Longitudinal Study of Individual Exercises in Elite Rhythmic Gymnastics

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Biomechanics
• Performance Analysis

Background:

• Rhythmic gymnastics performance is influenced by evolving rules.
• The Code of Points (CoP) dictates exercise content and changes cyclically.
• Understanding rule impacts is crucial for athlete and coach strategy.

Purpose of the Study:

• Analyze the evolution of technical elements and final scores in rhythmic gymnastics over two decades.
• Assess the impact of Code of Points changes on these metrics across apparatus.
• Examine the relationship between technical elements and final scores post-rule changes.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 416 rhythmic gymnastics exercises from 13 World Championships.
• Data collection included Code of Points, apparatus, technical elements, and final scores.
• Linear mixed-effects models were employed to evaluate trends and impacts.

Main Results:

• Technical elements increased across all apparatus (7.4-20% per decade).
• Final scores showed varied evolution (-6.3% to 14% per decade) with apparatus-specific responses to rule changes.
• Rule changes generally led to decreased final scores, particularly in rope, clubs, and ribbon.

Conclusions:

• Code of Points changes significantly impact rhythmic gymnastics performance metrics.
• Apparatus-specific effects on element count and score relationships were observed.
• Rule modifications often result in a negative effect on overall final scores, necessitating strategic adaptation.