New WSWCF Freestyle Rules 2025: What’s Changing?

Weight Categories: Where Do You Belong?

At the 2025 World Championship, athletes will be divided into weight categories to ensure fairness between competitors of different body sizes. But watch out – strict rules apply, and it's worth knowing them in advance!

🔹 Official Weight Categories:

Men:

• Lightweight: 67.9 kg and below

• Middleweight: 68 kg – 79.9 kg

• Heavyweight: 80 kg and above

Women:

• Lightweight: 49.9 kg and below

• Middleweight: 50 kg – 59.9 kg

• Heavyweight: 60 kg and above

🏆 Absolute Category

Alongside the standard weight classes, there is also an Absolute Category, where the total score is considered regardless of weight.
➡️ The winner of the Absolute Category will also be the winner of their respective weight class.

⚠️ Merging of Categories

If fewer than 6 athletes register in a category, WSWCF will merge them into another:

• If there are too few in Lightweight, they move to Middleweight

• If there are too few in Heavyweight, they also move to Middleweight

• If there are too few in Middleweight, they move to Lightweight

⚖️ Weigh-in Rules

• Weigh-ins take place one day before or on the day of the competition

• Athletes must weigh in wearing competition clothes and shoes – no bottles, backpacks, etc.

• Only one attempt is allowed – no second chances.

1. Strength

This category evaluates your physical capacity – whether it's static (isometric), dynamic (concentric or eccentric) elements, or explosive strength.

Minimum Requirements and Technical Criteria:

• Static elements (e.g. planche, front lever) must be held for at least 3 seconds – otherwise, the element will not be counted.

• “Holding” means full control – if you just "pass through" the position without stabilization, you get no points.

• A maximum deviation of 15° is allowed in the main joint angle from the ideal position.
  ➤ For example, in planche, a slight tilt up or down is acceptable.

• If the athlete has bent knees, hips, elbows, or back, only 1 point is deducted, no matter how many errors are present in one element.

Movement Type and Its Value:

Ranked from highest to lowest value:

1. Concentric phase (e.g. lifting into front lever from zero position)

2. Isometric hold (e.g. holding front lever for 3 seconds – longer holds do not increase the score)

3. Eccentric phase (e.g. slow descent into front lever)

Unilateral vs. Bilateral Execution:

• Unilateral (one-arm) elements (e.g. one-arm front lever) receive higher points.

• Bilateral (two-arm) elements are the base level – still scored, but lower.

❌ Errors and Point Deductions

💪 In Strength:

• If the deviation exceeds 15°, the element is still scored, but 1 point is deducted automatically.

• If the athlete shows multiple technical errors at once (e.g. bent knees, hips, elbows, or back), only 1 point is deducted per element.

• Elements held for less than 3 seconds receive no points at all.

✊ Grip and Surface:

• Different grips (overgrip, undergrip, eagle grip, mixed grip, fingertips, floor, bar, or parallel bars) are scored equally, unless there's a clearly higher level of difficulty.

• Evaluation of specific grips or surfaces is done individually by judges.

👉 For a full overview of difficulty rankings, see the official element tables published by WSWCF.

• PUSH MOVE	POINTS	PULL MOVE	POINTS
  one arm planche press to handstand	1,1	victorian to reverse planche	1,1
  one arm planche push up	1,1	straigth arm pull from front lever to victorian	1,1
  press to maltese from lying position	1,0	manna to handstand	1,1
  press to japanese handstand from maltese	1,0	one arm front lever pull up	0,8
  maltese push up	1,0	entrada	0,4
  pelican planche push up	1,0	back lever hefesto	0,4
  explosive planche push up to maltese	0,9	one arm muscle up	0,4
  explosive planche push up	0,7	wide front lever pull up	0,4
  planche press to handstand	0,7	hefesto	0,3
  straight arm hefesto	0,9	side to side front lever pull up	0,3
  planche push up	0,5	front lever pullup	0,2
  one arm handstand press	0,7	one arm pull up	0,2
  planche press with bent arm to handstad	0,2	muscle up	0,1
  impossible dip	0,3
  press to handstand	0,2
  explosive handstand push up	0,3
  side to side handstad push up	0,3
  handstand push up	0,2

• ISOMETRIC PUSH	POINTS	ISOMETRIC PULL	POINTS
  one arm planche	1,1	reverse planche	1,1
  maltese	0,8	victorian	0,8
  straight arm touch back lever	0,7	straight arm touch front lever	0,7
  iguana planche	0,6	one arm front lever	0,6
  one arm side flag	0,5	wide grip front lever	0,4
  planche	0,5	x front lever	0,3
  manna	0,5	front lever	0,2
  iguana straddle planche	0,4	dragonfly front	0,1
  straddle maltese	0,4
  prayer planche	0,4
  straddle planche	0,3
  v sit	0,2
  one arm back lever	0,2
  back lever	0,1
  dragonfly back	0,1
  elbow lever	0,1
  straddle elbow lever	0,1
  L sit	0,1

2. Skill (Coordination and Control)

This category evaluates how well you control your body in space. It includes everything related to coordination, balance, aerial elements, and body control.

🌀 What Counts as Skill?

• Releasing elements – e.g. swing 360, swing 540, frontflip regrab, kip, shrimp flip

• Dismounts – controlled landings or flips off the bar/parallettes

• Coordinated movements without release – e.g. giants, hip circles

• Balance elements – handstands, hollowbacks, one-arm handstand...

🧐 What to Watch Out For?

✅ Valid Execution of Releasing Elements:

• The move only counts if you regrasp the bar with both hands without touching the ground.

• If you catch the bar with one hand only, or your feet touch the ground during landing → point deduction.

• If you grab the bar with any body part other than hands (e.g. shoulder, elbow) → invalid execution.

Landings and Dismounts:

• After a dismount, only your feet are allowed to touch the ground.

• If you land on your hands, back, knees, or roll on the floor → point deduction.

• If your feet don’t touch the ground at all (e.g. somersault with a roll) → element does not count.

Movement Planes:

Skill difficulty increases with the number of movement planes used in your routine:

• Horizontal plane – swing 360, swing 540

• Sagittal plane – frontflip regrab, shrimp flip

• Frontal plane – frisbee, gainer

➡️ The more planes involved, the higher the value.

🕐 Air Time:

• Elements with longer time spent in the air are scored higher than those with short airtime.

• Examples: rotations like 360, 540, alley oop have higher value.

• In comparison, swing 180 has low air time and is scored lower.

📏 Body Position During Elements:

• Extended arms, legs, core, and overall body tightness → higher score.

• Bent limbs, wide legs, or poor form → lower score.

❌ Mistakes:

• If you fall or miss the regrasp, you get -1 point.

• Every failed attempt at a skill counts as a recorded fail.

• If you have 3 or more fails in one round, you can lose all combo points for that round.

3. Combos

This category separates good athletes from the best. It's not only about which elements you can perform, but how you can connect them into a smooth, creative, and technically clean sequence.

🧠 What Is a Combo?

A combo is a series of at least 3 elements connected without interruption (no stops on the ground or significant pauses on the bar or parallettes).

📌 If you perform only 2 elements → you earn 0 points for the combo (and no combo points even for the individual elements).

🔥 How to Score the Most Points?

1. Type of Combo:

➡️ Highest-scoring combos include:

• Strength → Skill (e.g. planche hold → handstand → swing 360)

• Skill → Strength (e.g. swing 540 → giant → front lever)

• 3 different elements across multiple categories

➡️ Lower-scoring combos include:

• Only 3 strength or only 3 skill elements in the combo

2. Movement Planes:

• Combining elements in different planes (e.g. sagittal → horizontal) increases the score

• If you perform rotations in opposite directions (e.g. swing 540 to the left → swing x360 to the right), you get bonus points

3. Smoothness and Flow:

• The smoother and more continuous the transitions, the higher the score

• Example: flowing around the bar with giants while integrating releasing moves or handstands = highly valuable

4. Number and Quality of Combos:

• More combos in your round are fine, but quality beats quantity

• Original and unique connections can break ties in scoring

5. Minimum Number of Subcategories:

➡️ In every round (qualification and battle), you must include:

• At least 5 subcategories from skill

• At least 5 subcategories from strength
  ❗ If you don’t meet this requirement → you may lose points, even with a strong routine

❌ Combo Mistakes:

• If you repeat an element in the same round → only the first execution counts

• 3 or more fails in a single round = 0 points for all combos

• Combo with fewer than 3 elements = 0 points (for that combo)

📊 6. Scoring Combos – Example:

According to the rules, points for combos are also awarded based on the specific combination of elements. For example:

• Element worth 0.2 + element worth 0.4 → +0.1 bonus

• Element 0.3 + 0.4 → +0.2 bonus

• 0.4 + 0.4 → +0.3 bonus

• 4 unique elements in one combo without using kip or bar roll → +0.5 bonus

➡️ Final scoring is always up to judge evaluation, based on execution, originality, and flow.

(Toto je orientačné – konečné hodnotenie závisí od skúsenosti poroty.)

⚠️ 7. Balance of Combos in the Routine

Your routine should maintain a balanced ratio between strength and skill elements. The more balanced the combination, the better your chances of scoring high.

➡️ In the case of a tie in total points, the athlete with a ratio closer to 50/50 will be favored.

🥊 What Will the New Competition Format Look Like?

The 2025 rules bring several changes to the overall competition structure. Let’s break it down step by step so you know exactly what to expect on stage.

