Freestyle Rules 2018

Summary of Freestyle Scoring Criteria

Freestyles will be graded on two criteria: Technical Execution (TE), and Freestyle Evaluation (FE).

Judges are assigned into two groups.

  • A Group: Technical Execution (TE)
  • B Group: Freestyle Evaluation (FE)

Technical Execution (TE) – 60%

Each judge uses two clickers, one each for positive and negative points. These are added together for the final TE score, which is 60% of the total possible score.

Judge takes only success, difficulty, risk and variation of each trick performed.

Positive Points

When the contestant performs advanced level trick elements, points will be given for each element.

Negative Points

Any trick miss and control miss is subject to deduction. Ex: Trapeze miss, control miss, catch miss, corkscrew in looping.

All deductions are counted per yo-yo.

Yo-Yo stop, or yo-yo change will be counted in Major Deduction stated below.

Freestyle Evaluation (FE) – 40%

Judges (Group B) evaluate eight categories from 0 to 10 points, total 80 points, then they will be halved to make the 40% of the final score. They will not be normalized between judges. Entire three minute performing time is subject to evaluation.

1. Execution (EXE) – Success Rate of Tricks, Success, Less mistakes, Completion

2. Control (CTL) – Control of Yo-Yo/String, Line of String, Trajectory of Yo-Yo, Smooth landings and flowing transitions

3. Trick Diversity (TDV) – Trick Choice, Trick Mix, Trick Order and Trick Presentation

4．Space Use & Emphasis (SEM)  Size of expression, moves, performance, Effective use of stage and space, and/or focusing on/into a subject effectively

5. Music Use 1: Choreography (MU1) – Music Use concentrating on hitting sounds, beats, cues, etc.

6. Music Use 2: Construction (MU2) – Music Use concentrating on mood, tone, routine, theme, etc.

7．Body Control (BDY) – Stage Manners, Posture, Stage Professionalism, Attitude

8．Showmanship (SHW) – Theme/Story, Enjoyment, Entertainment, Overall Impression of Show

Major Deductions (MD)

These deductions will be subtracted after all the scores above are summed.

Yo-Yo stop (restart), Yo-Yo discard (change), Yo-Yo detach (string cut) and dangerous play will be subject of this deduction.

Yo-Yo Stop (Restart) – Minus 1

Any stop of yo-yo spin with string fully unwound will be subject. Even if the yo-yo does not stop completely, if you need to help the yo-yo to regain its spin with your hand or string, it will be considered as a yo-yo stop.

Yo-Yo Discard (Change) – Minus 3

Any yo-yo discard will be subject. Leap of 4A and 5A yo-yos, or any yo-yo change or stop using the yo-yo will be counted.

When the Performance Ends

If the contestant cannot make the yo-yo come back to the hand fully wound and ready to throw, both a stop and a discard will be counted as a discard (minus 3). The string can have knots or be jammed, yet it needs to be fully wound to avoid the deduction.

Yo-Yo Detach (String Cut) – Minus 5

Yo-Yo coming apart, string cut, or string detach for 1A, 2A, 3A, 5A (yo-yo and weight both) will be counted as a Yo-Yo Detach (Minus 5).

Flying Off – Disqualified

Including 4A and 5A, if any yo-yo jumps into the audience area behind the judges’ table, the player will be subject to disqualification.

All those deductions are per yo-yo/string.

At the same time, any mistake or loss of control is counted as a deduction in Technical Execution, separately from Major Deductions.

Final Score

Final Championship Freestyle Score = sum of points for

Technical Execution (60.00-points maximum) plus

Freestyle Evaluation (40.00-points maximum) minus

Major deductions.

Technical Execution will be normalized (to eliminate the unevenness among judges and let them have the same portion to contribute to the score). All other scores will not be normalized.

Freestyle Evaluation (FE) for Prelim & Semi-Final

  1. Execution (EXE)
  2. Control (CTL)
  3. Choreography (MU1)
  4. Body Control (BDY)

Detailed Rules