Analysis and trends of development of sports aerobics

Aim. The article aims to determine the balance of power in sports aerobics in various competitions and to shape approaches to training highly skilled athletes of the Russian national sports aerobics team. Materials and methods. The following methods were used in the study: the analysis of scientific and methodical literature, analysis of video materials (7 videos of Russian Championships, 112 finals of European Championships in 2015, 2017, 2019, 106 world finals in 2016, 2018), analysis of regulatory documents in the field of sports activity. Results. The main trends in the development of world sports aerobics as well as its world leaders are determined: 1) a comparison of the competition rules allows determining the main and characteristic structural groups of elements in the competitive program of the leading Russian and world athletes; 2) the identification of major technical errors significantly affects the assessment as a whole; 3) the use of acrobatic and semi-acrobatic exercises in the competitive program both entertains and increases the complexity of the program. Conclusion. Sports aerobics is a relatively young sport in Russia. However, from the first steps, Russian athletes managed to win medals in this discipline. Initially, highly skilled athletes from related sports such as gymnastics, acrobatics, rhythmic gymnastics were involved in sports aerobics. Now, it is an independent sport with its specifics and training system. The Russian training system is proved to be reliable and effective considering the number of medals.