Acrosport Info by Aislynn Mc Hugh
Acrosport / Acrobatic Gymnastics/ Sports Acrobatics:
Acrobatic Gymnastics shows a combination of the beauty of dance and acrobatics. Gymnastics skills add excitement to the exercises.
Acrobatic balances show grace, strength and flexibility. This sport is a partner sport requiring athletes of all ages, shapes, and sizes.
Routines are performed as: women’s pairs, men’s pairs, mixed pairs, women’s trios and men’s fours.
Pairs are made up of a base and a top. Women's groups are comprised of a base, a middle, and a top partner and men's groups have a base two middle and one top partner.
Bases are generally older athletes that display strength and balance. Tops are generally younger athletes and display flexibility and agility. Middles are often required to show a combination of all attributes.
A Glossary of Acrobatic Gymnastics Terms:
Aerial: A stunt in which the gymnast turns completely over in the air without touching the apparatus with his or her hands.
Apparatus: One of the various pieces of equipment used in gymnastics competitions.
Arch Position: The body is curved backwards.
Base partner: It is acceptable for partners to change position during the exercise.
Composition: The structure of a gymnastics routine. Each individual movement or skill is a building block; the arrangement of the moves in the exercise is called the composition of the routine.
Dismount: To leave an apparatus at the end of a routine; usually done with a difficult twist or salto.
Double Support: Two partners support top from equal base positions.
Execution: The performance of a routine. Form, style, and technique used to complete the skills constitute the level of execution of an exercise. Bent knees, poor toe point and an arched or loosely-held body position are all examples of poor execution.
Flexibility: The range of motion through which a body part can move without feeling pain.
Routine: A combination of stunts displaying a full range of skills on one apparatus.
Salto Flip or somersault:, with the feet coming up over the head and the body rotating around the axis of the waist.
Sequence: Two or more positions or skills which are performed together creating a different skill or activity.
Transition: Movement of partner or partners in a group element from one fixed position to another without dismounting.