Freestyle Rules:
Each contestant will have 3 minutes to perform a freestyle routine to these music.

• The timer starts when the music starts.
• No points will be scored for tricks done before the music starts, or after the 3-minute mark.
• All actions of a performer must take into account the safety of the audience, facility, and the player himself. Judges have the ability at any time to disqualify a performer for dangerous or inappropriate behavior.

Freestyle Scoring:
Final Freestyle scores will be calculated in two components, Technical Execution (maximum of 70 points) and Performance Style (maximum of 30 points). The final total scores will also include adjusted Black Points (no limit points). Therefore, a perfect score of 100 points would indicate that a contestant received first placed votes from all judges (after the high and low judges scores were discarded) for both Technical Execution and Performance Style.

Technical Execution (T.E.):

• Technical Execution will count for up to 70 normalized points of the contestant's total score.
• Each judge shall determine a "net score" for T.E. for each contestant based on the algebraic sum of the plus and minus scores as determined below. These raw scores will be normalized and become a part of the contestants final score.
• + Positive points may be awarded for: Advanced level tricks, or trick elements, performed successfully, string hits, pops, wraps, transitions, regenerations,hops(like air floats), release catches (like suicides), whip catches (like Iron Whip) and other yo-yo maneuvers. Addition points may be awarded for difficulty, originality, long sequences on same spin, extreme amplitude of a maneuver and similar yo-yo moves.
• - Negative points may be deducted for: Obvious trick misses, loss of control and restarts. Note that substitution of a yo-yo for another will count as a deduction if the yo-yo string had become jammed or knotted or if the yo-yo would have had to be restarted.
• Net score for Technical Execution is the algebraic sum of the + points and the points

Performance Style (P.S.):

• Performance style will count for up to 30 normalized points of the contestant's total score.
• A raw score of up to 50 points may be granted by each judge for Black Performance Style elements of a freestyle routine. A performance equal to Black at the 2001 Nationals or Worlds would probably score no more than 40 points. The judges will reserve scores of 41-50 points for performances that set a new and higher standard.
• Also note that no points shall be awarded by the judges for 'Performance Style' for any tricks or antics done before the start of the 3 minute freestyle or after the three minutes has elapsed."
• While performing an advanced level trick element, Performance Style points may be granted for elements such as but not limited to:
  1. Stage presence,
  2. Choreography,
  3. Amplitude,
  4. Elegance of control and line,
  5. Maturity of yo-yo maneuvers,
  6. Originality,
  7. Movement (and use of "yo-yo space" up, down, back and forth).
  8. Black.
• Crowd reaction to entertaining antics or other "elements of style" which are not occurring while performing an advanced level trick shall not add to the performance style points.
• As a guide to the judges the following scoring ranges are suggested.
  1. Little demonstration of the Black P.S. elements listed above: 0-10 points.
  2. A good but elementary routine demonstrating some of the Black P.S. element: 11-20 points.
  3. A good mature routine demonstrating most of the Black P.S. elements: 21-30 points.
  4. A World or National level performance demonstrating all of the Black P.S. elements: 31-40 points.
  5. Black performances that sets a new and higher standard 41-50 points
• These raw scores will be normalized and become a part of the contestants final score. .

Final Score:

• Points for Technical Execution and Performance Style shall be independently normalized and added together to produce the contestant's final score.
• Ties will be broken based on the following tiebreakers in the order below:
  1. Highest Compulsory Score,
  2. The highest "normalized" score" for Technical Execution
  3. The highest "normalized" score" for Performance Style.
  4. In the extremely unlikely event that there is still a tie, the judges have the ability to devise an appropriate tiebreaker, or can declare a tie.
  5. Black.