Associate Professor, PhD V.V. Borisova¹
Associate Professor, PhD A.V. Titova¹
Associate Professor, PhD T.A. Shestakova^1
1Tula State Lev Tolstoy Pedagogical University, Tula

The study analyzes, from the viewpoint of the modern ‘movement culture’, a special footwork training method for junior (11-12 year-old) rhythmic gymnasts; and provides an insight into the new method with elements of classical choreography and special points practices geared to excel the footwork and improve the gymnasts’ physical fitness rates on the whole. Benefits of the new training model were tested by a few experiments at Triumph Sport School in Tula city. Sampled for the model testing experiment were 24 junior gymnasts split up into Reference Group (n=12) trained by A.V. Titova as required by the standard training program and Experimental Group (n=12) trained by T.O. Shinko using the new method; with the both groups trained 5 times a week for 2 hours and 15 minutes. The special footwork excelling method for junior gymnasts was found beneficial as verified by the Experimental versus Reference Group progress in the foot rotation angles, half-points lift rates, half-points balancing skill indices, one-leg balancing and dancing skills with the foot rotation angle and lift rate being maintained, overall footwork quality etc..

Keywords: movement culture, rhythmic gymnastics, special footwork training method, educational experiment, classical exercises, footwork quality rates.

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