Judging

Brentwood Trampoline Club
CASC Registration 04613

Judging

Getting the best from judges

This very useful guide was written by Stephen Blair. It is fair to say that it is really quite accurate and although I (webmaster) tend to agree with those who have commented that Judges ought only be concerned with the performance and not be swayed by winning smiles; after all - Judges are only human.

What judges look for

I do not claim to be an authority on trampolining, but in my time as a coach I have seen a lot of errors, and here are the remedies I have found. Over time I hope for this to become a resource that coaches and performers can look at to see why marks are being lost. This page is intended to deal with what judges look for at competitions:

Smile

Seriously smile. When you get on the trampoline, you will be expected to present yourself to the judges. When you present yourself, smile. This pleases the judges and they tend to enjoy the routine. There is nothing more disheartening than a trampolinist looking unhappy. Also when you end the routine and present yourself to the judges, remember to smile again.

Ending the routine

When you stop bouncing at the end of a routine make sure you stand still, after the last bounce, for 3 seconds. This is to show the judges that you have landed and not stumbled or fell at the end. Make sure you stay for the full 3 seconds, so you do not get any end of routine deduction. [webmaster's note: I favour the 5 elephants approach to counting this off but it's amazing how small some kids make those elephants!]

Centred

When you perform any move during the routine, try and land on the cross, in the centre of the bed. If you travel forwards or backwards or even sideways, you may lose points. If you can stay in the centre of the trampoline you should not loose marks for travel.

Loss of height

During your routine it is important not to lose height. Try and keep at a constant height throughout the 10 moves and it may be useful to use the tuck, pike and straddle jumps to regain height. It is important that these moves are performed well, however, as you are being marked on them. If you however, choose to do a seat drop or or back drop or front drop in a routine, then you are allowed some loss of height, but are expected to regain about 75% or your original height.

Keep your legs together and point toes

When performing any move except the straddle jump, it is important to keep the legs together. This will make the move feel better when it is done, but also looks nicer to the judges. Also point the toes when bouncing. Again this improves the looks of the move and can help keeping the legs straight.

The seat drop

When performing a seat drop it is important to have the fingers pointing towards the toes. The judges will also notice if you are leaning back or not.

Back drop

When doing a back drop it is very easy for the recoil of the bed to bring you back up to your feet. However this is not correct as this can cause travel and also looks untidy. The judges look to see if you try and kick out of the back drop, with the kick coming from the hips, and 'hopefully' to a centred landing.

Pike and straddle jump

When performing these moves it is important to get the moves correct. It is important to ensure the legs are lifted enough. It is a common problem for the legs to be pointed down instead of horizontal.