Event
Floor exercise
Skill type
Turn
Known as
Double L turn
Leg-up double turn
About
I’m here to report a tragedy. It seems that gymnasts have finally discovered that they can use the optional technique of holding the leg while bent through the two turns, instead of doing a double L turn. Inexplicably, the two skills receive the same value. The bent-leg technique is most charitably called “front attitude” and least charitably called “ugly uglitude.” It is very bad and horrible.
Anyway, the double L is an exceptionally popular element on floor for those looking to get D value out of dance elements instead of nasty old tumbling passes. It is a risky composition choice because a turn in which both twists are not fully completed with the leg at horizontal is liable to be downgraded to a B, a devastating blow to intended difficulty score, as the Russian team knows quite well. Whereas even if a tumbling pass is poor, it’s still likely to get full difficulty credit.
Value
D