Associate Professor, PhD E.S. Inozemtseva
E.G. Khatskaleva
National Research Tomsk State University, Tomsk

Keywords: rhythmic gymnastics, group routines, special motor skills, apparatus release elements.

Background. One of the key apparatus manipulation techniques in group routines in rhythmic gymnastics is the apparatus release (exchange manipulation), a compulsory element in every routine [4]. Modern rules of competitions set very high standards both for the apparatus exchange technique and versatility of the apparatus handling on the whole; and, hence, the elite gymnasts should be highly technically fit for competitions. Therefore, studies of special movement skills of elite gymnasts with an emphasis on the relevant motor specifics and skill excelling methods to ensure high quality of the apparatus exchange manipulations are given high priority in the efforts to excel the technical skills of the athletes.

Objective of the study was to explore special motor skills required for a group routine performance success in rhythmic gymnastics, with an emphasis on the apparatus exchange success.

Methods and structure of the study. The educational experiment was run in the period of November 2015 to April 2016. Subject to the study were Study Group (SG) and Reference Group (RG) (n=24) of high-ranking gymnasts of 16-18 years of age from the Children’s and Youth Olympic Reserve Sport School named after R. Kuznetsov, Seversk city, Tomsk Province.

To identify and rate the special motor skills in the gymnasts and factors of influence on the apparatus exchanges in the group routines, we performed a questioning survey entitled “Contributions of special skills required for success of the apparatus exchange elements in the group routines in rhythmic gymnastics”. Subject to the questioning were the coaches and high-ranking gymnasts specializing in the group routines.

In order to identify and rate the special motor skills in the gymnasts and factors of influence on the apparatus exchange quality in the group routines prior to and after the educational experiment, we completed the educational tests to rate the time intervals measuring abilities, simple motor responses, reactions to moving object and spatial orientation abilities of the athletes.

The SG training sessions included individual and group exercises to develop special motor skills in the gymnasts with an emphasis on the motor responses, spatial and temporal orientations and exchange stability improvement group practices. Individual training tools included long throws and fixed-height throws; body at-throw positioning excelling practices; and exercises with weights on hands and apparatus. The group (couple and team) training practices included exercises with weights on hands and apparatus; eyes-off exchange throws; variations in throw directions within the floor area and within the routine on the whole; exchange range limitations/ expansions; apparatus throws and catches in different positions; group routine performance without accompanying music or to different music; exchange throws on an audio signal like whistle, music, coach’s command etc; sets of fixed-count “clean exchanges” (5 out of 5, for example) [3].

In the individual training practices geared to correct the exchange throw technique, each gymnast was trained to improve accuracy/ success of the apparatus throws. The group training practices were performed by the gymnasts in groups of two, three and by the team. The training process was designed to improve the exchange throw stability and accuracy. The team exchange trainings were mostly focused on the quality of the exchange throws performed in the group routine elements, the practices being performed in part, on the whole or with some goal; plus the group routine training on the whole [1]. The team exchange training practices were applied at the exchange throw excelling and group routine excelling stages, with differently skilled gymnasts being equally involved in the process [2].

Study results and discussion. As demonstrated by the questioning survey data given hereunder in Table 1, specialists gave the top priority to the spatial parameters differentiation skills of the trainees as most important in the whole set of the coordination skills required for the exchange throws being successful.

Table 1. Prioritization of special motor skills required for successful exchange throws in the group rhythmic gymnastics routines

It is the motor reaction speed that was ranked the quality number one by importance. In the strength skills ranking, the specialists gave the higher priority to the speed-strength skills as more important for the group exchanges than the pure strength skills.

Table 2. Special motor skill test data of elite gymnasts  

Comparative analysis of the special motor skill test data (with questioning survey data) of SG versus RG, as presented in Table 2, gave the means to find significant (р<0.05) intergroup differences in the temporal and spatial repetitions of the movement parameters and motor response speeds of the gymnasts.

To rate the quality of the apparatus exchange throws and catches after the educational training, we applied a few test throw exercises where the gymnasts threw an apparatus with five ribbons that required the special skills being employed in full. The throws were performed 10 times, and only successful attempts were scored. The test data are given in Table 3 hereunder.

Table 3. Throw test success rates of SG versus RG after the educational experiment, %

The data given above in Table 3 show that the exchange throw success rates after the educational experiment being improved both in SG and RG. However, the SG success rate in the first exchange grew by 40% versus 30% in the RG; in the second exchange throw, the SG showed the success rate growth of 30% versus 20% in the RG; in the third exchange throw, the SG showed the success rate growth of 20% versus the same in the RG; and in the fourth exchange throw, it was only the SG that showed the success rate growth of 20%.

Conclusion. Training tools to develop the special temporal and spatial parameters repetition skills and improve the motor response speed in the elite gymnasts were found beneficial for the apparatus exchange success in group routines in rhythmic gymnastics.

References

1. Nesterova T.V. Tekhnika dvigatel'nykh vzaimodeystviy v gruppovykh uprazhneniyakh khudozhestvennoy gimnastiki [Movement technique in group rhythmic gymnastics exercises]. Science in the Olympic sport. Kiev: Olimpiyskaya lit. publ., 2000, no. 2, pp. 31-39.
2. Semibratova I.S. Nadezhnost' vypolneniya perebrosok predmetov v gruppovykh uprazhneniyakh khudozhestvennoy gimnastiki [Reliability of apparatus release performance in group rhythmic gymnastics exercises. PhD diss. abstr.] St. Petersburg, 2007, p. 24.
3. Semibratova I.S. Sovershenstvovanie vypolneniya perebrosok v gruppovykh uprazhneniyakh khudozhestvennoy gimnastiki [Apparatus release performance improvement in group rhythmic gymnastics exercises]. Uchenye zapiski, 2007, no. 1(23), pp. 65–66.
4. Titova A.V., Borisova V.V., Pashintsev V.G. Igra «Ringo» kak sredstvo povysheniya nadezhnosti pri vypolnenii perebrosok predmetov v gruppovykh uprazhneniyakh v khudozhestvennoy gimnastike ["Ringo" game to improve accuracy of apparatus release performance in group rhythmic gymnastics exercises]. Izvestiya Tulskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Gumanitarnyie nauki - Tula State University Bulletin. Humanities. 2014. no. 4-2. Available at: http://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/igra-ringo-kak-sredstvo-povysheniya-nad... (In Russ.)

Corresponding author: kapil@yandex.ru

Abstract

The study explores contributions of the special motor skills required for a group routine performance success in rhythmic gymnastics, with an emphasis on the apparatus exchange success. The educational experiment was run in the period of November 2015 to April 2016. Subject to the study was Study Group (SG) and Reference Group (RG) (n=24) of elite gymnasts of 16-18 years of age from the Children’s and Youth Olympic Reserve Sport School named after R. Kuznetsov, Seversk city, Tomsk Province.

To identify and rate the special motor skills in the gymnasts and factors of influence on the apparatus exchanges in the group routines, we performed a questioning survey entitled “Contributions of special skills required for success of the apparatus exchange elements in the group routines in rhythmic gymnastics”. Subject to the questioning were the coaches and high-ranking gymnasts specializing in the group routines. The study found that a set of special individual and group training tools geared to improve the ability to reproduce the spatial and temporal parameters of a movement sequence and high motor response speeds in the high-ranking gymnasts help improve the apparatus exchange success rates and, hence, the overall competitive accomplishments.