1. Difficulty

2. Basic Jump With arms in the open position, the athlete jumps up and spins the rope around their body and under their feet once The basic jump is a Level 0 skill All skills are “built” by: – adding elements to the Basic Jump, – combining element in one skill, and – executing two or more skills in combination

3. Elements Isolated skills include elements of: –Multiples –Foot work –Arm work –Rotation –Gymnastics and Power –Releases

4. Multiples – 1 (Elements) With arms in the open position, the athlete jumps up and spins the rope around their body and under their feet twice before landing – this is a Level 1 skill The athlete has to jump over the last rotation. If the multiple under begins with a side swing the athlete’s feet must be off the floor immediately after the rope touches the floor during the start of the first revolution of the rope.

5. Multiples – 2 (Elements) With arms in the open position, the athlete jumps up and spins the rope around their body and under their feet three times before landing – this is a Level 2 skill

6. Multiples – 3 (Elements) With arms in the open position, the athlete jumps up and spins the rope around their body and under their feet four times before landing – this is a Level 3 skill

7. Multiples – 4 (Elements) With arms in the open position, the athlete jumps up and spins the rope around their body and under their feet five times before landing – this is a Level 4 skill

8. Footwork (Elements) Basic footwork is level 1.

9. Arm Work (Elements) The basic cross is a level 1 skill – arms crossed in front of the body The athlete jumps up and spins the rope around their body crossing their arms in front of their body so that the rope travels under their feet once

10. Arm Work – 2 (Elements) Any cross with one or both arms under or between the leg(s) or behind the back is level 2 skill

11. Arm Work - 2 (both arms behind the back) (Elements) TS: jump the rope in an open position then immediately cross the arms behind the back, spin the rope around the body and jump the rope with the arms still in the crossed position (and return to an open position once the rope has been jumped) – Level 2 AS: jump the rope in an open position then immediately cross the arms behind the knees (knees will be bent slightly for this), spin the rope around the body and jump the rope with the arms still in the crossed position (and return to an open position once the rope has been jumped) – Level 2 CL: jump the rope in an open position then immediately cross the arms: one arm goes behind the knees (the knees will be bent), the other behind the back, spin the rope around the body and jump the rope with the arms in the crossed position (and return to an open position once the rope has been jumped) – Level 2

12. Arm Work – 3 (Elements) a T-cross or any jump with a squeezed handle is a Level 3 skill In a T-cross, the back of the wrist of one arm is placed against the back of the elbow of the other arm creating a T A squeezed handle can be held by the arm against the inside of the elbow, or by the leg against the back of the knee

13. Rotation (Elements) With arms in the open position, the athlete jumps up and spins the rope around their body and under their feet once while completing a full rotation along the vertical axis – Level 1 skill

14. Gymnastics & Power (Elements) Any gymnastics or power moves when the rope does not go around the athlete’s body will be judged as a level 1 skill

15. Gymnastics & Power – 2 (Elements) Push-up The athlete jumps up and lands on both hands and feet, then pushes off the floor with the hands bringing the rope under the body and past the feet before landing on their feet in a crouched position The first landing on hands and feet is a Level 1 skill, the second landing when the rope is pulled under the feet is a Level 2 skill

16. Gymnastics & Power – 2 (Elements) Frog or Donkey The athlete jumps up and lands on both hands with their feet up over their heads, then pushes off the floor with the hands bringing the rope under the body and past the feet before landing on their feet The first landing on the hands is a Level 1 skill, the second landing when the rope is pulled under the feet is a Level 2 skill

17. Gymnastics & Power – 3 (Elements) One handed Donkey - The athlete jumps up and lands on one hand with their feet up over their head, then pushes off the floor with one hand bringing the rope under the body and past the feet before landing on their feet – Power (3) One handed Pushup – Power (3)

18. Releases (Elements) Whenever the athlete “releases” a handle or handles, and then catches that handle or handles There are no Level 1 releases

19. Releases – 2 (Elements) The athlete catches one handle of the rope which is moving across the floor or around a body part The athlete catches one handle of the rope which is moving through the air in an incomplete revolution

20. Releases – 3 (Elements) After the rope completes a revolution in the air the athlete catches one handle of the rope as it is moving through the air. The athlete simultaneously catches the two handles of the rope but the rope does not complete a full revolution in the air

21. Releases – 4 (Elements) The athlete catches the two handles of the rope which are moving through the air, after the rope has made a complete revolution in the air. The athlete catches one handle of the rope as it is moving through the air with one hand in a restricted position such as under the leg or behind the back after the rope has made a complete revolution in the air. While in the air, the athlete catches a handle of the rope which is moving through the air and brings the rope under the body before landing.

