Judge's Inquiry: Common Built-in Deductions

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Have you ever wondered why your favorite gymnast can’t seem to get above a 9.9 on an event, no matter how well they perform? They may have some built-in deductions–deductions that are related to technique rather than how well they can perform the skill on a specific day. Whether or not the judges consistently take these deductions is a different story, but in this article, I’ll highlight some common built-in deductions on popular NCAA skills. It’s important for judges to take these deductions so those who can perform these elements with proper technique are rewarded for executing them perfectly.

Vault

Leg Separation (up to 0.2), Tsuk Entry (1/4 to 1/2 twist on)

Unlike a Yurchenko entry vault where it’s almost impossible to see the leg separation coming onto the table, it’s very obvious in the Tsuk-entry style since the athlete is turning. A Tsuk full starts from a 10.0, and the Yurchenko full from a 9.95, so perhaps this was considered when the Tsuk entry was valued higher than the Yurchenko.

0.05

0.05 to 0.1

0.1 to 0.15

Pike Down (up to 0.3), Yurchenko Full

Vault is very much a “cause and effect” event, where a mistake early on often cascades into more deductions later in the skill. Similarly, landing deductions can be a symptom of a larger problem in the vault, such as lack of rotation, height, or dynamics. When a gymnast has to pike down their layout or layout full, it often signals they didn’t have the height, rotation, or dynamics to maintain a straight body position. Some are more severe than others, and the deductions can (and should) compound on top of each other. I’d love to see more judges approach judging vault in this way to give more differentiation among the hundreds of Yurchenko fulls performed each season.

No deduction to 0.05

0.05 to 0.1

0.15 to 0.2

Early Tuck (up to 0.3), All Tucked Flipping Vaults

For a vault with a tuck salto in the post-flight phase, the expectation is that the gymnast maintains a straight body until she leaves the table. When judging vault, judges look for form deductions in the pre-flight, support, and post-flight phases. If an athlete tucks while they are still on the table, this would be a bent-leg deduction, which is up to 0.3. It can be hard to tell in real time when the tuck starts, but if a gymnast has a 90-degree knee bend before they block, they should receive a substantial deduction.

No deduction to 0.05

0.1 to 0.2

0.25 to 0.3 (including the leg separation)

Bars

Pike Down (up to 0.2), Double Layout Dismount

A double layout is a very hard dismount to perform with perfect form. A clean double layout requires a straight body throughout the rotation, maintaining that position until landing. However, it’s a relatively easy E-level skill if the athlete learns to whip it around with a tight arch/pike-down technique. Although this technique does work for the skill, it has some built-in deductions.

No deduction

Pike down (0.1 to 0.15)

Pike body position (0.05)

Excessive arch (0.1) + 0.05 to 0.1 for leg form

Pike down (0.1 to 0.15)

Leg Separation (up to 0.2), Shaposhnikova-Type Skills and Pak Saltos

It takes a lot of strength and flexibility to hold your legs together in a tight arch. Try lying on your stomach and see how high you can lift your legs against gravity while keeping them perfectly straight and together. It’s very difficult. This is why at-home viewers can see leg separation on almost every athlete who does these skills if the camera is angled diagonally at the bar or behind the bar. Fortunately for the gymnasts, the judges can rarely see this from a side angle unless the gymnast is turning (like in a Van Leeuwen) or if their legs are slightly split or staggered and apart.

Beam

Knee Bend (up to 0.3), Front Aerial

This is a very common error for 90% of gymnasts who perform this skill. Often, a lack of bend in the back or hip is compensated by bending the leading leg to pull it under the body and finish the rotation. However, there are gymnasts who can perform this skill with their leg straight throughout. Since we can’t give bonus points for perfect form, those with bent legs should be deducted.

No deduction

0.05 to 0.1

0.1 to 0.15

Bent Arms (up to 0.3), Back Handspring

This is rarely deducted, but I really think it should be because there are athletes who can do it with straight arms, adding another layer of polish and perfection. Technically, slower back handsprings have better control but also more force on the hands. This is often why gymnasts briefly bend their arms to absorb the impact. It’s easier to keep their arms straight when the skill turns over faster, or they have learned to absorb the impact another way.

No deduction

0.05 to 0.1

Floor

Failure to Open (up to 0.3), Double Tuck and Double Pike

This one can be a double whammy since both failing to open out of the skill (up to 0.3) and landing with the chest down (up to 0.2) are deductions. An athlete could open too soon and then land with their chest down, only incurring the chest down deduction. In the other case, she could fail to open but over-rotate her flip, which would not incur the chest down deduction (however, these gymnasts usually roll backward and fall in this case). Most often, we see a little (or a lot) of both together.

In the first example, the gymnast is opening up her tuck and preparing for landing well in advance of the floor, landing with her shoulders over her knees and chest slightly forward. In the second example, also a double tuck, she fully straightens her legs out of the skill but never opens her chest from the tuck, landing with her chest down. In the last example, she has just released her legs from the tuck and lands with her chest on her legs. These can be tricky to spot and differentiate (for judges as well), so next time you’re watching floor, try to see if you can spot it.

Failure to open, no deduction

Body posture, no deduction

Failure to open (0.1)

Chest posture (0.1)

Failure to open (0.2)

Chest posture (0.2)

Body Position (up to 0.2), Ring Leaps and Jumps

Hitting the right body position on a ring leap is especially hard when the gymnast is also turning and the legs are switching. Most of the success or failure is due to timing, not flexibility or amplitude.

To illustrate this I have a ring from the same gymnast in the same pass, switch ring (C) to switch ring half (D). She hits the first ring no problem but mistimes her head release on the second one; her head was already coming back to a neutral position when her leg was at peak height.

As a reminder, these are the special deductions and expectations for ring positions on both floor and beam: 1. Head release backward past vertical (up to 0.1)—no credit with no head release—and 2. Rear foot between shoulder and head height (up to 0.1)—no credit if the foot is below the shoulder.

No deduction

Switch half to ring—low back foot (0.1 to devalue); head release (0.1 to devalue)

Split ring full—no deduction to 0.05

Switch half to ring—low back foot (0.1); head release (0.05)

Leg Separation (up to 0.2), Full-Twisting Double Back

Ideally, both knees and ankles should be together during the twist, which is extra hard due to twisting and flipping forces trying to pull them apart. This is also a technically complex skill to master, and squeezing the legs together is sometimes one action the athlete doesn’t have space for when they are more concerned with not getting lost in the air, as well as completing the rotation. With these two factors combined, it makes sense why so many athletes struggle with leg form on this skill.