# Question about rules. **URL:** \ **Category:** Yo-Yo Contests, Clubs, and Events\ **Created:** [June 10, 2014, 8:35pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/question-about-rules/66926 "2014-06-10T20:35:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![stuarttw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@stuarttw](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/stuarttw)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2014, 8:35pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/question-about-rules/66926/1 "2014-06-10T20:35:33Z")
Let’s say you’re at a contest that has an X-divison (2a and 3a let’s suppose.) Are you allowed to switch from one division to another intentionally without getting a major deduct? ---
**Author:** ![basepi](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/basepi/32/620611_2.png) [@basepi](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/basepi)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2014, 10:47pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/question-about-rules/66926/2 "2014-06-10T22:47:55Z")
Are you talking mid-freestyle or something? ---
**Author:** ![stuarttw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@stuarttw](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/stuarttw)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 12:00am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/question-about-rules/66926/3 "2014-06-11T00:00:45Z")
> [@basepi](#): > > Are you talking mid-freestyle or something? yeah ---
**Author:** ![basepi](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/basepi/32/620611_2.png) [@basepi](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/basepi)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 4:43am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/question-about-rules/66926/4 "2014-06-11T04:43:40Z")
> [@stuarttw](#): > > yeah I don’t know the rule on that. I think the intention is to only play one style in those divisions, the only reason they combine them is to make it so there’s more than one or two competing. I would expect a heavy dock for switching, but definitely could be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Shai\_Hulud](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/shai_hulud/32/1521_2.png) [@Shai\_Hulud](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/Shai_Hulud)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 5:37am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/question-about-rules/66926/5 "2014-06-11T05:37:55Z")
I imagine you could start doing 1A tricks with a 5A yo-yo without deducts. Or use a 5A yo-yo and just mix 1A tricks throughout. If you had to switch yo-yos that’s something else. Best to contact judges of the competition though. ---
**Author:** ![stuarttw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@stuarttw](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/stuarttw)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 11:57am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/question-about-rules/66926/6 "2014-06-11T11:57:03Z")
> [@Shai\_Hulud](#): > > I imagine you could start doing 1A tricks with a 5A yo-yo without deducts. Or use a 5A yo-yo and just mix 1A tricks throughout. If you had to switch yo-yos that’s something else. > > Best to contact judges of the competition though. Except I’m not doing 5a or 1a lol it’s 4a and 3a and a substyle of 3a. ---
**Author:** ![Mrjackthepoodle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@Mrjackthepoodle](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/Mrjackthepoodle)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 12:19pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/question-about-rules/66926/7 "2014-06-11T12:19:44Z")
> [@stuarttw](#): > > Except I’m not doing 5a or 1a lol it’s 4a and 3a and a substyle of 3a. I’m not sure on the rules but I would love to see a video of someone mixing styles. I think it would be great Stuart. Hopefully you can do it, I think it would score high. ---
**Author:** ![Yossarian](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/yossarian/32/1006_2.png) [@Yossarian](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/Yossarian)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 12:35pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/question-about-rules/66926/8 "2014-06-11T12:35:08Z")
Every contest is free to set its own rules, so you should always check with the specific contest website/organizers/judges to be sure if you have any doubt. In the past at least, it has been pretty common to allow switching between styles in X divisions without any penalty. For example, the Worlds combined division consisted of an aerial freestyle (4A/5A), a two-handed freestyle (2A/3A), and a 1A freestyle, and competitors were allowed to and sometimes did switch between 4A/5A and 2A/3A in those respective freestyles without penalty. This was pretty typical for X divisions, so I would think there is a good chance it would still be the case if you enter a contest now with an X division. The caveat to that is that changing yoyos intentionally didn’t used to be a deduction at all (at least at Worlds, which was the model for scoring for most other contests). That has changed to penalizing any yoyo change since it was not always practical for judges to determine whether a discarded yoyo was planned or do to an error. So a contest now might also apply that to changing between styles for X division. There’s not really any guideline in the current Worlds rules for that since Worlds doesn’t have combined or X divisions anymore, so I wouldn’t count on one blanket rule covering all contests at this point. ---
**Author:** ![stuarttw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@stuarttw](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/stuarttw)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 3:03pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/question-about-rules/66926/9 "2014-06-11T15:03:08Z")
Okey dokey. Anyone the contest I’m thinking of doesn’t even necessarily have an X-division it’s just a guess. ---
**Author:** ![basepi](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/basepi/32/620611_2.png) [@basepi](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/basepi)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 4:12pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/question-about-rules/66926/10 "2014-06-11T16:12:40Z")
> [@Shai\_Hulud](#): > > Best to contact judges of the competition though. I think this is the best advice on the thread. ---
**Author:** ![stuarttw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@stuarttw](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/stuarttw)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 4:36pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/question-about-rules/66926/11 "2014-06-17T16:36:12Z")
I have another question: which scores higher, 3a or 4a? ---
**Author:** ![basepi](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/basepi/32/620611_2.png) [@basepi](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/basepi)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 6:20pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/question-about-rules/66926/12 "2014-06-17T18:20:41Z")
> [@stuarttw](#): > > I have another question: which scores higher, 3a or 4a? Assuming that they’re in the same division? I would assume that the judging was set up such that they would both score equal, given tricks of the same difficulty in each division, that way either a 3a or a 4a player could win the division. ---
**Author:** ![stuarttw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@stuarttw](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/stuarttw)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 6:21pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/question-about-rules/66926/13 "2014-06-17T18:21:11Z")
> [@basepi](#): > > Assuming that they’re in the same division? I would assume that the judging was set up such that they would both score equal, given tricks of the same difficulty in each division, that way either a 3a or a 4a player could win the division. Well, yeah, cuz you’re more apt to lose yoyos in 4a ---
**Author:** ![Rixtify](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/rixtify/32/16_2.png) [@Rixtify](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/Rixtify)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 6:22pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/question-about-rules/66926/14 "2014-06-17T18:22:53Z")
it’s allowed, people like Petr Kavka do 5A, 4A, and 3A in his X Division routines ---
**Author:** ![Shai\_Hulud](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/shai_hulud/32/1521_2.png) [@Shai\_Hulud](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/Shai_Hulud)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2014, 5:00am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/question-about-rules/66926/15 "2014-06-22T05:00:17Z")
> [@stuarttw](#): > > I have another question: which scores higher, 3a or 4a? Whatever you’re better at? Basepi makes a good point, though. 4A routines usually involve massive deductions. Even players who are quite good tend to drop the yo-yo a few times in their routines.