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Combo and Sequence

Thanks to a certain dude named Yuzuru Hanyu who recently performed a quad toe loop - triple Axel thing in his free skate, my inbox / private messages are full of people who are baffled by jump combinations and jump sequences (thanks, Yuzu, for complicating our lives, what would we ever do without you). I don’t blame you guys, because the IJS’s take on this topic, as it goes in the technical handbook, is, at best, confusing, and at worst, total mumbo-jumbo to anyone who isn’t fluent in ISU-speak (it’s an esoteric cousin who only vaguely resembles English).

So, below, you will find my attempt at translating ISU-speak into everyday English, regarding combos and sequences, what their definitions are, what rules apply to them, and how they are scored.

The Definition

Now, in the common figure skating nomenclature, a jump combination and a jump sequence both refer to a group of two or more jumps performed in succession. The difference between a combination and a sequence is whether or not there is a change of edge between the landing of the first jump and the takeoff of the second jump, and between the second and third jump, so on. If there is no change of edge, it’s a combination, if there is at least one change of edge, it’s a sequence.

I’ve talked about the most common jump combinations in this post so feel free to go through it if you need to refresh your knowledge. 

As for jump sequences, up until last season, the ISU used to accept just about everything, as long as (1) the jumps are connected by only a hop or an unlisted jump, (2) the rhythm is maintained, and (3) there is no obvious turn/step/skating movement in between. So this one, for example, would have qualified as a sequence:

That’s a 4T+1Lo+4T Yuzu attempted for fun (yeah, right) back in the Worlds 2017 gala finale. A question might pop up here about why I do not call it a jump combination even though it looked like one. The answer is: because the half-loop was landed on the left back inside edge, and Yuzu’s second quad toe was taken off from the right back outside edge, so there was a change of edge involved in that cluster. If he had followed it up with a quad Salchow then that would have been a combo.

From the 2018-2019 season, however, the ISU has narrowed down their definition of jump sequences to include only clusters which contain one listed jump, followed by one step, followed by an Axel. That step in between must be a direct move from the landing curve of the first jump (right back outside) to the takeoff curve of the Axel (left forward outside). The final product is something that looks like this:

Quad toe, landed on right back outside >> one direct step to left forward outside >> triple Axel takeoff. 

The key things to keep in mind about this new requirement are (1) a sequence cannot contain more than 2 jumps, (2) the second jump, obviously, has to be an Axel, and (3) crucially, only a direct step is allowed between the jumps.

No.3 is crucial because under that rule, a sequence like this

, performed with a small hop in between the first jump and the Axel, is no longer valid as a jump sequence. So in that 4T+3A sequence Yuzu did in Origin, the 3A is actually one level more difficult than the ones he used to do previously in ice shows, since he had to take off for it a lot faster, with no breathing room to steady himself in between.

Scoring Principle

The base value of a jump combination is the sum total of base value of all jumps in the combination. The scale of value used to convert its raw GOE into final GOE is the SOV of the jump with the highest BV in the combination, after edge calls and under-rotations calls (if any) have been taken into account. Pretty straightforward, right? The BV of a 3F+3T combo is (5.30 for the 3F + 4.20 for the 3T) = 9.60 points. The SOV applied on that combo is the SOV of a 3F, from -2.65 minimum to +2.65 maximum. If, however, the 3F is called as either under-rotated or wrong edge, its BV would be reduced to 3.98, which is lower than the value of a fully rotated 3T, so the GOE for a 3Fe+3T combo would be converted to final score using the SOV of a 3T, ranging from -2.10 to +2.10.

The base value of a jump sequence is the sum total of the jumps’ BV multiplied by 80%, presumably because sequences are on the whole easier than combinations, or at least that’s what the ISU believes. Same principle on SOV applies.

The Requirement / Limitation

Short Program

At the senior level, a short program must include a combination of 

For the men: 4-3, 4-2, 3-3, 3-2

For the ladies: 3-3 or 3-2

These choices are all reversible, because under the IJS, the order of the jumps in a combo doesn’t matter, i.e., a 2T+4T is basically regarded as the same as a 4T+2T (yeah I know, it’s not the most logical thing in the world to assume but here we are) so a 2-3 combo, for example, is also a legal jumping pass.  

Any jump outside of these options is considered invalid. Invalid jumps get marked with an asterisk (*) in the protocol and receive no credit. A few common scoring cases where you can see the impact of this rule: 

Case 1: A lady performs a quad-triple in her SP. She’d get zero BV for the quad.

