Ana Kašček Bučinel
Abstract
Baton twirling is a polystructural conventional sport that contains aesthetically designed and choreographed acyclic baton movement structures. Baton twirling is an interesting sport that can meet many of the learning objectives of the Primary School Curriculum in Slovenia. Students from Primary School Milojke Štrukelj Nova Gorica, Slovenia taking part in the Sport for Health elective tried their hand at baton twirling. The pupils found twirling an interesting sport that they were not familiar with.
Key words: Baton twirling, elective subject, sport, school.
1. Introduction
Twirling is a polystructural conventional sport that contains aesthetically designed and choreographed acyclic baton movement structures (Kašček, 2011). The choreography combines baton skills, body movement, dance and gymnastics to a musical accompaniment (WBTF Coaches Manual, 2007). Baton skills are defined, prescribed and involve many complex patterns. Athletes need certain skills to perform a combination of dance, gymnastics and rhythmics. In addition, they need to master the elements with the baton and perform to music (Strachan and Munroe-Chandler, 2006).
The first World Twirling Competition was held in 1980. The sport is most developed in Japan, the USA, Canada, France and Italy (Kašček, 2013).
Baton twirling is an interesting sport that can meet many of the learning objectives of the Primary School Curriculum in Slovenia (Kašček 2011), but is still rarely used in the school environment.
Basic Knowledge of Baton
Baton is an apparatus used in baton Twirling. Shaft is around 70 cm long and is made of metal. At the end on one side it is ball, which is larger and on the other it is tip, which is smaller and both are made by rubber (WBTF Coaches Manual, 2007).
Picture 1. Basic knowledge of baton (Kašček, 2011).
Baton Twirling Technique
Baton twirling is divided into 3 different categories which are 1. aerials, 2. roll modes and 3. contact material in combination with movement structure.
Twirling also combines different movement structures, from basic moves to difficult elements. Those structures are taken from different sports, namely ballet, dance, sports gymnastics and rhythmic gymnastics (Kašček 2011).
Aerials
Aerial is projection of a baton to the air. There are vertical pattern and horizontal pattern in the aerial mode and releasing of a baton is done at the center part of it. It is important to handle a baton at correct position (WBTF Coaches Manual, 2007). There are different type of body movements during the aerial mode:
- spin which is rotation of body with one leg
- stationary complex which is performing movements in one place during aerial (Toss and illusion, etc.)
- traveling complex which is performing movements in motion during aerial (Toss and grand jete/walkover, etc.).
We also know different types of release (Thumb – releasing from thumb; Open hand – releasing by opening a palm; Back hand – releasing from reversed hand; Full hand – releasing with push by palm) and different types of grab the baton (Grab – keeping 4 fingers together pointing them upward, and receive a baton with thumb and fingers; 
Catch – receiving a baton with palm facing up; Blind – receiving a baton without looking at it).
Picture 2. Open hand horizontal aerial with left hand release and right-hand catch (Kašček, 2011).
Roll modes
Roll is rotation of a baton by using any part of the body, without a help or holding by hands (WBTF Coaches Manual, 2007).
In twirling, there are several rolls, which are distinguished in different ways. Depending on the difficulty (Koprivnik, 2010), we divide the rolls into basic and advanced. Basic rolls are mainly preformed over one body part (wrist, hand, elbow, neck…) or two body parts (wrist-wrist, elbow-wrist…), while advanced rolls are done over several body parts or rolls with a change in direction.
Depending on the technique (Koprivnik, 2009), there are: single element (one rotation of a baton at any part of the body); continuous rolls (Chan Circle, Figure Eight, Front Loops); extended rolls (rolls executed on the extended arms); carries (carrying of a 
baton from one position to another) and combination of components.
Picture 3. Single element, elbow roll (Kašček, 2011).
Picture 4. Extended roll, angel roll (Kašček, 2011).
Contact material
Contact material is defined as twirling tight around the body by using body work, foot work, and speed, to make the contact material mode more effectively. There are several types of contact material (Full hand, Finger Twirls, Flips-Revolution of a baton, Swings and Wraps).
Picture 5. Full hand, vertical figure 8 (Kašček, 2011).
Picture 6. Flips, vertical flip with right hand (Kašček, 2011).
The usefulness of twirling in the sport elective
In the curriculum for the elective subject sport, Kovač and Novak (2006, p. 5) wrote: “The program of elective subjects complements the core curriculum of school sport education, and together they form an enriched whole. A school may offer pupils three one-year subjects: Sport for Health, Sport for Choice and Sport for Relaxation. The one-year Sport for Health and Sport for Relaxation courses are designed to introduce new sports which cannot be included in the compulsory school curriculum but are important in terms of their sporting and recreational benefits on quality leisure time at all stages of life. The content and delivery of the elective subjects provide an opportunity to learn about the different health impacts of physical activity, to understand the importance of physical and mental relaxation, to compensate for the negative effects of modern life, and to acquire skills that enable pupils to choose sports and activities that suit them in their leisure time.”
2. Methods
Participants were 15 female students, age 13-14 years from Primary School Milojke Štrukelj Nova Gorica, which were included to the program of elective subject Sport for Health.
They took 5 consecutive school periods for this sport and worked on the content presented in table 1.
Pupils followed techniques and elements from literature Kašček (2011).
Table 1. Baton twirling teaching curriculum
3. Conclusion
Twirling was successfully used to achieve the learning objectives of the Sport for Health elective curriculum. We developed motor and functional skills, maintained correct posture through selected tasks, were introduced to a new sport, and experienced the relaxing effect of sports practice.
The pupils found twirling an interesting sport that they were not familiar with. They realized that twirling with a baton requires a lot of motor skills, such as strength, flexibility, precision and balance, and definitely a lot of perseverance in learning the elements. Body control is also very important, notably body posture and control of hand work, especially in the basic elements.
On the one hand, twirling is a physically and technically demanding sport, but on the other hand, it also requires an artistic expression. It combines beauty and sport, an intense coordination of dance movements with baton elements, moving the body with dance steps, gymnastic elements, in conjunction with music and rhythm, requiring a high level of concentration and physical fitness.
4. Reference
- Kašček, A. (2011). Tehnika in metodika učenja prvin twirlinga: diplomsko delo.
- Koprivnik, S. (2009). Povzetek iz učbenika 2, učitelj twirlinga, specialni del. Twirling zveza Slovenije. Unpublished literature.
- Koprivnik, S. (2010). Trener twirlinga. Twirling zveza Slovenije. Unpublished literature.
- Kovač, M., Novak, D. (2006b). Učni načrt : izbirni predmet: program osnovnošolskega izobraževanja. Šport: šport za zdravje, izbrani šport, šport za sprostitev. Ministrstvo za šolstvo, znanost in šport: Zavod RS za šolstvo
- Strachan, L., Munroe-Chandler, K. (2006). Using Imagery to Predict Self Confidence and Anxiety in Young Elite Athletes. Journal of Imagery Research in Sport and Physical Activity: Vol. 1 : Iss. 1, Article 3. Acquired 17. 11. 2010 from http://www.bepress.com/jirspa/vol1/iss1/art3
- WBTF Coaches Manual. (2007). Acquired 9. 11. 2022 from http://www.twirlingitalia.it/wbtf_coaches_manual.html
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