How does synchronised trampoline work?
I · Intermediate · Synchronised, tumbling and double mini-trampoline · 5 of 7Two gymnasts on two trampolines perform the same ten elements at the same time. A device measures how closely their landings match, and that synchronisation mark, out of 20, takes the place of time of flight. If the two perform different elements, or land 0.4 seconds or more apart, the exercise is interrupted.
How it works
- The same element: "Partners must do the same element at the same time".
- The same way round: they "must start facing in the same direction". Twists need not go the same way.
- Pairs: two men, two women or, where the event is included, one of each.
- The formula: "Score = E (max. 10 pts) + H (max. 10 pts) + S (max. 20 pts) + D - P".
- Synchronisation: deductions for landing apart are taken from 10.0, and the result is doubled.
- Measured: by an electronic device, under the chair of the judges' panel.
- Too far apart: a difference in landing of 0.400 seconds or more is an interruption.
- Different elements: an interruption. That includes one partner in a tuck and the other piked where the two are different elements.
- Execution: three judges watch each trampoline. Each gymnast's middle deduction is taken and the pair's are averaged.
- Displacement: the two gymnasts' deductions are averaged for each element.
- The finish: both take an out-bounce or both stop. One of each costs 0.4.
- The same dress: partners must wear identical uniform, and both wear shorts or both trousers.
- The format: the same rounds as the individual event.
The glossary has synchronised trampoline, the trampoline scoring entry, the trampoline exercise, the horizontal displacement, the time of flight and the Chair of Judges Panel.
Tricky cases
One partner twists left and the other right. Is that a different element?
No. Twists do not need to be in the same direction.
One partner's exercise is interrupted at the sixth element. What happens to the pair?
The pair's exercise is interrupted there. Once one has stopped, the two are no longer performing the same element.
One gymnast stops dead and the other takes an out-bounce. Is that penalised?
Yes, by 0.4. It is not penalised if the second only partly stops and loses at least half the height.
Can a gymnast compete in two pairs?
Yes, in one men's or women's pair and one mixed pair.
Why the rule exists
The event tests whether two gymnasts can match height, which is harder than matching movements: a pair that jumps to different heights drifts apart in time within a few elements. That is why the mark is taken from the landings and why it replaces time of flight. Maximum height no longer helps if the partner cannot match it.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Synchronised | S out of 20 in place of time of flight. E out of 10 | FIG TRA 17.2.9.2 |
| Individual | E out of 20, with time of flight | FIG TRA 17.2.9.1 |
| Qualification | At most two pairs from a federation in the second round and one in the final | FIG TRA 1.1 |
| Noise | Counts as a disturbance only if it stops the pair hearing each other | FIG TRA 4.3.2 |
From the rule book
Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique, Code of Points 2025-2028, Trampoline Gymnastics, Trampoline, articles 3, 5.6, 14.5.3, 15.1.9, 16.6 and 17.2. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: 2025-2028 Code of Points, Trampoline Gymnastics (PDF).