Developing Social Skills Through Rhythmic Gymnastics in American sport

The research is aimed at substantiation of the role of rhythmic gymnastics in development of athletes’ social skills in the context of American sports academy. The study focuses on the achievement of the following tasks: description of the advantages of rhythmic gymnastics as a sport discipline; outlining social skills that are developed through rhythmic gymnastics; explaining internal and external factors influencing the development of social skills through rhythmic gymnastics; evaluation of technologies/teaching methods/techniques used to develop social skills through rhythmic gymnastics. To investigate the development of social skills through gymnastics, the mixed-methods case study research was applied. The sample involved three groups of participants: pupils of Vitrychenko Gymnastics Academy (Illinois, USA); coaches and instructors; and parents of young athletes. The findings showed that rhythmic gymnastics enhances not only physical strength but also various social skills. They include: discipline, time management, responsibility, teamwork, communication, networking, patience, leadership, social confidence, and adaptability. the special attention was paid towards the factors influencing the development of social skills through rhythmic gymnastics. It was found that they can be divided into internal and external ones. Internal factors refer to personal motivation, self-confidence, emotional intelligence, self-discipline, adaptability, cognitive development, personal values, and previous experiences. External factors concern coaching style, team dynamics, parental support, competition environment, peer influence, institutional support, and constructive feedback. The methodology in gymnastics was described in details. On the basis of coaches’ preferences, training programs, and classroom observations it was found that team-buildings exercise, demonstration, role-playing, video analysis, peer coaching, group discussion, virtual competition, online learning, VR-based exercises, gamification, and digital mentorship are widely used to develop social skills through rhythmic gymnastics. The results can be implied to recognize the social benefits of rhythmic gymnastics and to development of more efficient curriculum to enhance pupils’ social competencies as well as academic achievements.