22. Releases – 5 (Elements) After the rope makes a complete revolution in the air the athlete simultaneously catches both handles of the rope as it is moving through the air but with one hand in a restricted position such as under the leg or behind the back. After the rope has completed one revolution in the air the athlete catches one handle with the body already in a restricted position that limits the movement of the hands such as in a frog or an aerial

23. Building Skills Combine elements to “build” a more difficult skill Rope direction

24. Combine Elements (Multiple + Arm Work) The athlete jumps up and spins the rope around the right side of their body, then around the left side of their body, and then around their body with their arms crossed in front of their body so that the rope passed under their feet during the third revolution of the rope before landing Multiple (triple under=2) + Armwork (basic cross=1) = Level 3 skill

25. Combine Elements (Rotation + Multiple + Arm Work) The athlete jumps up and while completing a full rotation along the vertical axis, spins the rope around their body and under their feet with their arms in the open position, then around their body and under their feet with their arms crossed in front of their body, and then around their body and under their feet with their arms in the open position, before landing Rotation (=1) + Multiple (triple under=2) + Armwork (basic cross=1) = Level 4 skill

26. Combine Elements (Power + Arm Work) The athlete jumps up and lands on both hands with their feet up over their head, then pushes off the floor and crosses their arms bringing the rope under the body and past the feet before landing on their feet - Power (2) + Armwork (1) = Level 3

27. Combine Elements (Power + Multiple) The athlete jumps up and lands on both hands with their feet up over their head, then pushes off the floor with the hands bringing the rope under and around the body and past the feet twice before landing on their feet - Power (2) + Multiple (1) = Level 3 (a double under frog is level 3)

28. Rope Direction Generally, the direction the rope is rotating around the body, does not change the difficulty of the skill EXCEPTIONS! –Arm Work skills where BOTH hands are behind the back – add one level –Power skills with the rope traveling backwards – add two levels

29. Rope Direction (Backwards) TS: the rope rotates around the body backwards and the arms are crossed behind the back, then the rope is jumped with the arms in the crossed position (the arms are usually uncrossed after the rope rotates above the jumper’s head) – Arm Work 2 + Backwards 1 = Level 3 AS: the rope rotates around the body backwards and the arms are crossed behind the knees, then the rope is jumped with the arms in the crossed position (the arms are usually uncrossed when the rope rotates above the jumper’s head) – Arm Work 2 + Backwards 1 = Level 3 CL: the rope rotates around the body and the arms are crossed: one arm behind the knees and the other behind the back, then the rope is jumped with the arms in the crossed position (the arms are usually uncrossed when the rope rotates above the jumpers head) – Arm Work 2 + Backwards 1 = Level 3

30. Rope Direction (Backwards) The athlete jumps up and lands on both hands with their feet up over their head, then pushes off the floor with the hands bringing the rope backwards over their body, around under their feet before landing on their feet The first landing on the hands is a Level 1 skill, the second landing when the rope is pulled under the feet – Power 2 + Backwards 2 = Level 4

31. Combine Individual Skills into a Series of Skills Transitions/combinations Landings and takeoffs in restricted positions

32. Transitions/Combinations A cross-cross combination is only considered if the rope is not jumped in a basic jump between both crosses, and one or both hands are under a leg or behind the back (a cross, with hands in front of the body to a cross with hands in front of the body does NOT increase the level of difficulty of the second cross) A cross-cross combination increases the difficulty by one level (same leg) A cross-cross of the same skill or from one leg to the other increases the difficulty by 2 levels

33. Transitions/Combinations Going from one power position of the body immediately to a similar or another power position will increase the difficulty level of the rope movement by two extra levels.

34. Transition (Cross – Cross Combination) Toad (Left arm in front) to Elephant (Right arm in front) is level 2-3 –Start in an open position, the arms are crossed with the bottom arm under the opposite leg and the rope is jumped in this position. Within one rotation of the rope, the arm on top moves under the leg so that both arms are crossed under one leg, then the rope is jumped in this position and the arms uncross just before the next jump. TS (Left arm in front) to AS (Right arm in front) is 2-3 –The rope is jumped in an open position, then the arms are crossed behind the back, the rope is spun around the body and is jumped in that position. Within one rotation of the rope, both arms move down to cross behind the knees (the arms will stay behind the back the whole time), the rope is jumped with both arms crossed behind the knees and the arms are then uncrossed.

35. Transition Transition jumps such as changing from one cross under one leg and then switching to a cross under the other leg within one rotation of the rope is a level 4 skill Inverse toad with the right leg up to a regular toad with the left leg up –Starting in an open position, the arms are crossed so that the right arm is on the bottom and is placed under the right leg (the leg on the same side) from the outside so that the hand is between the two legs and the left arm is crossed over the right leg. The rope is jumped in this position by the left foot. as the rope continues to spin around the body, the arms are uncrossed, the right arm is placed under the left leg (from the inside) and the left arm crosses over the right arm right leg. once in this position, the rope is jumped by the right leg.

