Do partners influence each other during assisted flights from acrobatic gymnastics?

Abstract

In Acrobatic Gymnastics, base and top gymnasts collaborate to perform partner-assisted flight. According to the literature, individuals engaged in pair/group tasks influence each other's movements to achieve a common goal. This study investigates similarity, time delay and relationship between base and top movements. It also examines distinct time frames-the motion until take-off versus until the end of the rotation, task difficulty and experience level. Eleven pairs performed two pair tasks in laboratory settings and were divided into less and more experienced groups. Cross-correlation (to assess movement similarity and time delay) and Granger causality (to evaluate mutual influence) were applied to the resultant centre of mass position of both gymnasts. The effects of time frame, task difficulty and experience level were analysed. Cross-correlation results show very high correlation coefficients (.98), with no effects from experience and task difficulty. Granger causality results indicate variations in predictive behaviour across conditions, particularly concerning the time frame and the effect of the task for the top gymnast, but did not provide evidence of causality. In conclusion, gymnasts perform highly similar and synchronised motion, with no clear evidence of direct influence, regardless of task difficulty or experience level.