Degree of difficulty (DD, sometimes called tariff or grade) is a concept used in several

sport Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, ...

s and other competitions to indicate the technical difficulty of a skill, performance, or course, often as a factor in scoring. Sports which incorporate a degree of difficulty in scoring include bouldering,

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreatio ...

, diving,

equestrianism Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding (Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the ...

figure skating Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, when contested at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic disciplines are me ...

freestyle skiing Freestyle skiing is a skiing discipline comprising aerials, moguls, cross, half-pipe, slopestyle and big air as part of the Winter Olympics. It can consist of a skier performing aerial flips and spins and can include skiers sliding rails an ...

gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, s ...

rhythmic gymnastics Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which gymnasts perform on a floor with an apparatus: hoop, ball, clubs, ribbon. The sport combines elements of gymnastics, dance and calisthenics; gymnasts must be strong, flexible, agile, dexterous and coord ...

surfing Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitable ...

synchronized swimming Synchronized swimming (in British English, synchronised swimming) or artistic swimming is a sport where swimmers perform a synchronized choreographed routine, accompanied by music. The sport is governed internationally by FINA (the ''Fédérati ...

and

trampoline A trampoline is a device consisting of a piece of taut, strong fabric stretched between a steel frame using many coiled springs. Not all trampolines have springs, as the Springfree Trampoline uses glass-reinforced plastic rods. People bounce o ...

. Degree of difficulty is typically intended to be an objective measure, in sports whose scoring may also rely on subjective judgments of performance.

By sport

Diving

The International Swimming Federation computes the degree of difficulty of dives according to a five-part formula, incorporating height, number of

somersault A somersault (also ''flip'', ''heli'', and in gymnastics ''salto'') is an acrobatic exercise in which a person's body rotates 360° around a horizontal axis with the feet passing over the head. A somersault can be performed forwards, backwards ...

s and twists, positioning, approach, and entry. The total judges' score is multiplied by the dive's degree of difficulty to determine the total score.

Figure skating

, each jump element is assigned a base value, reflective of its difficulty. These base values take into account factors including the number of rotations and edges used. When skaters perform a jump element, it is identified by the technical panel. For each element identified, the judging panel assigns a grade of execution (GOE) score ranging from -5 to 5 based on its execution by the skater. The GOE score is then added to or subtracted from the jump element's base value to determine a total score for each element. The sum of scores for each element performed forms the technical score component of the skater's total score.

Freestyle skiing

In the

discipline of aerials, the

International Ski Federation The ''Fédération internationale de ski et de snowboard'' (FIS; en, International Ski and Snowboard Federation) is the highest international governing body for skiing and snowboarding. Founded on 2 February 1924 in Chamonix, France during the ...

pre-assigns a degree of difficulty score for each jump ranging from 2.050 to 5.000 for men and 2.050 to 5.300 for women. Each total judge's score is multiplied by the jump's degree of difficulty to determine a competitor's final score. A greater number of flips and twists increases degree of difficulty scores for jumps.

Gridiron football

In American football, kicking a

field goal A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ba ...

is worth three points regardless of the distance from which it is kicked; however, the distance plays into the likelihood that a field goal is successfully scored. For instance, from 30 yards out, there is roughly a 95% chance of success, compared to 65% from 50 yards. In fantasy football, the degree of difficulty for a field goal factors into scoring, by awarding more points for longer field goals: 3 points for 17-39 yards; 4 points for 40-49 yards; 5 points for 50-59 yards; and 6 points for 60 or more yards.

Gymnastics

artistic gymnastics Artistic gymnastics is a discipline of gymnastics in which athletes perform short routines on different apparatuses. The sport is governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), which designs the Code of Points and regulates ...

, each skill is assigned a letter grade and difficulty value ranging from 0.1 to 1.0 by the

International Gymnastics Federation The International Gymnastics Federation (French: Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique, FIG) is the body governing all disciplines of competitive gymnastics. Its headquarters is in Lausanne, Switzerland. It was founded on July 23, 1881, in ...

(FIG) based on the '' Code of Points''. The eight highest-rated skills performed by women or the ten highest-rated skills moves performed by men are counted to give the difficulty score component of the final score. An exception to this is the vault event where each move has a pre-determined difficulty score. In

, each skill is also assigned a letter grade and difficulty value. However, the difficulty score is based on every skill performed during the routine, rather than the eight or ten highest-rated skills like in artistic gymnastics. Degree of difficulty is also enhanced by connecting skills together in combination.

Trampoline

The FIG gives difficulty points for number of

s, number of body twists and the body position in somersaults ( piked or straight). The total sum of the individual elements forms the difficulty score component of competitor's final score: * Each 1/4 rotation of a somersault = 0.1 DD * Completed 360° somersault (bonus) = 0.1 DD * Each 1/2 twist = 0.1 DD * Single somersaults without twist in pike/straight position = 0.1 DD * Somersaults over 720° in pike/straight position = 0.2 DD

Other sports

Grade (bouldering) In the sport of bouldering, problems are assigned technical grades according to several established systems, which are often distinct from those used in roped climbing. Bouldering grade systems vary widely in use and include the Hueco "V" grad ...

Grade (climbing) In rock climbing, mountaineering, and other climbing disciplines, climbers give a grade to a climbing route or boulder problem, intended to describe concisely the difficulty and danger of climbing it. Different types of climbing (such as spor ...

* International Scale of River Difficulty

References

{{reflist Broad-concept articles Terminology used in multiple sports Sports rules and regulations Sports articles needing expert attention Gymnastics articles needing expert attention Water sports articles needing expert attention