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American Politics  » Gymnastics Judging – A Brief Overview

Gymnastics Judging – A Brief Overview

Whenever your gymnast attends a meet, be it regional, local,

or otherwise, you probably realize that he or she is being

judged on his or her performance. You may or may not like

how the panel rates your child’s routine, but rest assured

that the ancillary staff is there as an impartial and fair

group which works together to offer unbiased scoring. This

is where the playing field of the competition is at its

most level. Granted, gymnastics judging is not a science,

and there can be mistakes made. This is why it is always

good to have an idea of what the judges are looking at when

they make their decisions. I'm here to help!

First, judges take a look at whether or not your gymnast has

followed the rules of attendance. Each meet may have a

different dress code, but most typically, associations will

ask that long hair be tied back close to the head, that

jewelry be removed, and that all clothing that may prove a

safety issue be removed. If your gymnast is not in

accordance with these rules, his or her participation may

be interrupted until the issue can be resolved. Barring

that, the judges’ rating is based entirely upon the

gymnastic performance. Since there are so many different

kinds of gymnastics, we’ll just give you the basics in

common to all of them.

The next category judges usually look at is overall

difficulty. In other words, if your gymnast is attempting

a more advanced routine, then he or she will start off with

more points than someone who is attempting a beginner’s

routine. The more somersaults, vaults, flips, and so forth

used, the better chance of a good score; also, the more

difficult a position he or she uses for somersaults (piked

or straight versus tucked), the higher the difficulty

rating will be. Also, consideration is given to the

gymnast who makes use of more complex movements (usually

termed ‘segments’ or ‘elements’); these are typically

looked at in terms of degrees (180, 360, etc). The more

twists and turns a gymnast does, the more complicated the

routine.

Beyond complexity, the judges look at execution. Something

that is full of twists and turns and poorly executed will

score lower than something that is simpler but perfectly

executed. The criteria for measuring this aspect of

gymnastics include stability (Did he or she waver in the

terminus of the segment? Did he or she take an extra step

or falter with any element?) and landings (Did he or she

stumble? Did he or she hold position for no less than

three seconds at the end of the routine?). Instability in

any part of a routine can be disastrous - not only in terms

of judging, but, indeed, in terms of safety. Most gymnasts

learn, with time, to be very measured and precise. If they

stumble when coming to a stop, they appear not to have the

last bit of polish that gives their routine the extra

‘oomph’ it needs to pass with the judges. Then, of course,

if a gymnast doesn’t hold the typical arms-up final

position for more than three seconds at the end of the

routine, points are deducted. These are just things to

keep in mind.

Finally, when all is said and done, total points are

calculated. Depending upon the type of routine your

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gymnast has performed, he or she will be given a base

number of points, from which the raw score is computed.

Each misstep - and each flourish - weighs on the raw score.

Typically, additions and subtractions are made in the form

of fractions of a point - .1, .2, .3, .4, .5, and so on.

Sometimes, judges are limited in the amount of points they

can deduct for a single mistake (in other words, sometimes

the subtractions are limited to .5 points at a time). In

the end, this gives us our all-too-familiar scoring system.

Of course, you definitely want to push for a “10.”

In any case, lots of encouragement is deserved by your

gymnast.

If something should go unfavorably during the judging

process, at the very least you will have an idea of what

happened. Keep in mind that gymnastics judging is not a

science and mistakes can be made. Your little one should

not bear the burden of politics; he or she is a champion

regardless of whether or not a perfect score is attained.

By Murray Hughes

Gymnastics Secrets Revealed

”The book EVERY gymnastics parent should read”

http://www.gymnasticssecretsrevealed.com/gymnastics-articles/gymnastics-judging.htm

About the Author

If your child is a gymnast and you enjoyed this article, you

will definitely enjoy reading the zero cost, 5-day course

Gymnastics Tips Course written especially for gymnastics

parents by a gymnastics parent.

http://www.GymnasticsSecretsRevealed.com