Rhythmic gymnastics with juggling pins: everything you need to know about it

Rhythmic gymnastics is a discipline that combines grace, coordination, agility and artistry. In the program, a gymnast tries to combine the beauty of the plasticity and flexibility of the body, work with the apparatus and sense of rhythm into a whole. A team of judges evaluates the routine on several criteria: complexity, execution, and artistry. What should you know about this type of rhythmic gymnastics?

General information

Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport, which consists of the performance to the music and dance exercises and elements without apparatus, as well as with the apparatus. Complex turns, pirouettes, bridges, waves, balances and other gymnastic elements are the distinctive features of this discipline. This is a perfect sport for those who like to dance, or just move to the music. Individual and group competitions are present in rhythmic gymnastics.

Rhythmic gymnastics is performed to music on a 13 x 13 meter mat. Each individual performance lasts between 75 and 90 seconds, while the group performance lasts up to 2.5 minutes. Now the sport is predominantly female, but male rhythmic gymnastics is already gaining its popularity.

On the mat a gymnast works with two clubs, their length is from 40 to 50 centimeters, each weighing 150 grams. The clubs involve the hands as much as possible. Gymnasts perform mills, rotations, circles, throws, and other hand movements while controlling the body.

Skills

Every program in rhythmic gymnastics, both individual and group, consists of three basic types of skills that are evaluated by the judges. These are body difficulty, risk, and choreography. In an individual exercise, gymnasts also demonstrate difficulty with apparatus, while in a group exercise, the interaction of the gymnasts and the exchange of apparatus during the performance of the numbers is evaluated instead.

Body difficulties are elements, having a particular value, i.e., the athlete receives a certain amount of points for performing them. These elements include balances, pivots, and jumps. The number of body difficulties performed by the athlete varies depending on the level of competition. In general, the more such elements in the program and the higher their value, the higher will be the maximum score a gymnast can receive.

Balances require a lot of flexibility and strength to assume the correct position and hold it for quite a long time. This is the only way the judges can see the form the gymnast creates with her body.

Pivots are essentially the same balances, but with rotation. As a rule, the minimum rotation is 360 degrees. It will count as one rotation. Strong gymnasts can hold their body shape or even change it by performing several rotations in a row. Like balances, twists require great flexibility and strength.

When performing jumps, flexibility is needed to create proper form, as well as strength and speed in the legs. A gymnast can push off and land with both feet, push off with one foot and land on the same foot, or on different feet – there are several options. Some jumps require preparatory steps that are called chasse. Jumps can also be with a twist.

Gymnasts must show their mastery of the apparatus. It cannot just be in the athlete’s hand, she must be able to throw, spin or twist it while performing each element.

The goal is to make the apparatus seem like an extension of the body. The dance with the apparatus should be varied, the movements should be performed in different directions. It is important to use the whole mat, to change steps, to match the tempo and theme of the music. The apparatus should be a complex part of each step.

The difficulty of the apparatus is exactly what makes rhythmic gymnastics the most difficult sport because it forces you to control your movements and the apparatus at the same time.

The apparatus difficulties also include risks – these are large throws where the gymnast takes her eyes off the apparatus, makes at least two turns (this can be somersaults, cartwheels, step paths, etc.) under the throw and then manages to be in the right place to catch the apparatus.

Juggling clubs (also referred to as pins)

Only two clubs are permitted in individual exercises. In group exercises each gymnast may have only one pair of clubs. Clubs are made of plastic or rubber (formerly gymnasts used wooden clubs). Recently it has been allowed to use clubs with velvet handles (so that they do not slip out of the hands).

The length of the club is 400-500 mm and varies depending on the athletes; the average length is 520 mm. The weight of each club is 150 grams. The clubs can be monochrome or painted in any color. Modern gymnasts often decorate clubs with special colored tape for beauty.

According to the rules of the International Federation of Gymnastics, balances prevail in exercises with jugging clubs. The main elements performed with pins are circles (large and small), mills, juggling, twirls and throws.

Evaluation

The International Federation of Gymnastics changed the technical regulations in 2001, 2003 and 2005  in order to emphasize technical elements and reduce the subjectivity of ratings. Before 2001, the evaluation was given on a 10-point scale, which was changed to a 30-point scale in 2003 and to a 20-point scale in 2005. Since 2009, a 30-point grading scale has been in effect. Three teams of judges evaluated gymnasts’ performances.

Difficulty (D) was evaluated by two subgroups of judges – D1 (2 judges, evaluating performance technique) and D2 (2 judges, evaluating apparatus technique). When counting the evaluation, the arithmetic mean of the teams D1 and D2 was taken into account: (D1+D2)/2. Artistry and choreography (A) was evaluated by 4 judges, and execution (E) was evaluated by 4 judges. They applies penalties for errors. The final score was calculated using the formula: Score = (D1+D2)/2+A+E.

Since 2013, the grade is again given on a 20-point scale. Since 2017, the preliminary filling of the so-called “cards” describing the performance by athletes (or their coaches) was abolished; now the judges do not evaluate the compliance with the declared, but calculate the results de facto. As of 2018, the limit (10 points) on difficulty scores has been removed, allowing leading gymnasts (or groups) to score over 14 points.

Training

The structure of the club training consists of a unity of different steps. The first cycle consists of single, simple exercises, such as parallel and sequential, small and large apparatus throws, large, medium and small circles, mills and “snails.”

The second cycle complicates the tasks of the first cycle. For instance, the throws of the apparatus are performed with one hand, and circles are made with the other hand, different kinds of circles (small, medium, large) are combined alternately and sequentially, mills are combined with small throws.

The third cycle is based on the mastering two previous techniques and is intended for consideration of the most complex type of movements – juggling. Juggling is performed when the athlete is standing, in various saddles and in pairs.

All in all, rhythmic gymnastics with juggling clubs is by far one of the most difficult types of gymnastics. Yet, it is an official Olympic discipline that fascinates and amuses many people from different countries.