Horizontal bar skills: Moves you’ll want to try at least once! A roundup of popular techniques.
The playground equipment known as the “horizontal bar” is very simple in design, but many of us were hooked on it as kids, weren’t we?
There are all kinds of tricks on the bar, like forward rolls and pullovers.
If you could pull off a difficult trick, you might have become the class hero in no time.
In this article, we’ll introduce basic and popular tricks mainly for preschoolers and elementary school students, as well as sequences where you repeat a single trick and routines that combine different tricks.
We’ll also share tips and practice methods, so if you want to master the horizontal bar, be sure to check it out.
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Horizontal bar skills: Must-try moves! Top popular techniques (1–10)
Propeller
This skill has you spinning your body around a horizontal bar like a helicopter rotor.
Unlike a forward roll, you straddle the bar and rotate your body from the side.
Start by sitting firmly on the bar with your back straight.
Then tip forward headfirst and use your leg power to swing yourself back to the starting position.
To maintain momentum, keep your back as straight as possible while rotating.
Letting your legs separate also kills momentum, so if keeping them together is hard, try crossing your feet.
Once you get the swing right, you can turn multiple times in a row!
hooking sweep around
Hook one leg over the horizontal bar and rotate forward and backward—this is the “leg hook rotation.” It’s higher than a normal rotation and looks a bit scary, but it looks really cool when you can do it! For the forward rotation, the first key point is being able to push yourself up firmly after you complete the turn.
For the backward rotation, momentum and head position are crucial.
In a backward rotation, you return to your original position using the momentum as you move back, so don’t be afraid—lean your body back decisively and rotate.
Keep your chin tucked or face downward.
Also, when you return to the starting position, make sure to move your hands to settle and come to a proper stop—be conscious of that too!
Foot circle
If you can do this, it’s amazing! This is a high-difficulty move called the “Foot Circle.” First, get into the Bat Pose.
Then swing both legs back and forth to build momentum; the moment your legs swing behind you, open them and place your feet on the bar by stepping over your hands.
Using the downward momentum of your body, rotate all the way around.
If you don’t have enough momentum, you won’t be able to complete the turn—either land immediately or wait until your body stops swinging.
Don’t let go of the bar in a panic; it’s dangerous, so be careful.
If you build momentum well, you’ll be able to spin around smoothly.
Horizontal bar techniques. Moves you’ll want to try at least once! Popular moves roundup (11–20)
Tour of Hell
The move where you sit on the horizontal bar and do a full backward rotation is called the “Jigoku-mawari” (literally, “hell spin”).
The name sounds scary, and many people may find the motion frightening too.
However, as long as you keep your promise to never let go of the bar, you’ll be fine.
First, place your bottom on the bar and sit on it like a chair.
Then scoot your bottom, hook the backs of your knees over the bar, and tip yourself backward with momentum to rotate.
When you come back up to the top and return to the starting position, you’ll need upper-body strength and speed.
At first, practice by tilting yourself back firmly and hanging without trying to return to the starting position.
Giant Swing
The eye-catching horizontal bar move called the “giant swing.” When you hang from the bar, it’s dangerous if your feet touch the ground, so practice on a bar that’s high enough to keep your feet off the floor.
First, hang from the bar.
Swing your body back and forth, and once you’ve built momentum, move into a handstand-like position above the bar, then use the falling rebound to spin around and around.
Keep your arms and upper body fully extended and your body straight as you rotate.
This move can be dangerous if people are nearby, so before you start, make sure there’s no one around you!
Heaven Route
This is the opposite version of the “Around-the-World from Below” called the “Around-the-World from Above.” First, sit on the bar and grasp it with a reverse grip.
As you lean your upper body forward, slide your hips back and hook both knees over the bar.
From there, swing forward with momentum, roll all the way around, and return to the original position.
It’s scary and you might feel like hopping off the bar, but the key to this skill is committing to a strong, continuous rotation.
Suppress your fear, tuck your body tightly, and roll through.
Be careful not to build too much momentum—if you do, you may not return to the starting position and could launch off the bar.
Tomoe
The advanced horizontal bar skill ‘Tomoe.’ It’s similar to the ‘free hip circle’ and the ‘stretched-leg free hip circle,’ but it’s more difficult.
In simple terms, it’s like a stretched-leg free hip circle where you don’t touch your stomach to the bar.
Since most bar skills are performed with firm contact at the stomach, getting the feel for this skill isn’t easy.
Still, it’s a cool move, so definitely give it a try.
Nailing the basics—like tucking your chin and fully extending your arms—seems to be the key to success.