rules

Rules

Professional Division

Eligibility: Open to all professional players in the Asia Pacific region. You are still allowed to participate in the other featured divisions on an invitational or first come first served basis.

Qualifiers

There will a 1-minute preliminary freestyle to qualify the top players into the freestyle finals. The top qualifying players in each division will be advanced to the 3-minute Freestyle Final. Each competitor will have 1-minute on stage to perform a freestyle in the style of play in the division they have entered. Players may enter more than one division.

Players who will be competing in the preliminary freestyle of any championship division mustbe prepared with an appropriate music CD if they wish to use their own music. This CD must meet all of the requirements just as shown in the Performance/Freestyle Rules. There will be no required elements for the preliminary freestyles. Scoring will be based entirely on the technical execution of the tricks performed by the player. Judging criteria for the preliminary freestyles will be the same as the technical execution portion of the finals freestyles.

Note: There is no performance points/score in the qualifying segment of the competition.

General Freestyle Rules:

• Each contestant shall have 3-minutes to perform a freestyle routine.

• The 3-minute time period starts when the music starts.

• No points shall be scored for either Technical Execution or Performance Style for any

reason before the music starts, or after the 3-minutes have elapsed.

• Music must be provided to the sound-technician before the start of the event.

• All music must be considered G-rated (appropriate for all audiences).The music shall not contain offensive lyrics including but not limited to: obscenities, ethnic or sexual slurs,

violence advocacy, etc. With the concurrence of the Contest Director and the Head Judge, use of inappropriate music by a contestant shall result in their disqualification.

• All actions of a performer must be G-rated and take into account the safety of the audience,

facility, and the contestant himself. With the concurrence of the Contest Director and the Head Judge, dangerous or inappropriate behavior by a contestant shall result in their disqualification.

• No assistants are allowed on stage while a contestant is performing.

• All extra yo-yos that are to be used by a contestant shall be ready to use and must be brought on stage.

• Yo-yos that leave the stage during a freestyle shall not be returned to the stage and no others shall be accepted by the contestant from the audience or an assistant. If a contestant uses a yo-yo in violation of this rule, the judges will not award any points for Technical Execution or Performance Style while that yo-yo is in play, but shall deduct points for any mistakes, loss of control restarts, yo-yo replacements, etc…

• No props are allowed without the prior approval of the Contest Director and the Head Judge.

Hats are the only pre-approved prop.

• Yo-Yos with Hub Stacks (hub bearings) and similar spinning pog devices are allowed.

*You may also choose to store your music in a thumb drive and transfer your music to the

Sound man before the event begins.

Specific Rules for “1A” Freestyles:

• At no time shall there be more than one yo-yo in play (including slave or prop yo-yos) at the same time. During any periods of time that this rule is violated, the judges shall not grant any points for Technical Execution or Performance Style but shall deduct points for any mistakes, loss of control restarts, yo-yo replacements, etc.

• At no time shall the yo-yo be removed from the string (i.e. no off-string tricks are allowed). During any periods of time that this rule is violated, the judges shall not grant any points for Technical Execution or Performance Style but shall deduct points for any mistakes, loss of control restarts, yo-yo replacements, etc.

• At no time shall a yo-yo with a counter-weight be used. During any periods of time that this rule is violated, the judges shall not grant any points for Technical Execution or Performance Style but shall deduct points for any mistakes, loss of control restarts, yo-yo replacements, etc.

• Mobius style is allowed.

• Skyrocket type tricks are allowed.

• Typical scoring elements include but are not limited to: mounts, dismounts, string hits, hops, grinds, lacerations, release catches (like suicides/Iron Whips), slack catches, re-generations and binds.

Specific Rules for “2A” Freestyles:

• The judges shall not grant any points for Technical Execution or Performance Style unless

both yo-yos are in play simultaneously.

• At no time shall there be more than two yo-yos in play (including slave or prop yo-yos) at the same time. During any periods of time that this rule is violated, the judges shall not grant any points for Technical Execution or Performance Style but shall deduct points for any mistakes, loss of control restarts, yo-yo replacements, etc.

