Study on approaching the compositional criterion in group rhythmic gymnastics for junior representative teams

Abstract. The increased level of sports performance in rhythmic gymnastics due to fiercer and better and better organised competitions is obvious for any critic. National and international sports bodies and public opinion stimulated by media coverage eager for sensational have created an obsession with the prioritisation of values. Obtaining exceptional results, medals, points and titles, with all the deriving moral effects of pride but especially related to material aspects, is of interest to both athletes and the countries represented by sports delegations in official international competitions. Competition analysis provides highly valuable information on the level reached in terms of qualitative and quantitative gains and the impact of regulations on a team’s performance at a certain time in relation to the ideal model imposed by the requirements of the FIG Code of Points. Romania’s position in the team ranking for the group event in two major competitions generated a number of questions that formed the core of the current study. In this context, we aimed to perform an objective analysis of the way in which coaches approached the compositional criterion in designing the competition routines and identify possibly strategic elements that made the difference in team ranking. The study was conducted on the first 8 junior teams ranked at the 2019 European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships (Baku) and the 2019 Rhythmic Gymnastics Junior World Championships (Moscow). Video analysis allowed us to identify the vectors that directly or indirectly influenced the mechanisms involved in the creation of compositions for the group event.