What makes a high-scoring run in BMX freestyle?
I · Intermediate · The run · 1 of 3The whole run, more than any one trick. The regulations say the overall composition matters most: the sequence of tricks, the risk taken and how the rider uses the course. For the park they list eleven things, from difficulty and height to landings and execution. No trick has a fixed value.
How it works
- Most important: "The overall composition of the runs", meaning the sequences of tricks, the amount of risk and how the rider uses the course.
- Park criteria: difficulty; height; flow; originality and versatility; style; progression; variety of tricks; risk; landings; use of the course; execution.
- Difficulty: "not only the tricks performed but also the placement of the tricks within the course and the combinations used".
- Height: the amplitude of the tricks.
- Variety: "a good mix of standard airs, rotations, grinds".
- Flatland criteria: difficulty and risk; flow and style; originality and versatility; consistency; variety; control of the tricks; bike control; execution.
- Not a closed list: each list is "including, but not limited to".
- Each run on its merits: judges must put aside "style preferences, or past performances".
- Errors: falls and stops are weighed as well.
The glossary has BMX freestyle, the park, flatland and the jump.
Tricky cases
Does the hardest trick win?
No, not by itself. Difficulty is one of eleven criteria, and the overall composition is what matters most.
Does it matter where in the park a trick is done?
Yes. Difficulty includes the placement of the tricks within the course, and use of the course is a criterion of its own.
Is a rider marked on reputation?
No. Judges must set aside past performances and judge each run on its own merits.
Does repeating the same trick three times score three times?
No. Variety of tricks is a criterion, and nothing in the rules gives a trick a value to add up.
Why the rule exists
If each trick had a price, every run would be the same string of the most expensive ones. Judging the whole run keeps room for riders with different strengths, such as height, technical tricks on the rails or a line nobody else saw, and makes the park itself part of the test.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Park | Eleven listed criteria, including height and use of the course | UCI 6bis.6.027 |
| Flatland | Eight listed criteria, including consistency and bike control | UCI 6bis.6.027 |
| Best trick contest | An optional extra with rules the organiser sets | UCI 6bis.6.012 |
From the rule book
Union Cycliste Internationale, Cycling Regulations, Part 6bis: BMX Freestyle Competitions (JCF edition 2025, amendments to 1 January 2026), articles 6bis.6.012, 6bis.6.025 and 6bis.6.027. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: UCI Cycling Regulations, Part 6bis (PDF).