How Does Degree of Difficulty Work in Aerials?

The Degree of Difficulty (DD) is a predetermined numerical value that the FIS assigns to every recognized aerial maneuver. It quantifies how complex a trick is by accounting for three main factors: the number of somersaults (single, double, or triple), the number of twists added within those somersaults, and the body position during the maneuver (tuck, pike, or layout).

A layout back somersault with no twists is among the simplest inverted maneuvers and carries a relatively low DD. Add a full twist and the DD increases. Stack two somersaults with twists in each and the DD rises further. At the extreme end, triple-somersault combinations with multiple twists push DD values above 5.0, representing maneuvers that only a handful of elite athletes in the world can perform.

The DD system serves a critical competitive purpose: it rewards athletes who attempt harder tricks in proportion to risk. However, the reward is conditional. Because the DD is a multiplier, a poorly executed high-difficulty jump can score lower than a cleanly executed easier one. This creates the fundamental strategic tension in aerials: athletes must weigh the potential reward of a higher DD against their ability to execute the maneuver cleanly enough to benefit from that multiplier.

The table below shows DD values from the FIS Aerial Jump Code and Degree of Difficulty Chart (23 June 2023) for common aerials maneuvers, ranging from basic single somersaults to the most difficult triple-somersault combinations performed at the elite level. In the jump code, b means back, and each somersault gets one letter: L (layout), T (tuck), P (pike) or F (one full twist in that somersault). A d or t before the F marks a double or triple twist in that somersault. So bF is one back somersault with one twist, bdF is one back somersault with two twists, and bFF is two back somersaults with a full twist in each. Single- and double-somersault jumps carry the same DD for men and women. For triples the women's DD is higher (the men's value × 1.06) and is shown in brackets.

Aerials scoring follows a precise, formula-driven process. A panel of five judges independently scores each jump in three components:

Air (up to 2.0 points, 20%) covers the take-off, height and distance. Form (up to 5.0 points, 50%) covers body position and the execution of somersaults and twists in the air. Landing (up to 3.0 points, 30%) evaluates the touchdown itself, impact absorption, balance, and the controlled outrun. Together, these three components give each judge a score from 0.0 to 10.0.

Once all five judges have scored, a trimming process is applied at the component level. Within each component (Air, Form and Landing separately), the highest and lowest of the five marks are dropped, and the three middle scores are kept and summed. The three component totals (up to 30.0 in all) make the execution total, which the FIS calls the Total Judges' Score.

Finally, the execution total is multiplied by the DD of the performed maneuver, and the result is truncated to two decimal places, with no rounding. This single multiplication is what makes the DD so strategically important: it amplifies both excellent and mediocre execution equally, rewarding clean technique on hard tricks and punishing sloppy form on easy ones.