| The purpose of this research was to construct a taxonomy of athletic performance for women's artistic gymnastics which summarizes the anthropometric and ability characteristics of the elite female gymnast. Taxonomies are vital to a discipline in that they enhance communication among professionals, clarify the terminology of the discipline, summarize and synthesize the research, and serve as a heuristic device for future research efforts.;A tentative taxonomy was generated from preliminary content analysis of over 100 articles providing key words for a library literature search. An exhaustive search of the empirical literature revealed over 200 articles, of which 130 were selected for data analysis. Elements were selected from the empirical literature for inclusion in the completed taxonomy if they successfully predicted gymnastics performance or discriminated between elite gymnasts and recreational or non-gymnasts.;Parameters proving significant as predictor/discriminator variables were delineated and the revised seven-level taxonomy presented. Levels one through three of the completed taxonomy were found to relate to the characteristics of the performer (female gymnast) whereas levels five through seven pertain to the characteristics of the performance. Level four contains elements of both performer and performance and may therefore be conceptualized as the point of convergence of the two during the task analysis process. Examples of ability related task analyses of the glide kip, cast to handstand, and back walkover using the completed taxonomy were offered.;The hierarchy of athletic performance derived from the taxonomy was also presented. It was suggested that the hierarchy may be applied to other sports activities to clarify athlete qualities and performance characteristics of importance. The taxonomy of athletic performance may be valuable in talent selection, remediation of abilities, and the design of training programs for both athletes and potential teachers. |