🔹 1. Qualification – Everyone for Themselves

Each athlete has 2 minutes to perform their freestyle routine.
👉 The performance order is random.
👉 The top 8 athletes from each category advance to the next round.

🔹 2. Battle System – 1v1 Showdown

In the second round, athletes face off in 1-on-1 battles:

• 1st vs 8th

• 2nd vs 7th

• 3rd vs 6th

• 4th vs 5th

Each athlete performs 2 rounds of 1 minute, alternating after each minute.
🎤 The host announces who’s up next, and judges immediately decide the winner after each battle.
‼️ No ties, no delays – strict scoring applies.

🔹 3. Final – 4 Athletes in One Battle

The final is performed in a 4-athlete battle format:

• Each athlete has 2 rounds of 90 seconds

• They perform alternately, as announced by the host

• Judges then decide on the TOP 3 placements

📝 The qualification rankings are not revealed until the end of all rounds – performance comes first, not the order.

Judges – Who Decides Your Performance?

At the WSWCF World Championship, judging is ensured by an independent panel of qualified experts from the world of street workout and calisthenics. The rules clearly define how many judges are present, what they evaluate, and what their specific roles are in each competition round.

👥 How Many Judges Are There?

• A minimum of 4 judges must be present throughout the competition.

• In the semifinals (battles), 3 judges may evaluate performances.

• A supervisor is also present to ensure fairness and objectivity.

🎯 What Do They Evaluate?

Each judge is assigned to one of the following categories:

• Strength

• Skill

• Combos

The distribution of responsibilities depends on the round:

🔸 Qualification Round:

• Judge A – evaluates strength

• Judge B (female) and Judge C (male) – evaluate combos (their scores are averaged)

• Judge D – evaluates skill

🔸 Semifinals (Battle System):

• Judge C – evaluates strength (both men and women)

• Judge B – evaluates combos of women

• Judge D – evaluates combos of men

• Judge A – evaluates skill (both men and women)

🔸 Final:

• Judge D – evaluates strength

• Judges A and B – evaluate combos (scores are averaged)

• Judge C – evaluates skill

After the final, judges may hold a discussion if a more precise or fair decision is needed.

📜 Who Can Be a Judge?

• Must be a respected member of the street workout community

• Should have experience in leading or developing the sport, either nationally or internationally

• Must not be in a conflict of interest – they cannot compete or assist any athlete during the event

• Must have a deep understanding of strength, skill, and combo criteria, as roles may rotate between rounds

How Is Scoring Done?

At WSWCF competitions, judging is based on a transparent and systematic approach. Judges assign scores based on predefined criteria, and each performance category (strength, skill, combos) is evaluated individually.

🔢 Scoring Range:

• Judges give scores in the range of 0 to 5 points.

• Decimal values are allowed, e.g. 0.3, 2.7, 4.6...

• Higher scores = better performance in the respective category.

🧭 Judging Procedure:

🟠 Qualification Round:

• Each judge takes notes during the performance.

• Final scores are assigned only after all athletes have completed their routines.

• Purpose: to ensure fair and objective comparison between athletes.

🟢 Semifinals & Finals:

• Judges score in real-time, immediately after each battle.

• After the battle, all judges simultaneously reveal their winner.

• No abstaining or ties allowed – a clear decision must be made.

⚠️ Additional Scoring Factors:

➕ Balance Between Elements:

• A routine with a 50/50 ratio of strength and skill is considered ideal.

• If one element type dominates more than 60%, point deductions apply:

🟰 In Case of a Tie:

• If athletes have equal total points in qualification or finals:

  • Judges discuss and vote to determine the winner.

  • They refer to the official criteria to justify their decision.

  • The athlete with the more balanced routine and more original combos will be favored.

📣 Transparency:

• All qualification scores are published immediately after they are calculated.

• If an athlete wants to contest the results, they must submit a written request via email to the event organizer within 5 days after the competition.

🔁 Repeating Elements

At first glance, it may seem tempting to repeat a strong or flashy move multiple times during your performance. However, the WSWCF rules set clear limitations:

🛑 Each element can only be counted once per round.

So, for example, if you perform full planche twice during your qualification round:

• ✅ Only the first execution will be counted

• ❌ Repeating the same element will not earn you any additional points

This rule applies across all judged categories – strength, skill, and combos.

⚠️ Any Exceptions?

No – even if you repeat the same element within a different combo or in a different part of the routine, it still won’t be scored again.

If you want to maximize your score, focus on variety and creativity in your routine.

❌ Example: Planche with Different Grips

Even if the grip changes – such as underhand vs. overhand – it’s still considered the same element if the movement remains the same (e.g. full planche).

➡️ Only the first execution counts.
➡️ The second execution with a different grip will not be scored