Difficulty
Jumpers
Jumper judges are mostly focused on the athlete(s) inside and outside of the ropes (not holding any handle(s)), the "jumpers". Jumper judges will make marks for each skill sequence performed by the jumpers, the sequences are based on the jumpers' cadence. It is recommended that the Jumper judges make their marks based on the average level of skills in each skill sequence. It is up to the jumper judge to decide the length of a skill sequence, and therefore up to the jumper judge to decide when exactly to give each mark. For long sequences the jumper judges may give several marks. The matrix below provide guidance for how to score different categories of jumper skills in double dutch, but there are several ways in which the level of a turner skill can increase that cannot be represented in a skill matrix, often skills done in (longer) combinations challenge the athleticism of the jumper, this increasing the difficulty level.
A difficulty mark for jumper difficulty can be either a Break, or Level 1-5. For each level 1-5 the judge can also optionally give a plus or a minus mark to turn it into into, for example, a Level 3+, a Level 5-, or neither to make it stay at, for example, a Level 4.
If jumpers are repeating jumper skills it should negatively impact the level the Jumper judges mark for that combination.
Holistic Judging: While jumper judges should focus their scoring specifically on the jumper(s), they will take into account what the turners are doing and may make slight adjustments accordingly.
A jumper who performs a sequences of power skills while the turners are performing double unders should receive a higher score than a jumper who performs the same sequence with basic turning. When this occurs, jumper judges can give a "+" mark which bumps up their level with +0.5. E.g: a Level 3 sequences with a combination of difficult turner skills can give level 3+.
Accounting for Form & Execution: The way in which skills are executed can affect how difficult they are to perform. For example, a push-up that is not fully extended or a split that is not low to the ground are much easier to perform than fully extended versions of these skills. Difficulty judges will have the freedom to exercise their judgment and adjust scores for skills sequences containing skills that are not performed to their full extent and thus deserve slightly lower credit.
If a skill is performed in a bad way that it becomes less difficult, a judge can give a "-" mark which reduces the level with -0,25. E.g: a poorly executed Level 2 skill can be score as a "2-" skill which gives a 1.75 level skill in the calculation of their average.
Breaks: Jumper judges will make a break mark for each break in the routine. These breaks will be averaged as a level 0 skill combination with other marks and negatively impact the jumper difficulty score. Things that may constitute breaks are, among others, more than one jump while preparing to exit the ropes, several "empty" turns of the ropes while the jumper(s) wait to enter the ropes, etc. It is up to the jumper judges to determine when this kind of jumping results in a break in the flow of the routine.
| Jumper skill category | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Level 4 | Level 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Footwork | Slow to moderate pace basic footwork skills |
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| Fast paced footwork that includes intricate turner skills, rope manipulations | |
| Power skills | Basic power where ropes are not pulled through on both the entrance and exit of the power skill, mountain climber | Basic Power skills done in isolation or short sequences, ropes must be pulled through on entrance and exit | Basic Power skills done in longer combination, higher level power done in isolation: hand hops, one handed power, v-kick | High level power skills done in combination | Long sequences of power skills challenging the athleticism of an athlete |
| Gymnastics skills |
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| Flips with rotation |
| Interactive Power Skills2 | Isolated basic power skills done side by side or in a simple stacked position (e.g. frog over push-up) | Combination of simple power skills performed with interaction (e.g., subway, ceebie, etc.) | Combination of high level power skills performed with intermittent interactions | Combination of high level power skills performed with frequent interactions that challenge the athleticism of the jumpers | |
| Interactive Gymnastics2 | Assisted flips performed as an exit or through the ropes (i.e., without jumping the take-off and landing) |
| Toe pitches | Assisted flips with twists |
Basic power skills refers to frog, push-up, crab etc.
Turners
Turner judges are mostly focused on the athletes turning the ropes (holding at least one handle), the "turners". Turner judges will give make marks for each unique turner skill performed by one or more of the turners. The matrix below provide guidance for how to score different categories of turner skills in double dutch, but there are several ways in which the level of a turner skill can increase that cannot be represented in a skill matrix, such as the way turner skills are combined, the speed at which they are completed, both turners completing high level skills at the same time, etc. It is up to the turner judge's to determine this and adjust their marks accordingly.
A difficulty mark for turner difficulty can be Level 1-5. For each level 1-5 the judge can also optionally give a plus or a minus mark to turn it into into, for example, a Level 3+, a Level 5-, or neither to make it stay at, for example, a Level 4.
If multiple turners complete turner skills at the same time the Turner judge should make a mark of the sum of the level of all the turner skills being performed.
If one turner completes a criss-cross while another completes a toad, the Turner judge should make only one mark.
Only unique turner skills should receive marks. Once a turner skill has received a skill mark, no further skill mark will be awarded for the same skill if repeated later in the routine.
Holistic Judging: While turner judges should focus their scoring specifically on the turner(s), they will take into account what the jumper(s) are doing and may make slight adjustments accordingly.
Turners who perform a switch while turning in wheel should receive slightly higher difficulty credit if the jumper is holding a handstand rather than simply standing in the middle waiting for the rope to come around. Similarly, turning double unders with power skills is more difficult than turning double unders while the jumper is simply jumping.
If the jumpers are performing difficult skills/sequences during the turner skill, the Turner judge may give a "+" mark to bump up the score of the turner skill by 0.5 levels. On the other hand, if the jumpers are performing basic jumps, breaks, etc. during the turner skill the Turner judge may give a "-" mark to decrease the level of the turner skill by 0.25.
Accounting for Form and Execution: As described in the Jumper Difficulty section, turner difficulty judges may also account for execution in their scoring. This mainly applies when turners are performing power or gymnastics skills while turning the ropes, and can result both in a "+" mark for the level if performed perfectly, or a "-" mark for the level if performed poorly.
| Turner skill category | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Level 4 | Level 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arm restrictions | One arm restricted (e.g. turning in a crougar or one turner is turning a cross-like skill) |
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| Both turners with arm restrictions, line of sight is hindered as well. (e.g. both turners are in backwards AS cross (not facing each other)) | |
| Multiples | Double under | Triple and quadruple under | Quintuple and sextuple under | Octuple and nonuple under | 10-under and above |
| Power | Power completed without jumping while turning a rope (e.g., a frog in wheel without pulling the rope under the feet) | Frog or push-up completed while jumping and turning a rope, leapfrog | One handed power and hand hops while jumping and turning a rope |
| Multiple turners completing power skills together while turning and jumping triple or quadruple unders |
| Gymnastics | Cartwheel, somersault (forward/backward roll), splits while turning | Front handspring while turning | Back handspring or aerial while turning | Front flip or backflip while turning | Level 3 or 4 gymnastics skills completed while turning multiples or both turners completing high level gymnastics at the same time |
| Rotational turning skills | Pinwheel | Simple wheel, such as switching places in wheel or one turner performing a simple cross in wheel | Wheel where both turners perform crossing skills (e.g., toad) or one turner performs a more complex crossing skill (e.g., TS) | Wheel with complex crossing skills that significantly restrict the turners’ ability to control the ropes (e.g., AS cross) | |
| Turner exchanges | Basic switch |
| Fast hand-offs of ropes and rotation of turners | ||
| Releases |
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| A mamba release or two handled release of both ropes simultaneously |