How are Wushu Taolu Scored?

Have you ever wondered what the numbers in Wushu scoring meant? Today we will be looking at how the USAWKF Junior Team Trials scores athletes.

In the image above, we see Alex Cao’s score during an event at the 2022 Team Trials. In this case, since Alex competes in boys group A, there is only a group A scoring and a group B scoring. Group A evaluates quality of movements, while group B evaluates overall performance. There can also be an additional group C scoring for Nandu, or difficulty of jumps. Group A is worth 5 points, group B is worth 3 if there is a C scoring, or 5 points if there is no C scoring. C scores are worth 2 points. Each group scoring has dedicated judges who will examine that specific aspect of an athlete’s performance.

Lets start with group A scoring. Athletes start with 5 points in this category, but can lose from 0.1 up to 0.3 points from each deduction. In Alex’s case, he receives a code 50 deduction, taking away 0.1 from his overall score. The rule book has a table telling us which deduction correlates with each number, and here Alex gets deducted for his Bow stance.

For group B scoring, there are 3 levels of scoring(Superior, Average, Inferior) each with 3 degrees of their own. Each degree is assigned a score range, which judges choose from. 5 judges score this category, omitting the highest and lowest score, taking the average of the other three. Since there is no C group in Alex’s event, he can get a max of 5 points in his B score.

In Group C scoring, points are awarded for both difficulty jumps and difficulty connections. Competitors must submit a nandu sheet outlining their list of movements and connections. Different jumps are worth different maximum points. Judges decide whether to give points for nandu depending on the adequacy of the execution.

The Group A and Group B scores(also group C depending on event) add up together into the athlete’s final score. Alex’s performance results in an excellent score of 9.040, great job!