Case 2: A skater performs a three-jump combination in their SP, say, 3-3-3. The extra jump would receive zero BV.

Case 3: A skater attempts a triple-triple in their SP, but pops the second triple into a single (like what Alina did the other day in her SP at GP Helsinki). The single jump is invalidated and receives zero BV.

Case 4: A skater performs a 2-2 in their SP. The double jump with the lower BV, after consideration of edge and under-rotation calls, will be invalidated. 

Case 5: A skater fails to put any of their non-Axel jumps into a combination (like what happened to Zhenya at Skate Canada). During the performance, the technical panel would mark the second solo jump as receiving zero BV (which is what you’d see in the TES tracker in the TV broadcast). After the performance, the technical panel would identify which of the two solo jumps was intended as a combo, and if there is no way to tell which, they’d pick the latter jump. That jump would be marked with a +COMBO note on the protocol

Case 6: A skater lands their first jump, does an invalid movement in between, (e.g., stumbling, touching down with the hands/knees - anything that involves a “weight transfer”, per ISU terminology, off the landing foot) then takes off for their second jump (like Yuzuru did in his SP at Worlds 2017). That cluster is marked as first jump+COMBO+second jump, and the jump performed after the invalid movement receives no credit.

Note that two three-turns in between the jumps actually count as an acceptable movement and keep the cluster within the definition of a combo. See Shoma’s 3S+2T in his Worlds 2018 SP for example: that was still counted as a combo, so no +COMBO mark on his protocol, though he did receive negative GOE for the error.

In conjunction with the Zayak rule, there are a couple more implications:

If any jump in the combo has been performed earlier as a solo jump, it’s invalidated. For example if a guy pops his planned quad toe in to a triple, and then performs a quad Sal-triple toe for his combo, the triple toe is invalidated. 

As a sole exception to the Zayak rule, it is considered a legal move if a skater repeats jump within a combo. So 3T+3T and 3Lo+3Lo are accepted as valid combos in a SP.

One important thing to note is that, since the SP rules have very specific requirement for combos, any combo not meeting the requirement is automatically given a -5 in final GOE, regardless of how well the element by itself was performed. So the combos in cases 3, 4, 5, 6 above would all get the maximum GOE reduction. I’ve never seen case 1 and 2 in a real competition so I can’t say with 100% certainty, but my guess is if they happen, they’d also warrant a default -5 in GOE.

On another note, a frequently asked question I receive on this topic is: are skaters allowed to perform an Axel combination in a SP. The answer is: yes, provided that the Axel in combination is different from the Axel performed as the Axel-type jump. A lady, if she wants to, can perform a SP with a 3A, a 2A+3T, plus one non-Axel triple. A guy (regardless of whether or not his name starts with a Y and ends with a U) is allowed to do a SP layout of 3A, 2A+3T (or 2A solo, 3A+3T), plus, in the extreme case, a 4A as his solo jump - totally legal.

Free Skate

The free skate is, well, obviously, freer when it comes to combo/sequence regulations. A skater can have up to 3 combos and/or sequences in their FS. Do note that it is “up to 3”, meaning that it is not a strict requirement. A FS with no combination is completely legal.

Combos in the FS can include any jumps of any number of revolutions, so a 4-1 performed in a FS will be given the full combined BV of the quad and the single.

Out of the 3 combos/sequences, only 1 is allowed to contain 3 jumps. And, as per the new ISU definition of jump sequences, a 3-jump cluster has got to be a combo in order to be valid.

There is no rule against the repetition of jump combo, as long as such repetition does not violate the Zayak rule, so you’d see a few ladies performing two 3Lz+3T combos in one FS (Wakaba for example). 

Still, there are a few circumstances when a skater can get their combo jumps invalidated in a FS:

Case 1: The skater performs two 3-jump combos. The last jump in the latter combo is invalidated. 

Case 2: The skater repeats a quad or a triple jump without being able to put it in combination. This case actually falls more under the Zayak rule, but anyway, the treatment is that extra solo jump will be marked with a +REP, and receives only 70% of its BV. 

