Where gymnasts lose the most tenths — and how to win them back

The deductions that quietly sink scores at every meet, and the drills that fix them before a judge ever sees them.

Walk the scorer's table at any meet and you'll see the same tenths come off over and over. They're almost never the big, dramatic skills — they're the small, trainable habits that add up to half a point before the gymnast even dismounts. Here's where scores leak, and how to seal them.

Landings: the easiest tenths in the building

Feet apart, a hop, a step, a deep squat, a hand down — landing deductions range from a tenth to a full half-point for a fall. The fix is boring and it works: stick-landing drills from a low box, feet together, chest up, arms by the ears, hold for three seconds. Train the landing as its own skill, not an afterthought at the end of a pass.

Form: feet, knees, and arms

Flexed feet, separated or bent knees, and bent arms in support are judged on every value part — so a form habit costs the same tenth a dozen times in one routine. Drill pointed-toe holds, straight-leg shapes, and locked-arm support positions off the event first, then demand them inside the skill.

Amplitude: go bigger

Low leaps, low saltos, and short splits bleed tenths quietly because they rarely cause a visible break. Film your gymnasts from the side and measure air time and split angle — amplitude is almost always better on video than it feels, and seeing it is what changes it.

The pattern across all three: these are shape-and-habit problems, not talent problems, and they're the cheapest points in the sport to coach back. Pick one per athlete this week and catch it every single rep.

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