Uneven bars

Several companies manufacture and sell bars, including AAI in the United States, Jannsen and Fritsen in Europe, and Acromat in Australia.

Measurements of the bars are provided by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) in the Apparatus Norms brochure.

Routines of the early 1950s chiefly consisted of simple circles, kips, and static balance elements and holds.

The design was changed slightly to allow the bars to be adjustable, with tension cables that held the apparatus to the floor.

Gymnasts and coaches began experimenting with elements, attempting more challenging dismounts, and adapting moves from men's horizontal bar.

Nadia Comăneci continued the trend with her original Comaneci salto at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal and advanced handstand elements four years later.

The distance between bars increased even more as gymnasts developed complex transition elements that required space, such as the Pak salto.

Most elements from the 1950s and '60s bars routines, such as the Hecht dismount and the Radochla somersault, are now entirely obsolete and rarely used; others, such as the once-traditional beats and wraps, are impossible given the current diagonal separation between bars, and still others, such as static holds and the Korbut Flip, are not permitted under the current Code of Points.

In levels 7-10 and elite, gymnasts perform optional routines that adhere to set guidelines and meet certain requirements.

Many judges are flexible with this rule, especially if the gymnast took a hard fall and needed a minute to shake it off and regain her focus.

[6] Falls from the bars can lead to serious injuries or paralysis; Taylor Lindsay-Noel was paralyzed during an attempted dismount from the apparatus in 2008.

[8] In 2021, Séverine Emeraude Djala Abaka, a Cameroonian gymnast, died shortly before the African Championships, where she had intended to compete, after falling on her neck.