Acrobatic Gymnastics

Acrobatic Gymnastics is the oldest discipline within the gymnastic family. It was practiced by the ancient Egyptians.

It initially became a competitive sport in the Soviet Union and the first World Championships were held in 1974. Acrobatic Gymnastics combines the lifts and throws performed by the mixed pairs in figure skating, with the elements of flight presented in Trampoline and individual elements of the Artistic Gymnastics floor event.

As in all gymnastic disciplines, one can observe incredible skills performed with technical excellence.

Acrobatic Gymnastics is special because it is the only discipline that does not require the use of apparatus. Instead, gymnasts use each other to perform complicated elements. The trust and teamwork required by the gymnasts creates a special quality that is obvious even at the beginning levels.

All exercises are choreographed to music, so gymnasts must learn to use dance to connect the elements of difficulty in creative ways.

The Artistic Presentation is a very important part of every routine. It is the responsibility of the gymnasts to deliver a presentation that connects with the judges and the audience.

Age groups used at UPAG

The Age Groups used at UPAG are as follows:

11 – 16 years old
12 – 18 years old
13 – 19 years (juveniles)
15 years and older (adults)

Difficulty is strictly limited in the 11-16, 12-18 and 13-19 age groups.

In the 11-16 age group, most of the skills are chosen from mandatory items.

For groups 12-18 and 13-19, the rules are similar to the FIG rules for Adults. However, the difficulty and type of elements is restricted.

Categories of Acrobatic Gymnastics

There are 5:

Mixed Couples
Female Couples
Male Couples
Female Groups (3)
Male Groups (4)

General requirements of Acrobatic Gymnastics routines

Partnership among peers

In each partnership in pairs there is a partner, who is the base and stays on the ground, and a partner, called a top or agile, who works on the base partner.

In each association in the groups, one or two partners remain on the ground and are the base, another partner is the top or agile and one or two partners are the middle, who connect the base with the top or agile.

Types of elements

There are two different types of skills used in Acrobatic Gymnastics: balance elements and dynamic elements (elements with flight). These elements are chosen from the FIG Acrobatic Gymnastics Difficulty Tables.

For the 11-16 group, there are only 2 routines, one Balance and one Dynamic.
For the 12-18, 13-19 and Adult groups, 3 routines are presented: Balance and Dynamics, plus a Combined routine that includes elements of Balance and Dynamics. This Combined routine is used as a finale in most competitions.

The characteristic of balancing elements is that partners must remain connected throughout the element. The base and the agile are allowed to make movements, as long as they maintain contact. The final position should be a static hold of 3 seconds.

The characteristic of a dynamic element is the opposite of balance. Partners must have separation or show flight during the element.

All routines at any level require choreography with music that connects the elements of difficulty using dance.

Apparatus in Acrobatic Gymnastics

The only apparatus used is the same practicable apparatus on which the Artistic Gymnastics Floor exercises are performed.

At beginner levels, exercises can be performed on a line of mats.

Other than that, the apparatus used is “human”, i.e. the gymnast’s own partner.

Evaluation of routines

Routines are evaluated on Execution, Artistic Presentation and Difficulty.

Composition of the panel of judges

The full Judges Panels for the world level competitions are composed as follows:

Core competencies of UPAG

The competitions organized by UPAG are: Pan American Youth and Adult Championships, Pan American Club Cups for age groups, as well as playing an important role in the organization of gymnastics in Multi-sport Games such as the Pan American Games.

The Pan American Championships are held every year and are sometimes part of the qualifying process for other events such as the Pan American Games or Junior Pan American Games.

Disciplines