Acrobatic gymnastics

Acrobatics have a long history dating back thousands of years across the world and appeared in festivals, early circuses, and later vaudeville acts as a form of entertainment. The first use of acrobatics as a specific sport was in the Soviet Union in the 1930s, though its development was interrupted by the World War II. The first competition, for men only, was held in 1939, with a women's event being added the next year. In 1957, the first international competition was held between the Soviet Union, Poland, Bulgaria, and East Germany. The federation dissolved in 1998, and acrobatic gymnastics was from then on governed by the FIG. It was originally called sports acrobatics but has been known as acrobatic gymnastics since 2007. In the United States, the first national sports acrobatics organization was called the United States Sports Acrobatics Federation (USSAF). Founded in 1975, its name was changed to the United States Sports Acrobatics (USSA) in the 1990s. The USSA then merged with USA Gymnastics in 2002, and acrobatic gymnastics is now a discipline therein. == Competitions ==

Acrobatic gymnastics is part of the World Games, and it is also included in the European Games as well as having a dedicated Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships held in even numbered years (known as World Sports Acrobatics Championships prior to 2006), and continental or region championships in odd numbered years. For example, the 28th Acrobatic Gymnastics European Championships were held in Rzeszów, Poland, in October 2017. There are also numerous national, state, and regional competitions that are held in each country. Local and regional competitions often form the qualification stages required to compete at national championships. There is no requirement from the FIG for gymnasts to have qualified through their own national championships to compete internationally, but local governing bodies will often make their national team selections based on performance at national competition. At the London 2012 Olympics, acrobatic partnerships were seen performing before the Olympic gymnastics' events, and during the opening and closing ceremonies. Gold, silver, and bronze medals are generally awarded in the usual fashion, although in some competitions, a minimum score is required to qualify for medals. The FIG defines four age groups for competitions, with gymnasts in the younger age categories performing more limited routines than those in older ones: • Pre-Youth (11–16 years old) – the FIG does not organize Pre-Youth competitions, but continental or national gymnastics organizations may do so to encourage the development of acrobatic gymnastics • Youth (12–18) • Juniors (13–19) • Seniors (15 years or older) Gymnasts may only participate in one level and unit (pair or group) at a competition. == Routines ==

The number of required routines at a competition depends on the level at which the gymnasts are competing. At the junior and senior levels, all three routines mentioned below are required. At lower age levels, only a single simpler routine is required. Each of the routine types has a different emphasis, but all include tumbling and dance as elements. The different routine types are as follows: • Balance (formerly known as Static) – A balance routine requires that certain poses or 'balances' and must be held static for a specific duration. These moves require strength, poise, elegance and flexibility. Gymnasts will combine into towers, or pyramids with the tops holding a particular position balanced on their bases. Traditionally, balance routines were often performed to slower music, but not exclusively so. Balance routines last approximately two minutes and forty seconds. • Dynamic (formerly known as Tempo) – These routines demonstrate power, strength and grace through the performance of acrobatic moves that involve the phases of spring, flight, rotation, and landing. This often involves the base, or bases in the partnership propelling the top through the air and through a series of somersaults or twists. The top is generally caught or supported in the landing by their base(s). Dynamic routines last approximately two minutes. • Combined – At the more senior levels of competition (11–19 through senior levels), a third routine must be performed that combines both balance and dynamic moves, along with the usual tumbling and dance (tumbling is not required from senior level athletes). Typically, it is performed as a final's routine, with a duration, depending upon the level of competition, of approximately 2 minutes and 30 seconds. As in artistic gymnastics, compulsory routines, consisting of a prescribed sequence of elements, were previously required along with optional routines, consisting of elements chosen by the gymnasts and their coaches, although this is no longer the case at the highest level of the sport. == Scoring ==

Code of Points The final score of a routine is the sum of the difficulty, execution, and artistry scores, minus any additional penalties incurred. For seniors, the difficulty score is open-ended with no maximum, while the execution and artistry scores have a starting value of 10 points and are lowered for specific mistakes made by the gymnasts. Emphasis is put on the execution score, which is doubled to provide the final score. == Judging ==

The judging panels of acrobatic gymnastics are similar to other disciplines of gymnastics where different panels of judges are overseen by a head judge, and each panel has a 'Chair of the Judging Panel' (CJP) who oversees that panel's activities. In acrobatic gymnastics, there are then difficulty judges (DJ) who only assess the difficulty of the elements in the routines; artistic judges (AJ) who only assess the performance and artistic merits of the routine; and execution judges (EJ) who only judge what points should be deducted based on imperfect execution of individual elements in the routine. == Safety ==

Gymnasts train new elements with plenty of safety mats as well as safety harnesses, which are also called spotting belts. Gymnasiums must have a high ceiling to make sure gymnasts at the top of pyramids or being thrown high in the air do not hit the ceiling. Ligament injuries are common, though one study found a sex difference, with female gymnasts most frequently having ligament injuries while male gymnasts were most likely to have tendon injuries. == See also ==