Compulsories: The bane of some gymnasts’ existence, and the bane of some judges’ existence, as well.
Let’s take a look at the 1968 men’s compulsories and how they were judged…
No more compulsory repetitions
Prior to 1968, gymnasts could repeat their compulsories on every event except floor. Granted, they had to decide to repeat the exercise before the judges flashed the score, but they could repeat it nonetheless.
In 1968, that changed. While gymnasts still had two vaults, gymnasts no longer had the option to repeat their compulsories.
On Scoring the Compulsories
Here’s how it worked, according to the 1968 Code of Points:
- Scored out of a 10.0
- The routine was divided into sections, each including one or more elements and connecting movements
- Based on the difficulty of the elements and the connections, each section was assigned a certain number of points.
- For example, the roundoff + back handspring + layout was worth 1.80 points in 1968.
- When you missed an element
- There was a deduction that was equal to the number of points established for that element
- If the omitted element makes the previous or following part easier, the judges could take an additional 0.1 to 0.5.
- When you added an element
- 0.3 to 0.5 was deducted for each added element
- If the added element makes the previous or following part easier (e.g. extra swings), an additional deduction of 0.1 to 0.5 could be taken.
- When you performed a part on the wrong side, the deduction was ½ the point value assigned to that part
Notes on the Routines
In 1964, the compulsory floor routine ended with a back tuck. In 1968, the difficulty increased, and the routine ended with a back layout.
There was a definite straddle theme to the compulsories:
- FX: the gymnasts had to do a straddle cut (Section VIII).
- SR: the gymnasts had a straddle dismount
- PB: the gymnasts had a straddle cut (Section IV).
- HB: A straddle dismount
The Men’s Technical Committe loved the stoop vault from the neck of the horse. It was the 1964 compulsory vault, and they used it again for the 1968 compulsory vault.
Links to Previous Compulsories: