A Series: The Four Senior Level Apparatus: Hoop

The hoop is likely the most versatile apparatus of the four because it can be manipulated in so many different ways. Due to its versatile nature, there is no single body movement that judges look for specifically in hoop routines. Gymnasts can roll, toss, swing, spin, and pass through/over the hoop. Therefore, hoop routines can be vastly different from gymnast to gymnast depending on their particular strengths.

Margarita Mamun - Hoop - 2015 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships - Event Finals

In competition, hoop is often the exercise that gymnasts use to make up for other apparatus where they may be somewhat lacking because it is so customizable. So, for example, if a gymnast does not have optimal balance, they will struggle in a clubs exercise. However, in a hoop exercise, they can opt to include more jumps or acrobatics, like a switch leap or a back walkover in which they toss the hoop in the air with their foot as they walk over their hands and then return to an upright position to catch it. The hoop allows gymnasts to bypass elements that they may be weaker at.

That being said, judges do look for the gymnasts to have high throws and complex mechanisms for catching the hoop. So, like with most other apparatus, the judges prefer the contestants to use parts of their body other than their hands to manipulate the hoop whenever possible, hence why a gymnast would opt to use her foot to toss the hoop in a walk-over, instead of her hand. Judges also like to see unconventional tosses that show a gymnast’s dexterity.

For example, a gymnast might perform another variation of a walk-over in which they hold the hoop between their top of their back and their rear, and then, as they begin to walk forward over their hands into an inverted position, hook one leg through the hoop. While still in the handstand, the gymnast can do the splits, and move the hoop down their body so that they can pick it up as they return to an upright position. Gymnasts also might add difficulty by doing “blind” tosses or handling the hoop with their non-dominant hand. A “blind” toss is when a gymnast tosses the hoop behind them and has to then catch it without being able to see where it will land.

The potential to earn more points in a routine increases as the difficulty score increases. The way to increase the difficulty score on a routine is by adding more elements that have a higher level of difficulty. However, A gymnast’s total score is the combined value of their difficulty score in addition to their execution score. So, both are important. Execution has to do more with the artistic components of the routine, use of space, and correlation between music and movement. Difficulty focuses on apparatus mastery, body difficulty (jumps, leaps and balances), and dance step combinations (pivots and other balletic steps).

The difficulty score is determined by a panel of four judges, and the execution is determined by a panel of five. For the difficulty, the highest and lowest scores are dropped, and then the average of the two middle scores is taken to calculate the gymnast’s score. For execution, the highest and lowest scores are also dropped, and the middle three scores are averaged to calculate the gymnast’s score. For both categories, the highest score a gymnast can receive is ten, so the final score is out of 20.

The required diameter for a hoop in competition is between 80-90 cm. Therefore, the hoop is the right size for the gymnast to fit on or around virtually every part of their body. They can roll it along their shoulders, arms, legs, back, etc. or spin it around any of their limbs, neck, or torso. While in a balance, gymnasts can swing the hoop around them any which way. All of these possibilities can lead to some very interesting and unique combinations, especially in group exercises.

In international competitions, the FIG, Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique, mandates which combination of apparatus will be used in group routines. Almost always, they mandate an exercise consisting of four hoops for a five-person team. The group exercises consisting of all hoops are particularly entertaining because gymnasts are constantly launching the hoops into the air throughout the entire routine.

ESPRIT - Senior Group - 2nd All Around - Hoops Routine - Rhythmic Championships 2017