With a 35% of your freestyle being performance based, I thought you all would like to know the standards of the performance scoring.

We have 8 judges this year.  4 of them will score Technical only, and 4 will score Performance only.

Thank you to the National Yo-Yo League who were able to adapt a judging system based on the 35/65 segregated judging system.

Hit the jump if you want to know what is expected in your Freestyle Performance

Performance Style (P.S.) Scoring-Finals Only:

(Note that during the one-minute preliminaries, separate performance style scores are not tabulated by the judges; however judges are free to click in points for performance elements that they feel enhance the technical value of a trick element.)

In the finals, the judges will grant a score of 0 to 7 points for each of the 5 categories of Performance Style listed below. The total Performance Style score of between 0 and 35 points will then be added to the contestants normalized Technical Execution score to determine the final freestyle score.

The five Performance Style categories that will be scored are:

1. Choreography/Presentation
2. Artistry and Control
3. Risk of Tricks Performed Successfully
4. Variation of Tricks Performed Successfully
5. Overall Impression

A judge may grant a score of zero in a category if the contestant, in their opinion, failed to meet the minimum level expected for the competition. A score of 1 should be awarded for barely meeting the minimum level while a score of 7 should be reserved for an outstanding performance in that category. The overall impression score is designed to reward the contestant for how they have encompassed all the elements of style into constructing their freestyle.

General Scoring Details:

For each of the five Performance Style categories a number of typical scoring elements are listed to orient the judges on what they should be looking for in a championship level freestyle. However, all of these categories are quite broad and many other related factors may be considered by each judge as they score a particular category.

Choreography/Presentation:

This is a very broad category that evaluates how elements such as the use of music, movement, stage use, audience interaction and freestyle theme are utilized to create an entertaining, impressive and exciting performance.

• Does the music seem to fit the freestyle theme?
• Are the tricks timed to match the beat of the music?
• Was the performance staged and constructed in a manner to add to the interest level of the freestyle?
• Did the contestant play to the audience and showcase their tricks?
• Does the freestyle have a beginning that grabs your attention and subsequent elements that build to an energetic climax?
• How entertaining was the freestyle presentation?

Artistry and Control:

This category judges how mature and refined the player’s yo-yoing skills are.

• Do the body movements and the yo-yo merge and flow together artistically?
• Are the tricks executed in a clean, fluid and controlled manner?
• Do the transitions into and between trick elements demonstrate mastery and control of the yo-yo style?
• Are the tricks presented (showcased) with consideration of how the trick appears to the judges and audience?
• Does the player perform even the hardest and riskiest maneuvers under control?
• How artistic is the yo-yoing style?

Risk of Tricks Performed Successfully:

Risky tricks not only increase the technical level of a performance but also may greatly enhance the entertainment value of a performance.

• Are the players trick elements difficult and risky?
• Are the trick elements performed with amplitude that increases the difficulty and risk of the elements?
• Are the trick elements performed with speed that increases the difficulty and risk of the elements?
• Are the trick elements performed while the player is moving so to increase the difficulty and risk of the trick elements?
• Are the trick elements performed with changes in planes from vertical to tilted planes that increase the difficulty and risk of the trick elements?
• Rather than catching the yo-yo between tricks are risky regenerations utilized to maintain the flow of the freestyle?

Variation of Tricks Performed Successfully:

Trick variation not only demonstrates the scope of a players skills but may also significantly enhance the entertainment value of a performance.

• Does the performance contain a variety of trick elements encompassing all the major variations within that division?
• Do most of the trick elements appear unique with little repetition?
• Are the trick elements showcased to the judges and audience in a manner that make them clearly unique from other elements already completed?
• Are the trick elements performed with stylistic variation?
• Are a variety of regenerations utilized to link tricks?

Overall Impression:

After considering the four categories above individually, the judge will determine an Overall Impression score to reward the contestant for how all the elements of Performance Style: choreography, yo-yoing artistry, trick risk were interwoven to construct an stylistic and entertaining freestyle.