Aerobic Gymnastics

Introduction

Aerobic Gymnastics is a competitive discipline of gymnastics in which gymnasts execute routines to music that show dynamic strength, flexibility, jumping ability and balance.

History of Aerobic Gymnastics

The term "Aerobic" was coined in 1875 when Louis Pasteur (French chemist and microbiologist) discovered that some "aerobic" bacteria required oxygen to survive. During the 1960s, an American doctor named Ken Cooper developed "Aerobic Exercises" series to combat heart diseases.

In the 1970s, Ken Cooper's methods were popularized by people worldwide in a series of exercise videos featuring the movie star “Jane Fonda” (American actress, activist, and former fashion model). Aerobic exercise became part of a worldwide fitness trend during the 1980s, and exercise competitions featuring spandex-clad competitors performing breathtaking routines and flexing their muscles had also gained much popularity amongst people.

The final fusion of Aerobics with Gymnastics had started on October 30, 1993, when affiliated federations officially asked the FIG Executive Committee to introduce aerobics as a discipline in the FIG competition program. The following year, at the FIG Congress in Geneva (SUI), FIG President Yuri Titov (RUS) invited delegates to accept the establishment of an Aerobic Sports Commission and the organization of the 1995 World Championships.

On March 14, 1995, the first judge and coach course in Aerobics was held in Switzerland. The same year, in December, the first FIG Aerobic World Championships was held at the Stade de Coubertin (Indoor Arena) in Paris. Competitors from Brazil dominated the competition, winning three of the four titles, and seven other nations won the medals.

In 1996, the FIG officially recognized Aerobic Gymnastics as a FIG discipline and it has continued to evolve as a sport in the recent years. The discipline is prevalent in Asia and is practiced by several university teams.

Events

There are 6 different event categories in Aerobic Gymnastics that if a participant wants to compete can select a category that suits them. The categories are as follows -

1. Individual Women, Individual Men

2. Mixed Pairs

3. Trio (any combination of males/females)

4. Groups of 5 (any combination of males/females)

5. Aerobic Dance (8 – any combination)

6. Aerobic Step (8 – any combination)

Equipment

Aerobic Gymnastics - Shoes

Gymnasts wear flexible and cushioned shoes that offer support and shock absorption.

Aerobic Gymnastics - Clothing

Women wear a one-piece leotard and skin-colored tights and men wear one or two piece stretchy costume.

Techniques

An Aerobic Gymnastics routine is a creative combination of “Basic Steps” and “Elements”. It interprets a piece of fast paced, upbeat music through movement.

The 7 Basic Steps

The 7 Basic Steps an Aerobic Gymnastics routine must include are listed below -

1. March

• Leg bends in front of body with Hip and knee flexion.
• Ankle shows clear movement, toe-ball-heel (e.g., v-step, grapevine, step touch, heel dig)
• Total movement is upwards, not downwards.
• Upper body is erect with neutral spine, natural alignment.
• Upper body shows core strength, no co-movement upwards, downwards or forwards-backwards.
• Amplitude: From neutral position to full plantar flexion of ankle, 30-40 degree flexion in hip and knee

2. Jog

• Lower leg is lifted maximally backwards to the gluteus.
• Neutral hip or slight hip flexion or extension (+/- 10°).
• Knee flexion (e.g., circular, backward)
• Ankle shows plantar flexion at top position.
• Feet show controlled movement, landing toe-ball-heel.
• Upper body is erect with neutral spine, natural alignment.
• Amplitude: Neutral position to 0-10° hip extension, 110-130° knee flexion, full plantar flexion

3. Skip

• Skip starts as a jog with hip extension, knee flexion and heel backwards to the gluteus to set off a low kick with hip flexion of 30-45 degree and full knee extension to 0 degree. (e.g., front, side, traveling)
• Movement is seen in both hip and knee.
• Muscle control is shown through all of the movement. Lower leg is stopped by the quadriceps.
• Upper body stays erect with neutral spine, natural alignment.
• Amplitude: From neutral hip to 30-45 degree flexion, from full knee flexion to complete extension

4. Lunge

• Legs/feet start together or shoulder width apart, no outward rotation at hip. One leg is extended (without locking the knee) backwards in the sagittal plane.
• Heels are lowered with control.
• Feet stay in sagittal plane. Whole body moves (side to side) as a unit.
• Low impact: Body slightly forward (front leg is weight bearing) forming straight line from neck to heel.
• High impact: Legs are hopping, alternating, in the sagittal plane in a cross-country skiing motion.
• Amplitude: Approx. 2-3 feet apart in sagittal plane. (Lunge variations = different amplitudes).

