What is twirling?

To twirl means to make something go round. This term defines a branch of sport-gym which has the peculiarity in using a small rod, graciously moving on a musical basis.

Harmony is the main caracteristic of twirling in al its specialities, either in individual (obbligatory figures and free style) or in group excersises (duet, team and group).

The learning of the specific technique of our sport is the companion of the improvement of the phisic and psicologic of the athletes. It is basic to improve these caracteristics. They can be define as follow:

• Physical : articular ease, coordination and sense of balance, muscular strength, endurance, rythm and fastness;
• Organic : heart and blood circulation, breath and motion capacity;
• Psicological : willness and courage.

The physical qualities are fastly reached through the acquisition of the movements in the rhytmic gym and artistic and through the dance.

Twirling is a complete sport as it is necessary a whole preparation in very various fields.

One of the fundamental aspect of our discipline in the use of music, each movement of the baton-twirl ond of the body must underline music. At the highest levels we can speak of visual music , in the sense that the athlet manage to transmit the sense and the feeling of the musical piece she or he choosed so well that the public can see music.

It is absolutely necessary that twirling athlets have the sense of rhythm and know how to adapt their movements to the music.

Last but not least, it is important to underline the aspects of the pedagogical formation, which it is, as in every sport, the very true goal to reach.

The practice of such an activity teaches the girls and boys how to organise their time, they learn to observe a series of rules from the frequence of the trainings to the rules of the society they are affiliate to, the respect of the eldest, but more than all they learn to stay together, each of them having its own responsability. They grow with a sane sense of competitivity, that comes out during the competition and at last, that is really important, they learn to accept any judgement, even a negative one.