36. Transition TS to TS (switch cross) The rope is jumped in an open position, the arms are then crossed behind the back, the rope spins forward around the body and the athlete jumps the rope with the arms still in the crossed position – Level 2 Immediately after the rope is jumped, the hands change position (the arm on top is now under and the arm that was under is now on top - switched) the rope spins forward around the body and the athlete jumps the rope with the arms in the switched crossed position (and the arms are then uncrossed) – Level 4 The combination is scored as a 2 4

37. Transition Backward AS to Backward AS (Switch Cross or cross-cross same skill) The rope rotates around the body backwards and the arms are crossed behind the knees, then the rope is jumped with the arms in the crossed position – Level 3 Immediately after the rope is jumped, the hands change position (the arm on top is now under and the arm that was under is now on top - switched) the rope continues to spin backward around the body and the athlete jumps the rope with the arms in the switched crossed position (and the arms are then uncrossed) – Level 5 The combination is scored as a 3 5

38. Combination (Power to Power) Kamakazi – 2 4 –Starting in a push-up position, the athlete pushes off the floor with the hands and feet, and pulls the rope under the feet, spinning the rope around the body(one rotation) and lands back in a push-up position – 2, Then the athlete pushes off the floor again with the hands and feet, and pulls the rope under the body and past the feet before landing on their feet in a crouched position - 4

39. Landing a multi under Landing a multi under in a level 2 skill increases difficulty level by one, landing a multi under in a level 3 skill increases the difficulty level by 2, and landing a multi under in a level 4 skill increases the difficulty level by 3.

40. Landing out of a power skill One level is added to the rope movement for coming out of a power skill directly into a special position For example coming out of a frog and landing in a CL – 2 for the power + 1 for the arm work = 3

41. Landing in a power skill Two levels are added to the rope movement for going into a power skill AS into push-up is level 4 – 2 for the AS + 2 for the landing = 4 –The rope is jumped in an open position, then the arms are crossed behind the knees. The athlete jumps off the ground, over the rope then the arms are uncrossed and the athlete lands in a push-up position. a TS double into push-up is level 5 – 2 for the TS + 1 for the double under + 2 for the landing = 5 –The athlete leaves the ground, jumping over the rope in an open position, then the arms are crossed behind the back and the rope passes under the feet, the hands are then uncrossed and the athlete lands in a push-up position.

42. Snap Decisions There are many skills to judge in a routine Focus on the athlete’s hands –The hands turn multiples –The hands can be crossed –In most cases, the hands provide “power” –Releases mean one or both hands are not holding handles Skills in combinations can add one or two levels to the skills following the first skill –Watch for open jumps which “break” the combination

43. Double Dutch Difficulty There are 5 levels of difficulty in Double Dutch The judge is to watch the turners AND the jumpers Jumper skills plus turner skills = level of skill to be recorded

44. Difficulty Double Dutch JUMPER LEVEL 2 skills -Going into a special position/power move -Coming out of a special position/power move -*Leap Frog Gymnastics -Round off -Front roll

45. Difficulty Double Dutch JUMPER LEVEL 3 skills -Transition of a special/power move then directly to another special/power position Gymnastics -Front handspring -Back handspring -Kip -*Assisted flips, such as a toe pitch, supported back flip.

46. Difficulty Double Dutch JUMPER LEVEL 4 skills Gymnastics -Front or back flip (also known as aerial – no hands on the floor) *Assisted flips/aerials are one level lower (level 3)

47. Difficulty Double Dutch JUMPER Add one Level for Interactions Physical contact with another jumper, but not assisting such as: friend “hug” frog, frog on a push up. (both jumpers must be performing a level 2 or greater in level skill) Interaction without contact, such as: Subway

48. Difficulty Double Dutch TURNER(S) The Levels Add a level if: -Turners turn a double under -A turner jumps a rope -Jumper jumps over a rope that is limited for one turner. Add 2 levels if: - Turners turn a triple/quad -Jumper jumps a rope that is limited for two turners. (same rope) -Turner is jumping over a rope with one limited arm Add 3 levels if: -Turner jumps the rope with 2 limited hands – such as the chinese wheel with a cross. *Only the first time a limited rope is jumped with that “speed” or “style” of turning the extra level(s) is given for the snapshot. The turners will not get scored for turning that remains in the same position continuously.

49. Difficulty Double Dutch Fancy Feet “TEAM DANCE” To get a fancy feet difficulty score, the “Team Dance” must contain a series of at least 8 skills (8 count) The Team Dance must be performed with the following elements: - at a fast pace, - with movement by turners and jumpers, - turners “dance” as well as the jumpers, - with the turners turning with their arms in crossing and/or restricted positions A Team Dance that includes all of the elements above should be scored as a Level 5 If one of the elements is missing from the “team dance” set then the Level is decreased by 1 and continues to decrease by one as other elements are missing.