Why are out of bounds deductions a bad thing? Being able to do difficult tumbles with a minimal run is a significant differentiator between good and great
It's not so black and white.
A) TONS of gymnasts go out of bounds with reasonable runs on combinations passes as it is. The minute you do a 1.5 stepout, you're risking going out of bounds. Taller gymnasts have a much tougher time and have to cut some passes down compared to the shorter gymnasts.
B) MAG does not even have indirect combination passes because so many guys can't fit them on the floor. It's just not fair.
C) If you take a big step back, you already are getting slammed 0.3 or maybe more if it's multiple steps. We need a deduction for going out of bounds, yes, but why do SOOOO many passes need to push the boundary lines.
D) If you are crooked, you already are getting penalized for being crooked — it's a deduction. Getting deducted for going out of bounds because you are tumbling into a freaking corner is just redundant.
E) Nobody is sitting in the arena getting all excited about the 12-meter squared-shaped floor. Giving gymnasts a little more space and cutting out this stupid practice of tumbling into corners would not remove all deductions, but it would be a huge improvement.
ETA: One more reason. I'm so freaking sick and tired of commentators pointing out deductions for going out of bounds constantly as if it's the biggest crisis a floor routine could have. If going out of bounds was rarer, they might actually talk about the gymnastics itself.
And
@Bob it's not about the "big tumbles". A triple pike can be done on a few steps by a reasonably tall gymnast, though he does sometimes risk OOB deductions for being slightly crooked. Landing without worrying about OOB deductions for being a little crooked as well as having an extra meter or so would make a
world of difference in MAG.