Case 3: The skater performs more than 3 combos/sequences. The extra combo/sequence will be marked with a +REP. Only the first jump in this combo/sequence will be given credit and all the subsequent jumps are invalidated. Moreover, since there is a +REP sign, the credit given is only 70% of the first jump’s BV. So, if Yuzu goes batshit crazy one day and performs, say, the Seimei v1.0 layout, but with a 3Lz+2T to end his program instead of the solo 3Lz, that combo would be marked down as 3Lz+2T*+REP and would earn him only 70% of the value of a 3Lz.

Case 4: The skater performs an invalid movement (the definition for these is the same as in the SP, discussed above) in between the jumps in the combo/sequence. The combo is marked as first jump+SEQ+second jump, and the jump performed after the invalid movement receives zero BV. For example, see this combo by Alexei Bychenko in his FS at Worlds 2018. 

You do want to remember this peculiar marking, because in a protocol, the placement of that +SEQ matters. A combo like Alexei did is marked as 3A+SEQ+2T*, which means that (1) he got no credit for the 2T and (2) his cluster was counted as a sequence, as a result of which he only received 80% of the 3A’s BV. 

A valid sequence, on the other hand, will have the +SEQ note at the end, so in Yuzu’s FS protocol from GP Helsinki, you’d see a 4T+3A+SEQ, which means it was a legal move, no part of the cluster was invalidated, and he got the full BV of a sequence for it, which was (9.50 for the 4T + 8.00 for the 3A) x 80% (sequence discount) x 1.1 (highlight distribution bonus) = 15.40 points.

One final thing to note (yes, FINAL, finally) is that, since combos in a FS are optional, unlike the +COMBO sign in the SP, both the +REP and the +SEQ+ signs in the FS do not mandate the maximum negative GOE. Those jumps/combos will be evaluated according to the standard GOE guidelines, with consideration for both positive and negative features.

And that was all I could think of for now. Re-reading it, I realized it was maybe probably very likely too much information but I’m unfortunately too lazy to trim it down. Hope this at least helps a little bit, if not, I apologize for yet another wall of text. Here’s a pwetty Yuzu combo to mentally compensate you:

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The Minneapolis police are back to publicly being terrorists now that George Floyd’s death is out of the media cycle.

Directly from the article:

Bayle Adod Gelle was deep in sleep late Wednesday night at his home in Eden Prairie when he heard loud banging on the door.

The intensity of the sound at 2:15 a.m. left Bayle confused. He trudged down the stairs from his second-floor bedroom. As soon as he reached the living room, he found his wife there—surrounded by more than a dozen officers from the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office. The officers allegedly pointed their guns at him and his wife, Bayle said, and then tied their hands tightly with a cord.

Awakened by the bangs and commotion, three children—ages 4, 7, and 9— joined their parents in the living room. Officers allegedly pointed guns at them, too, Bayle said.

“I felt very scared,” Bayle said in an interview with Sahan Journal at his home Thursday evening, some 14 hours after the police raid. “I thought they were going to kill us.”

The police search felt like it took forever—maybe two hours, he said. Bayle kept asking the officers who they were and why they’d come to his house. (In the end, the police appear to have found nothing, and took no evidence with them, Bayle said.)

They told him “shut up,” he recalled.

Bayle said the officers ransacked the house and never showed him a search warrant— until the end. That’s when they told him his son had been killed.

Bayle said that until that moment, he had no idea that nearly 8 hours earlier Minneapolis Police officers had fatally shot his 23-year-old son, Dolal Bayle Idd, in an altercation at a Holiday gas station in south Minneapolis. It was the first police killing in Minneapolis since Officer Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd about a dozen blocks away.

Here’s the full article

they had to move out of their house on new year’s eve to a nearby mosque.

please share, I haven’t seen anyone talking about this

[smol-angry-bee]

in grade 6 and every time we had a movie day or class party id ask my mom for a can of doctor pepper but i had to keep it in my backpack and it always got shaken up and would explode when i opened it bcus we all know dr pepper has much more chaos inside the can than any other soda and anyways my whole class instinctively knew every time that my doctor pepper would explode and we'd have to pause the movie and clean it up and id usually be covered in dr pepper for the rest of the day and be super embarrassed and this happened to me about twelve times throughout the year. you might be wondering why i couldnt keep my dr pepper in my locker until we watched the movie and its because i didnt have a locker in grade six after i left a piece of pumpkin pie that my teacher gave me in there for a month and it rotted and molded so bad and there were maggots everywhere so one day i locked the locker and refused to open it ever again so for a whole year i carried all my stuff around because i was afraid to go to admin and tell them about my maggot pie because someone started a rumor that if the principle figured out you did something bad she would lock you down in the basement storage room that was infamous for having a giant rat that lived inside of it and i was afraid of rats after seeing ratatouille because i thought a rat might climb inside my hair and start controlling me and force me to do things i didnt want to do like make soup

