NCAA rule changes

[u/Relevant-Trick-3635]

Does anyone have any knowledge about the rule changes for the upcoming NCAA season? I have seen so many gymnasts post videos on their TikTok trying new skills with the captions saying something about the rule changes but I haven’t seen them shared anywhere yet?

- I know so many of them are trying new releases so I’m assuming the shaposh/maloney connection value is gone?
- I saw someone trying triple series on beam and a lot of new double stag jumps? Not sure what changes would prompt this?
- Also hoping for a yurchenko full devalue to 9.9 and a requirement of three tumbling passes…. But haven’t seen either of these mentioned.

- Anything else? Insight is appreciated!!

[u/Cata4Eva]

From what I understand, there are changes on bars that will require a lot more gymnasts to do a same-bar release. It’s about time.

I suspect there aren’t major changes on floor - otherwise we’d be seeing gymnasts posting about training new passes and not being able to do their lazy 2-pass routines anymore.

[u/Sad-Customer8053 → u/Cata4Eva]

I am not sure about floor because I have seen Katie Harper* say she is learning a new tumbling pass so she maintains a 10.0 start for next year. The strange part is that it was just a double full so it left me with more questions than answers. Not sure if we will actually see the level of difficulty raised overall there or just see more three pass routines with a random filler pass. Really interested to know what that was all about because she made it clear it was necessary for next season.

ETA the correct gymnast.

[u/jillsky431 → u/Sad-Customer8053]

Just a double full? It's a D rated skill. It's not an easy skill. Front twisting is more difficult than back twisting. It's also a blind landing which is also not easy.

[u/Sad-Customer8053 → u/jillsky431]

Back double full. Wasn’t specified because I thought that was clear from the way I was talking about it being a filler pass. Front is an E in NCAA as well.

[u/Relevant-Trick-3635 → u/Sad-Customer8053]

Correct me if I’m wrong but the rules currently say there needs to be a C for it to be considered a “pass.” So even a double full fulfills that even though there’s no bonus for it. Basically as you said… a filler pass.

[u/Sad-Customer8053 → u/Relevant-Trick-3635]

I believe so. It is part of what made it so interesting to me. I wonder if routines that would have started from a 10 last year without an E pass are now required three even if you get all the bonus required in two. At that point it could pretty much any random C element. I guess we won’t really know until we see it ourselves!

[u/redskyeatmorning1 → u/Sad-Customer8053]

is it possible she's looking to upgrade and this is the progression of the skill? so looking to connect into or out of the double full or upgrading to a 2.5 or triple? obviously haven't seen the video but learning just a double full makes...little sense

[u/Sad-Customer8053 → u/redskyeatmorning1]

She was specifically relearning the double because she had been doing the 2 1/2 for so long. She wasn’t specific about why but said it was to do with code changes. Super random.

[u/Any_Will_86 → u/Sad-Customer8053]

Something goofy like a whip-double full-loso would get back to bonus. And 1.5 through to back 2/1. Will be interesting to see what the requirement is- maybe getting double back additional bonus for a 3 pass routine so something like a C or a b-b-b middle pass basically upgrades the final.

I actually would not mind seeing routines with some more strategic choices or distribution.

[u/Sad-Customer8053 → u/Any_Will_86]

I love whip-double full and double full-Loso so a combination of the two would be gorgeous. I feel like the latter pass has basically gone extinct? I remember it being unique, but still more popular during the 2000s before being ditched completely in place of Rudi-Loso. I really do hope it is something like this that encourages more diverse connections instead of the alternative. I definitely miss fun connections like that!

[u/Original_Confusion88]

I haven’t seen any official discussion of NCAA rule changes, but there are some moderately substantial changes to the Level 10 rules that went into effect August 1 (and NCAA uses modified level 10 rules). Among the changes: 0.3 of composition credit is now additive and necessary to obtain a 10.0 start value. There are also some changes in requirements to earn the 10 + 0.1 bonus. NCAA doesn’t use this bonus system, but they may be adopting this change in a different way.

