Dr.Hab., Professor R.N. Terekhina¹
Dr.Hab., Professor E.N. Medvedeva¹
PhD, Professor E.S. Kryuchek^1
1Lesgaft National State University of Physical Culture, Sports and Health, St. Petersburg

Corresponding author: zavkaf58@mail.ru

Abstract 

Objective of the study was to analyze the objective elementary gymnastic biomechanics by difficulty classes to facilitate technical progress and expert valuations.

Methods and structure of the study. We used for the purposes of the study the following research methods: analysis of the reference literature and relevant regulatory frameworks; training progress analysis, questionnaire surveys, expert scoring, tests, contactless video replays with movement sequencing analyses, skin electromyography, stabilography and training experiments. The test data were processed and analyzed by the standard mathematical statistics STATGRAPHICS Plus toolkit. Subject to the execution quality analysis were the elite competitive routines in modern gymnastics disciplines including individual/ group rhythmic gymnastics; artistic gymnastics, aesthetic gymnastics, trampoline gymnastics and acrobatic rock-n-roll.

Results and conclusion. Based on the study data and analyses, we offer theoretical provisions for a new elements valuation matrix to improve the valid FIG Code of Points; facilitate the specific elements training/ excellence systems and training system design and management; and facilitate the expert valuations of every execution aspect. The analysis and recommendations may be beneficial for progress in every gymnastic discipline.

Keywords: rhythmic gymnastics, rules of competitions, Code of Points, skills, routines, difficulty score, expert valuation, progress algorithms, technical execution scores.

Background. Modern elite gymnastics is getting increasingly challenging and competitive, with the competitive progress secured by hard work to improve every technical skill and execution artistry on the whole. This is one of the key reasons why the modern elite gymnastics has to heavily rely on sports research. The individual progress agendas need to be facilitated by objective competitive resource/ skills tests and scores with perfect understanding of the actual versus model execution biomechanics so as to timely and efficiently fix and interpret every execution variation in the training process and manage the individual competitive progress trajectories based on fair and precise expert scoring systems. The research foundation for the progress management service should include a profound scientific knowledge of athlete viewed as a ‘biological system’ tested and analyzed using modern digital test systems offered by human sciences. The Lesgaft National State University of Physical Culture, Sports and Health’s Gymnastics Theory and Methodology Department has accumulated a profound research experience that demonstrates efficiency and benefits of such progress testing and scoring systems.

Objective of the study was to analyze and classify on an objective research and test basis the execution difficulty biomechanics in the modern gymnastics to provide benchmarks for competitive progress and expert scoring systems.

Methods and structure of the study. We used for the purposes of the study the following research methods: analysis of the reference literature and relevant regulatory frameworks; training progress analysis, questionnaire surveys, expert scoring, tests, contactless video replays with movement sequencing analyses, skin electromyography, stabilography and training experiments. The test data were processed and analyzed by the standard mathematical statistics STATGRAPHICS Plus toolkit. Subject to the execution quality analysis were the elite competitive routines in modern gymnastics disciplines including individual/ group rhythmic gymnastics; artistic gymnastics, aesthetic gymnastics, trampoline gymnastics and acrobatic rock-n-roll.

Results and discussion. Having analyzed the valid rules of competitions, Codes of Points and successful competitive routines in the above gymnastic disciplines, we found [4-8] the competitive progresses being secured mostly by the highest technical and compositional difficulty standards associated with top artistic merits.

The sports community takes special efforts to develop new original elements and compositions in every routine/ exercise design and training process. It should be emphasized, however, that it is not unusual that the actual scores of such new elements in the valid Codes of Points differ from their true/ fair values. Thus, our analysis for the group rhythmic gymnastics routines showed [1] that experts tend to underscore the exchanges and collaborations due to:

- Limitations of the exchange/ collaboration difficulty and originality scoring standards with the traditional blanket applications and virtually no attention to the dynamism and artistry of the elements/ compositions; and

- Tendency to level down the exchange/ collaboration scores by these elements being classified with the relevant difficulty groups using too general criteria.

Our analysis of the group exchange/ collaboration harmony/ synch showed that in many cases high execution difficulty and versatility of elements, rearrangements, apparatus handling skills and their combinations require special hard work in the training systems and need to be scored correspondingly [9].

The gymnastic competitive routines analysis generally shows that the total gymnastic routine execution score will include the technical, compositional and artistic scores applicable to:

- Every technical element as such and their combinations in the routine on the whole;

- Execution harmony with special attention to the dance and plastic elements;

- Single/ group/ sequential execution elements;

- Fast-/ slow-pace elements;

- Elements executed in collaborations with partner(s);

- Apparatus handing/ exchange elements; and

- Dynamic elements with arrangements, rearrangements etc. [1, 4-6, 8, 9].

An objective expert scoring system will fairly rate every element of a competitive routine to motivate the gymnasts and coaches to give high priority not only to the top difficulty as such but also to the routine harmonizing/ synch aspects with a special attention to versatile and expressive artistic forms. 

Modern gymnastic training service may be encouraged and facilitated by focused efforts to improve the existing technical and compositional difficulty scoring system based on the movement biomechanics and movement sequencing test and research data and analyses. Such research foundation will provide a scientifically sound framework and benchmarks for execution difficulty expert scoring systems, and for the gymnastic training and routine design and logical sequencing systems: see Figure 1.

Figure 1. Modern biomechanical research to offer technical provisions for the rhythmic gymnastics trainings and competitions

Benefits of the expert scoring system were demonstrated by many studies [3, 10] that showed the following gymnastics competitive routine difficulty and artistry factors being the most influential:

- Physical qualities of the apparatuses, equipment, floor and environment need to be controlled by special muscular efforts in the routines;

- Postural control in dynamics for success of the group exchanges/ collaborations and apparatus handling;

- Emphases and priorities in execution for harmony of the group limb movements and model conduct;

- Body/ apparatus movement vectors/ planes;

- Movement amplitudes and distances, heights of the throws, etc.;

- Every element execution style with elementary movement symmetries/ synchs;

- Spatial movement/ apparatus control quality; and

- Harmony and artistry of the static and dynamic elements in the routine.

Our comparative analysis of the skills execution factors showed that they need to be perfectly balanced for high technical and artistic scores and compositional harmony of a competitive routine. Modern competitive routine elements are highly difficult and skills-intensive and, hence, a special priority should be given to the elementary transitions control logics i.e. harmonized execution styles with one element smoothly flowing into the other for excellent synch, plasticity and completeness of every composition in the routine.

Tests and analyzes of the muscle movement biomechanics and electrical activity showed that the execution plasticity, expressiveness and artistry may be objectively rated by the muscle reciprocity and bioelectrical activity tests – that are generally indicative of how balanced the muscle activation/ inhibition processes are in every elementary movement phase and routine on the whole [2]. These data and findings give reasons to believe that artistry scores may use much the same criteria that apply to the movement biomechanics within the relevant laws of motion.

Conclusion. The study data and analyses showed that the FIG (International Gymnastics Federation) discipline-specific Codes of Points need to be updated so as to encourage natural progress of the gymnastic disciplines rather than limit and slow down them by unnatural scoring barriers. One of the potential ways to encourage progress is to put the technical scoring systems on a sound research foundation to fairly rate merits of a wide variety of competitive routines. The scoring systems shall factor in the execution difficulty biomechanics and their specific factors in the technical values sets. Such fair scoring systems will facilitate progress of the modern gymnastic disciplines on a consistent, efficient and sustainable bases.

References

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