5. Jack

• A hop out and in with legs bending. Natural outwards rotation in hip joint.
• Landing is with feet further than shoulder width apart, knees and feet point outwards.
• Controlled but powerful take- off and landing. Precise and controlled movement of ankle and foot – toe-ball-heel action.
• Hopping in: Feet/heels together, toes point forward (preferred) or outward.
• Upper body is erect with neutral spine, natural alignment.
• Amplitude: From neutral position to approximately shoulder width plus 2 foot lengths apart with 25-45 degree flexion in hip/knees (more if in super low or low with grand plié position) Jack abduction of the hips (e.g., cross jack, sideways moving)

6. Knee lift

• Working leg shows a high degree of flexion in hip and knee, minimum 90° flexion in both joints. (e.g., cross, front, side)
• When thigh of moving leg is at the top position, the lower leg is vertical, with ankle plantar flexion.
• Elevated Ankle can be dorsal or plantar flexed but muscle control must show.
• Standing leg is straight, maximum knee/hip flexion is approximately 10 degree.
• Upper body stays erect with neutral spine, natural alignment.
• Amplitude: From neutral position to minimum 90 degree flexion in hip and knee of working leg.

7. Kick

• Straight leg high kick, minimum amplitude: heel at shoulder height, approximately 145°.
• Only movement is hip flexion. Leg is straight – knee joint is showing no movement.
• Ankle is plantar flexed throughout movement.
• Standing leg stays straight, maximum knee/hip flexion approximately 10°.
• Upper body stays erect with neutral spine, natural alignment.
• Amplitude: From neutral position to 150-180 degree hip flexion in working leg. Knee shows full extension throughout movement.

All the steps can be done with high or low impact, (bounce or no-bounce) with infinite options for arm movements. The movements should be on-beat and should interpret the music. It is easiest to group basic step combinations into 8 count sequences.

A routine may also include optional dance steps like:

• Chasse

It is one of the series of gliding steps in ballet in which the same foot always leads the three consecutive dance steps, two fast and one slow, to four beats of music.

• Charleston

Charleston dance was highly popular in the 1920s and frequently revived. Characterized by its toes-in, heels-out twisting steps, it was performed as solo, with a partner, or in a group.

• Mambo

The Mambo dance that resembles form consists mostly of forward and backward movements. The basis of the dance is done with rock steps, side steps and occasionally has points, kicks, and flicks of the feet.

The other form of dance steps also takes place such as the pendulum, pony etc.

Difficulty Elements

A proper Aerobic routine must also include “Difficulty Elements” which are the gymnastics-based skills.

Note – The Aerobic Gymnastics also allows tumbling or acrobatic elements; however, it prohibits held inversions or any hyper-extension of the back (i.e. bridges, ring leaps/jump). For safety and to maintain the Aerobic style, the back should be in a “neutral spine” position at all times during the Elements and dance of the routine.

There are four Aerobic Difficulty Element Groups and a routine must include at least one Element from each group. The Element Groups are:

• GROUP A (Dynamic Strength): pushup, straddle pushups, triceps pushups, hinge pushups, explosive pushups, free fall, leg circles
• GROUP B (Static Strength): supports held for 2 seconds (V support, straddle support, L support, Lever, Planche)
• GROUP C (Jumps and Leaps): Split Leap, tuck, straddle, pike, jump full turn
• GROUP D (Flexibility and Balance/Turns): vertical splits, frontal splits, pancake, full pirouette, illusions

Performance Area

The performance area is 7 x 7 m sprung wooden floor area (for individuals) and a slightly larger 10 x 10 m area for Mixed Pairs, Trios and the Groups.

Competition

Athletes perform 1 minute 30 seconds with a tolerance of +/- 5 seconds for all competitions. They perform choreography to an energetic music that they have chosen. In this the athletes perform 12 elements with proper synchronized start and end of choreography and music. The athletes need to make sure that they cover the entire performance area by moving rhythmically.

Scoring

Gymnasts are scored based on the difficulty of the moves, artistic merit and the execution. The total of all the three scores determines the winner of the event.

Officials

Judges

A panel of nine judges evaluate each routine performed by the athletes and give scores. The panel is usually broken down into “D” panel (Difficulty) including 2 judges, “E” panel (Execution) with 5 judges and “R” panel (Reference) including 2 judges to score each aspect of the performance.

Artistic Judges

Artistic judges assess the artistic merits and faults in the routine performed.

Chair of judges’ panel

Responsible for overseeing the panel’s activities and making point deductions in case of mistakes like using prohibited moves, etc.

Difficulty Judges

Difficulty judges assess the difficulty of the movements performed in the routine.

Execution Judges

Execution judges deduct points based on the technical imperfections in the execution of the routine.

Penalties

Penalties are imposed on athletes for making following rule infractions-

• A contestant receives one warning only, and irrespective of the category, the second warning will result in immediate disqualification. 
• Disciplinary penalties a warning or disqualification is declared following the Code of Points section on disciplinary penalties.

 

DISCIPLINARY PENALTIES:  

• Presence in prohibited area
• Improper behavior/manners 
• National tracksuit not being worn (opening/closing ceremonies)
• Competition attire is not being worn at the medal award ceremony.

 

Disqualification:  

Walk-over 
Serious breach of the FIG Statutes, TR, or COP