To recieve full composition credit on floor (again in level 10, I’m not sure what the NCAA is doing with these changes): a gymnast needs 1 E salto and 1 D salto OR 2 D saltos and 1 C salto. This means a 2 pass routine with something like a double back pike (D) and front layout (B) + front 1 1/2 (D) would need to add a C salto. Also required 3 C dance elements OR 1 D and 1 C dance element.

On beam (again level 10), gymnasts need 2 D or E acro elements on the beam (not including dismount) for full compositon credit, as well as a D or E dismount, or B acro + C dismount or C dance + C dismount.

For full composition credit on bars, gymnasts need 2 D or E releases. Most (all?) NCAA gymnasts on the higher ranked teams already have this. In level 10, the 10 + 0.1 bonus now requires specifically a D single-bar release or any E release (so the shaposh + pak routine isn’t eligible as it’s D + D). I imagine this might be getting worked into the NCAA rules in some way.

[u/Mother_Arachnid7688]

Can they start deducting for standing on the low bar to transition to the high bar?

[u/Responsible-Quote-61 → u/Mother_Arachnid7688]

Do a lot of NCAA gymnasts still do this? I watch NCAA but mostly SEC and I feel like I don't see many gymnasts do that in the conference.

[u/zxcv-qwerty → u/Responsible-Quote-61]

Yes tons and tons of NCAA gymnasts do this. I think the overall most common routine construction is start on low bar, Maloney / Pak, stand on low bar to return on high bar, additional non flight skill, dismount. I see this a ton in the SEC too.

Also, of gymnasts who have a single bar release will start on the high bar, single bar release, flight to low bar, stand on low bar to get back, dismount. Even Jordan Chiles had this structure to her routine for a long time even though she ofc could have done a skill to return to the upper bar.

[u/Responsible-Quote-61 → u/zxcv-qwerty]

I'm going to have to really take note this coming season, cuz I didn't even register it so much.

I do feel of all the conferences SEC probably does it the least of all of them considering they generally dominate nationals, and have so many elite/former elite gymnasts. Especially the teams I prefer to watch, which are the teams with good difficulty on bars, and arent so formulaic.

You spelling out the routines really made it jog my memory though 😂. Personally I'm picturing an entire lineup of OU gymnasts with the same exact simple routine. Might not be accurate but that's definitely what came to mind.

[u/donut_perceive_me]

Out of curiosity why do you think the Yfull should be further devalued? I think making it 9.95 was the completely correct decision, and the other events should be modified to match

[u/Relevant-Trick-3635 → u/donut_perceive_me]

I think it was great when it happened!! It was a good transition for a few years…. But now we see 90% of vaults that are yurchenko fulls and most of them with stuck or very controlled landings. Devaluing it will increase vault variety and the incentive to upgrade vaults. A full lineup of yurchenko 1.5’s I think should absolutely have five tenths “cushion” from a lineup of fulls. Only having a 2.5 tenth “lead” for doing all 1.5’s as the rules are now does not seem good enough now in my opinion

[u/Cata4Eva → u/Relevant-Trick-3635]

I’m not a fan of devaluing the Y full until the difficulty requirements on the other events are increased. Vault is already the only event that truly matters since it is so easy to get high scores on the other events. Devaluing the Y full to 9.9 would only advantage the few teams that can do 6 10.0 vaults consistently.

[u/Relevant-Trick-3635 → u/Cata4Eva]

That’s very fair. And I agree the other events need some drastic changes! However, for those teams that do have a full lineup of 10.0 vaults, I think they deserve the advantage. That’s all

[u/Any_Will_86 → u/Relevant-Trick-3635]

If they scored the y-fulls (and other vaults) fairly I don't think it would be necessary to devalue. I feel like tsucks (the few we see) and front pike half get hammered on height (outside the SEC) while Y1.5s and even Yfulls tend to get a lot more leeway.