/4 Front Somersault to feet from back landing)
  • Cody (1 1/4 back Somersault to feet from front landing)

In addition there are many variations of double and triple somersaults, often including twist rotations and can end in body landings.

Other associated moves include:

  • Barani (Front Somersault with 1/2 twist)
  • Rudi (Front Somersault with 1 1/2 twists)
  • Full Back or frontfull (Back Somersault or Front Somersault with 1 twist) [less common with single fronts]
  • Double (Double Front or Back Somersault)
  • Double Full (Back Somersault with 2 twists)
  • Half Out (Double Front Somersault with 1/2 twist in the second somersault)
  • Adolf (Front Somersault with 3 1/2 twists)
  • Back in - Full out (Double Back Somersault with 1 twist in the second somersault)

Terminology

The word 'flip' is synonymous with somersault in a number of countries including the USA.[2]. However this is not used in trampolining in some countries such as Britain, whereby a flip is a skill that is executed with forward or backward movement, relying on the arms to create rotation, with an optional contact on the floor with the hands.

Many sports (not just gymnastics) have added to the confusion of named somersaults. For instance in sports such as BMX, FMX, snowboarding and even skateboarding, a backward rotation is referred to as a "backflip". Certain new wave sports such as tricking and free running also name their moves flips.

See also

External links

  1. ^ Strutt, Joseph (1801). "V - Tumbling and dancing". in John Charles Cox. http://books.google.ca/books?id=eJwSAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA187&dq=somersault+somerset&as_brr=1&client=firefox-a#v=onepage&q=somersault%20somerset&f=false. Methuen & co. pp. 187. http://books.google.ca/books?id=eJwSAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA187&dq=somersault+somerset&as_brr=1&client=firefox-a#v=onepage&q=somersault%20somerset&f=false. Retrieved 12 Nov 2009. 
  2. ^ http://www.usa-gymnastics.org/home/gymnastics101/glossary_of_terms.php?prog=t, American Gymnastic Terminology

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Translations: Somersault
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Dansk (Danish)
n. - saltomortale, kolbøtte, luftspring
v. intr. - slå en saltomortale, slå saltomortaler, lave luftspring

Nederlands (Dutch)
salto, koprol

Français (French)
n. - roulade, galipette, saut périlleux, culbute, tonneau (d'un véhicule)
v. intr. - faire une roulade, faire un saut périlleux, faire un tonneau

Deutsch (German)
n. - Purzelbaum, Salto
v. - einen Purzelbaum schlagen, einen Salto springen

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - ανάποδη τούμπα
v. - κάνω/παίρνω ανάποδη τούμπα

Italiano (Italian)
capriola, salto mortale

Português (Portuguese)
n. - salto mortal (m)
v. - dar um salto mortal

Русский (Russian)
сальто, резкая перемена (во взглядах)

Español (Spanish)
n. - vuelta de campana, voltereta, salto mortal
v. intr. - dar un salto mortal, dar una vuelta de campana

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - kullerbytta, volt, helomvändning
v. - slå en kullerbytta

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
翻筋斗

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 翻筋斗
v. intr. - 翻筋斗

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 재주 넘기, (태도 등의) 180도 전환
v. intr. - 재주 넘다, 공중 제비하다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - とんぼ返り, 宙返り
v. - とんぼ返りをする

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) أنقلاب تام, ألشقلبه (فعل) يتشقلب, ينقلب‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮גלגול באוויר, קפיצת התהפכות, סלטה‬
v. intr. - ‮קפץ קפיצת התהפכות, ביצע גלגול באוויר, עשה סלטה‬

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Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Somersault".  Read more
Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved.  Read more