Clubs Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Club (magazine), ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands a ...

The clubs are an apparatus used in the sport of

rhythmic gymnastics Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which gymnasts perform individually or in groups on a floor with an apparatus: hoop (rhythmic gymnastics), hoop, ball (rhythmic gymnastics), ball, Clubs (rhythmic gymnastics), clubs, ribbon (rhythmic gymnastics), ...

. They are one of the five apparatuses utilized in this discipline, alongside the

ball A ball is a round object (usually spherical, but sometimes ovoid) with several uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used for s ...

, hoop,

ribbon A ribbon or riband is a thin band of material, typically cloth but also plastic or sometimes metal, used primarily as decorative binding and tying. Cloth ribbons are made of natural materials such as silk, cotton, and jute and of synthetic mate ...

, and

rope A rope is a group of yarns, Plying, plies, fibres, or strands that are plying, twisted or braided together into a larger and stronger form. Ropes have high tensile strength and can be used for dragging and lifting. Rope is thicker and stronger ...

History

Georges Demenÿ Georges Demenÿ (12 June 1850 in Douai – 26 October 1917 in Paris) was a French inventor, chronophotographer, filmmaker, gymnast and physical fitness Physical fitness is a state of health and well-being and, more specifically, the abilit ...

introduced wooden sticks with balls on the end for use in his exercises. At the same time,

Indian clubs Indian clubs, known in Iran as meels (), are a type of exercise equipment used to present resistance in movement to develop strength and mobility. They consist of juggling-club shaped wooden clubs of varying sizes and weights, which are swung in ...

became popular equipment in Western gymnastics. Early clubs varied in shape from wires with balls on the ends to clubs more similar to

juggling clubs Juggling clubs are a object manipulation, prop used by Toss juggling, jugglers. Juggling clubs are often simply called clubs by jugglers and sometimes are referred to as pins or batons by non-jugglers. Clubs are one of the three most popular ...

. Over time, the clubs became lighter and thinner with a smaller and more defined head. In 1928, they were first used in competition in Hungary, and at the 1938 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, a group clubs routine was included as an event. They were used in the team portable apparatus competitions for women at both the

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, ...

and

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan after 57 years. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, E ...

Olympics before the event was discontinued. Clubs became an official rhythmic gymnastics apparatus in 1973. From 2001-2012, each apparatus had a compulsory body group of movements that had to predominate in the exercise; for clubs, this was balance elements.

Specifications and technique

Clubs may be made of wood or of synthetic materials. They may be of any colors and may be decorated. The official specifications for the clubs are as follows: * Length: 400-500 mm * Weight: At least 150g The clubs can be joined together with the small end of one club inserted into the head of the other. While the gymnast may grip the clubs in any way or work with both clubs held in one hand, during the exercise, the clubs should primarily be held by the small end with one in either hand. The need to use the clubs with both hands at the same time and perform asymmetrical movements with them is the main difficulty of the apparatus. They are also more difficult to catch after a throw than the other apparatuses because their rotational planes are unstable.

Elements

Gymnasts perform a variety of elements with the clubs, including throwing one or both clubs into the air, balancing a club on a small part of the body or on the other club, and moving the clubs in circles. The elements that are considered to be particular to the clubs are: * Mills: Swinging the head of the clubs in small circles a number of times, with one circle delayed behind the other, alternating between crossed and uncrossed hands each time * Rotations: ** Freely rotating one or both clubs around a body part or the other club ** Tapping the clubs against each other or the floor ** Sliding the club over at least two large body segments (e.g. along both arms) * Small throw and catch of both clubs with at least one full circle of rotation in the air, either simultaneous or alternating * Small throw with the clubs connected to each other * Asymmetric movements of the two clubs * Rolling the clubs over the body or the floor * Small circles of each club, either simultaneous or alternating * A series of at least three small circles with one club

Photo gallery

File:Incheon AsianGames Gymnastics Rhythmic 02.jpg, Balancing both clubs on top of the head ( Son Yeon Jae) File:Oksana Kostina, Corbeil-Essonnes, France.jpg, Throwing one club (

Oksana Kostina Oksana Alexandrovna Kostina (; 15 April 1972 – 11 February 1993) was a Russian individual rhythmic gymnast. She was the 1992 World All-around champion and 1992 European All-around bronze medalist. Career For years, Kostina remained in ...

) File:2018-10-16 Gymnastics at 2018 Summer Youth Olympics – Rhythmic Gymnastics - Clubs final (Martin Rulsch) 180.jpg, Holding connected clubs with one foot during a walkover (

Yulia Vodopyanova Yulia Vodopyanova (born 4 April 2003) is an Armenian rhythmic gymnast. She represented her country at the 2018 Youth Olympics. Career Junior Yulia debuted at the 2016 European Championships in Holon where she was 7th in teams, 7th with r ...

) File:Natalia Gaudio 2016 Olympics Test Event 5.jpg, Mills ( Natália Gaudio) File:2018-10-16 Gymnastics at 2018 Summer Youth Olympics – Rhythmic Gymnastics - Clubs final (Martin Rulsch) 162.jpg, Using one club to catch the other against the floor ( Khrystyna Pohranychna)

References

External links

{{Commons category, Clubs (rhythmic gymnastics)