If you’re thinking about entering your first 4-Way FS competition, one of the first things you’ll hear people talking about is “the draw.”
“Have you seen Round 4?”
“That’s a nice A draw.”
“AA has got some horrible blocks this round!”
If you’ve never competed before, it can all seem a bit confusing. What is the draw? Why are there different classes? And how does the competition decide which formations everyone flies?
This guide explains how the draw works and how it changes as you progress from Rookie through to AAA.
What is the draw?
The draw is simply the sequence of formations that every team must complete during a competition round.
Every team in your class flies exactly the same sequence. The only difference is how many correctly completed scoring formations your team can achieve during the 35-second working time.
The sequence is generated from the official Formation Skydiving dive pool before the competition begins.
Understanding draw points
Each formation contributes a certain number of draw points.
- Random = 1 draw point
- Block = 2 draw points
The competition software keeps selecting formations until it reaches the required number of draw points for that class.
Don’t confuse draw points with your competition score. Draw points only determine how long the sequence is. Your score comes from the number of correctly completed formations during your working time for each round.
Why are there different competition classes?
The full international dive pool contains 22 blocks and 16 randoms. For newer teams, that’s a lot to learn.
Instead, competitions split teams into classes, each with its own dive pool and draw length.
| Class | Draw Points | Blocks Available |
|---|---|---|
| Rookie | 3 | None (Randoms only) |
| A | 3–4 | Blocks 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 19 & 21 |
| AA | 4–5 | A blocks plus 1, 11, 13, 14, 15, 18, 20 & 22 |
| AAA | 5–6 | All AA blocks plus: 3, 5, 10, 12, 16, 17 (the full dive pool) |
As you move through the classes:
- the draw becomes longer
- more blocks become available
- transitions become more challenging
- some blocks switch you into a different slot (Slot Switcher)
- E.g. the Point filer becomes the Outside Centre
- engineering becomes more important
How is the draw generated?
How the formations are selected differs based on the competition host. Sometimes this is software-generated or might be more manual, but the selection of Randoms and Blocks is done blind and at random.
Let’s look at an example.
Example: Generating an A Class draw
An A Class round must total 3 or 4 draw points.
The process starts by selecting:
Block 7
Current total: 2 draw points
That’s not enough yet, so we select another formation.
Random M
Current total: 3 draw points
Because A Class rounds can be either 3 or 4 draw points, the draw is complete.
The published draw for the round becomes:
7 – M
Every A Class team now flies:
7 → M → 7 → M → 7 → M
until the 35-second working time expires.
Another A Class example
The process selects:
- Random F (1 point)
- Random K (1 point)
- Random A (1 point)
Total:
3 draw points
The published draw is:
F – K – A
Again, every team in A Class flies exactly the same sequence.
Rookie draws
Rookie is designed for teams entering competition for the first time.
There are no blocks, only random formations.
Every Rookie draw contains three randoms, giving a total of 3 draw points.
For example:
B – F – N
Without blocks to worry about, new teams can concentrate on:
- entrances
- presentation
- taking grips cleanly
- staying calm under competition pressure
AA draws
AA introduces another eight blocks, expanding the available dive pool from eight blocks to sixteen.
Draws are now 4 or 5 draw points, making the sequences noticeably longer.
For example:
The software selects:
- Block 18 (2 points)
- Random C (1 point)
- Block 6 (2 points)
Total:
5 draw points
Published draw:
18 – C – 6
Compared to A Class, there are more possible combinations and a wider variety of engineering challenges.
AAA
AAA uses the complete international dive pool.
All 22 blocks are available and rounds contain 5 or 6 draw points.
A typical draw might be:
A – 3 – M – 17
Breaking that down:
- A = 1 point
- Block 3 = 2 points
- M = 1 point
- Block 17 = 2 points
Total:
6 draw points
Once the team finishes Block 17, they immediately start again from A and continue until working time expires.
Does every team get the same draw?
Yes.
Every team within the same class flies exactly the same draw.
That means you’re never competing against a harder or easier sequence than anyone else—only against how efficiently the other teams fly it.
What happens once the draw is published?
Once the draw has been released, preparation begins.
Most teams will:
- Memorise every round.
- Walk the formations repeatedly.
- Discuss the engineering for each transition.
- Identify key turning points.
By the time they step into the chamber, experienced teams can usually visualise every move before the countdown even begins.
The key takeaway
The draw isn’t just a random list of formations—it has been carefully generated to match the competition class.
As you progress from Rookie to A, AA and finally AAA, the sequences become longer, the dive pool expands and the engineering becomes more demanding.
The principle, however, always stays the same:
Every team flies the same draw. The winners are simply the teams that complete the most correct scoring formations during the 35-second working time.
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