GymnasticsHQ’s Judging Series Part Two

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Real Routine. Real Scores. Real Feedback.

 

Due to popular demand we’ve brought back another round of our GymnasticsHQ’s Judging Series! If you missed our first round of judging then you can check out those videos here.

We’ve found that many gymnasts and parents have trouble understanding where deductions were taken in their routines and can be confused when it comes to the scores they receive. So in the interest of making gymnastics deductions more transparent to everyone, we’ve broken down various routines to help you understand the places where deductions were most likely taken.

Please note: Although these are real routines that were given real scores by officiating judges in real competition, we personally did not give the gymnasts their original score. As a result, we are using our knowledge of gymnastics scoring as trained judges to speculate as to the places in the routine where the deductions were most likely taken. This is for informational purposes only and meant for non-judges. Those training to be judges should refer to official judging videos.

In the following article you’ll see four videos of gymnasts of varying levels. We’ve included one video of each event to give you a broad range of feedback. Remember that the officiating judges watched the routines in regular time and therefore their deductions might be slightly different than ours, which we scored using slow-motion at times.

 

Level 6 Tsuk Timer Vault by Alexis

Although we scored a Level 6 vault for you in our last judging series article, we wanted to include this vault as it’s a relatively new one and is being done more frequently. Like the front handspring vault, you can see how important it is to not only block off the table to generate enough power for sufficient height and length, but to leave the table at the proper angle. The angle deduction (not leaving the table by vertical) is by far one of the biggest deductions we see as judges. Watch Alexis’ video to see if this is a deduction you’re getting in your vaults too.

 

Level 8 Bar Routine by Reagan

Regan does a great job in her Level 8 Bar Routine. Watch to see the few things she can do to improve her already high scoring routine. Remember that keeping your legs straight in your tap swings between giants is important, especially if you have multiple giants in your routine. Height in your dismount is also an important thing to work on.

Gymnastics Journal

 

Xcel Bronze Beam Routine by Eleanor

Eleanor’s Xcel Bronze Beam Routine is a great example of how putting your hands down to catch yourself on a dismount counts as a fall. You’ll see why keeping your body tight and chest lifted in your dismounts can help you eliminate this deduction. You’ll also see how having a few wobbles can decrease your overall score.

 

Xcel Gold Floor Routine by Amelia

Amelia’s Xcel Gold Floor Routine is a great example of how cleaning up form can improve a lower scoring routine. After watching this routine you’ll see how bent arms, bent legs, and legs separated in the major elements can really add up. If you’re not already doing so, make sure you’re focusing on good form in your own routines!

 

We hope that you’ve enjoyed this installment of GymnasticsHQ’s Judging Series. If you have videos you’d like us to feature in future installments of our Judging Series you can email them to anna@gymnasticshq.com. Please note: we cannot guarantee your video will be featured depending on the level and type of routine we are looking for. While we cannot respond to everyone’s emails, if your video is chosen we will email you letting you know.

Comment below and let us know the type/level of routines you’d like to see in future installments of our GymnasticsHQ Judging Series.

 

 

Real Routines. Real Scores. Real Feedback.

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6 comments… add one
  • Anonymous May 18, 2019, 8:20 am

    Really like watching the breakdown videos. But have the judge also explain a little about why she is taking the general deductions for artistry footwork and form on the beam at the end. That would have been helpful.

    Reply
    • gymnasticshq May 18, 2019, 8:37 am

      Ok thank you for the feedback! We will definitely make sure to include an explanation next time. A general deduction for footwork is taken at the end of the routine when the gymnast didn’t go into high releve when possible. Artistry is taken on a routine to help separate great routines from the good ones. A gymnast that really shows off her routine through changes in expression and quality dance movements and makes the routine captivating for the judges won’t get any deductions for artistry. All other gymnasts will get a deduction between .05 and .3 in order to differentiate that the artistry in their routine wasn’t at that same high standard.

      Reply
  • Sheena Aguero May 18, 2019, 10:35 am

    Can we see level 5 bars or floor routines next?

    Reply
  • Ron B May 18, 2019, 6:16 pm

    Any chance for some boys routines? This is a great idea and I like following the site but, it feels like it is 100% geared for the girls.

    Reply
  • Gymnast May 27, 2019, 10:49 am

    My name is Kira I am 11 and working on standing back tucks my old gym wasn’t that good could you please do an instructional on back tucks

    Reply
  • George Thomas May 31, 2019, 1:07 am

    This is great, the gym community has needed something like this for ages. I’ve been involved in other competitive sports and in my experience no other sport has such a gulf between what judges want to see and what athletes understand. As primarily a vault, bars and floor acro coach I give the girls corrections and they dutifully try and execute, but I’ve always felt that the kids are often unsure of exactly why they are doing what it is I want them to do. Then at meets they wonder “Where did that score come from?” good or bad. I recently took the vault videos for the front handspring and Tsuk timers and had the girls watch the clips before their respective vault rotation just to get an idea of the judging considerations. They were all really amazed at how quickly deductions could add up and the severity of some of them, such as lack of height .4 off. In any case, keep up the good work by producing more of these videos. I would encourage you to focus on compulsory level skills to help athletes and coaches develop deduction-less fundamentals.

    Reply
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