• Typical scoring elements include but are not limited to: loops, punches, wraps, tanglers, moons, hops, stalls, worlds, transitions, re-generations and various combinations and/or variations of these elements.

Specific Rules for “3A” Freestyles:

• Points will only be given for Technical Execution or Performance Style when both yo-yos are in play simultaneously.

• At no time shall there be more than two yo-yos in play (including slave or prop yo-yos) at the same time. During any periods of time that this rule is violated, the judges shall not grant any points for Technical Execution or Performance Style but shall deduct points for any mistakes, loss of control restarts, yo-yo replacements, etc.

•Typical scoring elements include but are not limited to: 1A type string tricks performed with two yo-yos, however transitions between tricks may involve tanglers, worlds, grinds, wraps, loops and similar elements

Specific Rules for “4A” Freestyles:

• Any number of “off-string” yo-yos may be in play at the same time.

• Typical scoring elements include but are not limited to: 1A type string tricks

• Typical scoring elements include but are not limited to: launches, tosses, catches, regenerations, grinds, intentional bounces off body parts or the stage back to a catch, boingys

or other types of bounces between strings.

• Trick elements “performed with a pinched string” or those that are at “less risk” may be

scored at a lower value than elements where the yo-yo is launched off the string.

• Similarly, trick elements where the yo-yo is rolling along the string may be scored at a lower value than elements where the yo-yo is launched off the string.

Specific Rules for “5A” Freestyles:

• The judges shall not grant any points for Technical Execution or Performance Style unless the counter-weight (or multiple counter-weights) is in play, or in the act of being moved from hand to hand. Any trick done while the counterweight is being held for the entire duration of the trick shall be considered 1A trick, and shall not be scored.

• Any number of “counter-weight” yo-yos may be in play at the same time.

• Typical scoring elements include but are not limited to: 1A type string tricks with counter-weight in play, aerial releases and catches, grinds, etc.

Performance Score Breakdown

At this year’s competition, we will be using a new Performance Scoring method from previous years. Total points for performance score will still be 30 but scoring will be broken up into the following catagories:

1) Planning (Theme 3pts, Routine 3pts, Outfit 3pts)

2) Action (Body Control 3pts, Interaction 3pts, Choreography 3pts, Stage Use 3pts)

3) Trick (Cleanliness 3pts, Variation 3pts, Risk 3pts)

Each element will have a max of 3 points and the total score will be a maximum of 30 points

Performance Tray

At this year’s competition, we will be implementing performance tray for all competitors preparing for their freestyle. Each contestant will be given a tray off stage to prepare their yoyos and any other accessories. Once their turn is up, he/she will have to bring that try up with them and start their freestyle within 10 seconds of being on stage. He/she will not be allowed to prepare any yoyos while on stage.

Our Stand on Bootleg Yoyos

It has been brought to our attention that there are a growing number of yo-yos which have been manufactured and copied based entirely on another company’s yo-yos. The fact that not only do they look the same, the specifications of each of these yo-yos are almost identical to their original counterparts, and this, in the long run, could prove to reap negative repercussions in the entire yo-yo community.

Taking this into consideration, we will bar the use of any of these bootlegged yo-yos in this championships.

As Asia’s yo-yo scene grows bigger and gains more recognition worldwide, we believe in setting an example for the rest of the world to follow. Every player, irregardless of where they are from, should have the integrity to use the original deal.

Additionally, many of these yo-yo companies have spent both time and money on extensive research and development on these yo-yos, only to have them copied almost entirely, save for a few minor differences. Not only will this project a bad image to the world, but also it threatens to completely eliminate any creative-thought process put into the development of new yo-yos in the future.

Although we do not encourage the use of these yo-yos at all, both in and out of competition, we believe that we should respect the companies who willingly sponsor these events and not support the bootleggers.

Ultimately, it is the player and not the yo-yo that matters. There are more than enough legitimate variants on the market, so use original and keep the scene alive.

The last thing we would want is to project the image that a reputable event like AP supports bootlegs.