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George Floyd - change.org

George Floyd - amnesty.org

George Floyd - colorofchange.org

Get The Officers Charged

Charge All Four Officers

Breonna Taylor - moveon.org

Breonna Taylor - colorofchange.org

Breonna Taylor - justiceforbreonna.org

Breonna Taylor - change.org

Breonna Taylor - thepetitionsite.com

Ahmaud Arbery - change.org

Ahmaud Arbery - change.org 2

Ahmaud Arbery - change.org 3

Justice for Oluwatoyin Salau

Pass The Georgia Hate Crime Bill

Defund MPD

Life Sentence For Police Brutality

Regis Korchinski - change.org

Tete Gulley - change.org

Tony McDade - change.org

Tony McDade - actionnetwork.org

Tony McDade - thepetitionsite.com

Joao Pedro - change.org

Julius Jones - change.org

Belly Mujinga - change.org

Willie Simmons - change.org

Hands Up Act - change.org

National Action Against Police Brutality

Kyjuanzi Harris - change.org

Alejandro Vargas Martinez - change.org

Censorship Of Police Brutality In France

Sean Reed - change.org

Sean Reed - change.org 2

Kendrick Johnson - change.org

Tamir Rice - change.org

Tamir Rice - change.org 2

Fire Racist Criminal From The NYPD

Jamee Johnson - organizefor.org

Darius Stewart - change.org

Darius Stewart - moveon.org

Abolish Prison Labor

Free Siyanda - change.org

Chrystul Kizer - change.org

Chrystul Kizer - change.org 2

Andile Mchunu (Bobo) - change.org

Eric Riddick - change.org

Amiya Braxton - change.org

Emerald Black - change.org

Elijah Nichols - change.org

Zinedine Karabo Gioia - change.org

Angel Bumpass - change.org

Sheku Bayoh - change.org

Angel DeCarlo - change.org

Sandra Bland - change.org

Sherrie Walker - change.org

Darrien Hunt - change.org

Cornelius Fredericks - change.org

Elijah McClain - change.org

James Scurlock - change.org

Darren Rainey- change.org

http://www.pb-resources.com/

https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/

Do something!

[smol-angry-bee]

[smol-angry-bee]

So today I went to the straight pride event in Boston. I spent a lot of my time handing out water and snacks to counter protesters.

During this time counter protesters were arrested, people were pepper sprayed, a friend of mine had a police bike slammed into her throat twice.

A Trump supporter stalked someone through the crowd and grabbed someone and started a physical altercation.

A cop at one point shook his pepper spray in my face. It wasn't until I pulled out my phone that he walked away.

At another instance a cop stood in front of me with his hand on his gun.

When the protest ended the cops pushed us away from the straight pride people using force. They used a barricade of their bikes. I was chatting with my friend collecting water when suddenly I heard screams, people running, and I felt pepper spray sprinkle my face. People were being carried away from the police to have milk poured in their eyes. At least 5 people were sprayed in that instance. Eventually someone was hit by a police motorcycle. At some point a tourist group got hit by pepper spray getting a child. A child was pepper sprayed.

All of this happened across the street from the Holocaust Memorial and along the freedom trail.

[smol-angry-bee]

Holy shit.... Never Again Action (the group who started #JewsAgainstICE) had an ICE detention truck drive through them while they were shutting down Wayne Detention Center in Rhode Island this evening (August 14th).

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I care far too much about this to lose it in my repost dump blog so it’s going here so I can educate myself later

Americans: how many of you were actually taught about the USA’s genocidal war against the Philippines in school?

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i just want to speak every language ever, is that too much to ask

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Power move

Russia gently removing America’s glasses before punching him in the face.

[smol-angry-bee]

The umbrella academy is great- and Klaus is awesome!

Edit:// feel free to colour the third one in if you want!!! Just tag me (my Instagram is @/yoguart296)

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Can we please talk about—

This

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truly

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Happy Valentine’s Day!!!

[smol-angry-bee]

hey fuck trump!!!!! just fuck that guy! Fuck That Guy, 2020

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Some 30 second studies of students in my class courtesy of my phone not working!