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
- Execution (EXE)
- Control (CTL)
- Choreography (MU1)
- Body Control (BDY)
About Music
All contestants must behave in an upstanding, appropriate manner. The player must consider their conduct in their freestyle, music content, and behavior on the contest premises.
Music must be suitable for an audience of all ages (including young children and their parents). Contestants who use inappropriate music (with inappropriate words in all languages, obscene language, and inappropriate lyrical content explicit and implied; in addition, in the case that a beep/silence/etc. is used to cover the word(s), if the coverage of the word(s) is judged to be incomplete or insufficient the player may still be subject for disqualification) may be disqualified by judges. If the contestant is unsure if their music is suitable, they may request that the judges review it beforehand.
Every year there are contestants who are disqualified or nearly disqualified. If there are questionable words or content in your music we highly suggest that you choose a different song. Again, your music must be suitable for an audience of all ages (including young children and their parents) and that guideline will be strictly enforced.