The internal logic of a sport or artistic physical activity refers to “the identity card of the activity in question, which brings together its most salient relevant characteristics” (14). Each sport has its own internal technical and tactical logic that determines the required effort for the athletes (15, 16) to perform.

In breaking, the competition relies on “question & answer” battle in duos or in crews performed during successive rounds where the effort is intermittent: while one dancer performs, the other rests before switching roles. The duration of both effort and recovery is variable, depending on the dancers (16, 17). Dancers are named break-boy or b-boy and break-girl or b-girl, as a function of sex (3, 11). The event is codified and rooted in choreographic foundations, with the presence of a disk jockey (3, 4), a Master of Ceremonies (i.e., the event host, and an audience). In individual battles (1 vs. 1), on strategy could involve analyzing the opponent's strengths and weaknesses (physical, artistic, or interpretive qualities) and adapting each round to gain an advantage and win over the judges (4). Dancers must also adapt to the DJ's music, which is unknown in advance (13).

As with any duel-based competition, it is essential to establish a strategy and carry out tactical work (e.g., specific placement work to manage opponent, energy, fatigue or injury…) (16, 18). Tactical work can be related to the occupation of space (i.e., circle or cypher), to orientations and to the stage play, for example (11). In fact, in a battle, the dancer expresses her/himself above all in front of an opponent who must be destabilized, in front of a jury that judges her/him (i.e., the jury perform the ranking), but also in front of an audience that, depending on its reaction, may become involved in the fight (3). From a strategic point of view, as the practice of breaking has been democratized, attracting more and more dancers, organizers are now planning “Pre-Selection” (i.e., Phase 1, first stage of a World Dance Sport Federation, WDSF, breaking event), considered to be an “antechamber” to the competition that should not be neglected from a strategic point of view. After Pre-Selection, the competition continues with various phases including “Pre-Qualifier”, (i.e., TOP 64 and TOP 32), Round Robin (i.e., TOP 16, the competitors are assigned into 4 Groups), and the Knock-Out Phase (i.e., quarter-final, semi-final, battle for third place, and the final) (3, 11, 16, 17). In all cases, whatever the phase, the goal is to win the rounds by getting as many votes as possible from the judges, adapting and destabilizing the opponents throughout the competition to go as far as possible. The opponent often uses “Bronx Rocking” gestures (11) to destabilize by highlighting repetition, mistakes, or lack of control in a movement (11).

In breaking, the b-girl/b-boy uses different categories of fundamental movements called foundations, i.e., toprock, downrock, and freeze, to build their rounds like a construction game. Although this list is not exhaustive, breakers commonly start with toprocks (i.e., standing moves) to set the tone (16), then transition to downrocks, which include footwork (a variety of ground-based dance steps), power moves (complex, spinning movements requiring control over gravity and velocity), and acrobatics (aerial moves without ground contact, sometimes resembling gymnastics). A round often ends with a freeze, a pose in which the dancer stops moving entirely, creating a striking “photographic” impression for the spectator (3, 11, 16). These different components of dance therefore refer to cognitive, motor and affective qualities that need to be understood to optimize sport performance in breaking (5, 19).

In the interests of transparency and fairness, notably with the arrival in the 2024 OG in Paris, scoring systems with a more elaborate codification than the show of hands (to determine the winner) have appeared fairly recently in high-profile competitions in order to avoid any controversy linked to the votes (3–5). Indeed, the WDSF has developed two levels of Judging System known as “The WDSF Breaking Judging System” (3, 4). Level A, currently defined by five criteria (Technique, Vocabulary, Originality, Execution, and Musicality, see Figure 1). This is adapted from the YOG in 2018. Level B, corresponding to a Three-fold system of only three broader categories (Physical, Artistic and Performative) (3, 4). Judges use a digital tablet to vote by adjusting a slider in real-time, always comparing breakers to their opponent rather than using an absolute scale (3). The interface adapts to the competition level, Level A or B, with approval from the WDSF Sports Department, in consultation with the organizer and the technical delegate (3).

Even before designing a performance model for breaking, it may be interesting to carry out a mapping of the activity and to take into account different aspects such as the resources specific to the activity (e.g., physical and artistic resources), the psychological resources, the environment (i.e., the context) in which the dancer is evolving, as well as the technical, tactical and technological resources (3, 4, 6, 12, 16, 17, 20, 21) (Figure 1).

In addition, there are also internal (i.e., dependent on the athlete and training) and external factors (i.e., independent and beyond the control of the athlete and coach, e.g., judges, DJ, opponent) which revolve around breaking performance, itself defined by criteria (i.e., technique, vocabulary, originality, execution, and musicality) grouped together in an evaluation system during WDSF breaking events (3). In the context of performance analysis, it seems interesting to think about the elements (i.e., metrics) that can be observed and quantified in breaking with the aim of optimizing sports performance. For each assessment criteria, several metrics have been defined to try to qualify the performance in breaking (Figure 1) like for example “type and level of figures” (components and elevation) for the technique criteria, “quantitative” (extensive range) for the vocabulary (i.e., repertoire of figures), “signature” (specific movements or sequences to the dancer) for the originality, and “breakbeat” (play with music and nuances) for the musicality criteria (Figure 1).

Thus, modelling breaking performance therefore needs to be broken down into elements that provide a better understanding of the different factors that need to be addressed (Figure 1). This model is based on the WDSF Breaking Rules and Regulations Manual (3), which itself draws upon foundational principles established by the Dance Adjudication Network (DAN) to ensure a structured, transparent, and multifaceted approach to judging breaking performances (4). Breaking, like other hip-hop dances, appears to be a specific activity, borrowing as many codes from art as from sport (1, 22). Considering these elements, the concepts of art, sport and, in this case, dance should be combined.