Circles on pommel horse with a suspended aid: influence of expertise

In the third study of this series, we examined how circles with a suspended aid would vary depending of the gymnast's level of expertise. We analysed circles with the aid performed by three groups of eight gymnasts: expert, intermediate, and developing groups. The gymnasts for the expert and intermediate groups were selected from the previous studies based on judges' evaluation of their non-aid circles. The developing group of eight gymnasts, who were unable to perform circles on pommel horse without an aid, were added to this study and performed three sets of 10 circles on the pommel horse with the aid. Discriminative biomechanical variables identified in the previous two studies were used to compare circles with the aid among the three groups. As a result, the expert group demonstrated a larger pommel reaction force and a smaller aid reaction force than the other two groups, implying that they were less dependent on the aid. The smaller aid reaction force resulted in a smaller net hip joint moment. Furthermore, the expert group showed a shorter total duration and a greater shoulder excursion. In summary, the suspended aid can be used in a progressive manner depending on the gymnast's level of expertise.