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Article Id: #1705
Article by Sam & QH Development Crew
Written - -
Last Updated Oct 5, 2025
Glossary
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Athlete Assessment Form / SAF ·noun·
A resume-type form that each athlete must complete in order to take part in competitions. This form must be taken by a private(company) mentor, affiliated trainer or competition judge. It displays important information such as education and affiliations, difficulty point assignment, skills and knowledge, and level confirmation. This form is taken by an affiliated proctor after SAFs are accepted, and before the competition date.
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Bounce ·noun·
Type of jump set consisting of small, usually consecutive jumps, occurring immediately one after another.
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Canter Step (Break) ·noun·
When the landing or break of a jump occurs as a canter, before it transitions into any other gait.
Canter Step (Forestep) ·noun·
When the take off or lift of a jump occurs as a canter, transitioning out of whatever gait was there before the jump.
Comp Guide / Guide / Runner ·noun·
A designated Comp Guide, Judge, Copaw, or the line leader will slowly walk the course before the competition begins as a demonstration to the audience and/or athletes before the competition begins. This is more common in course sports that don't have an outlined direction, or if the judges do not allow the athletes to interact with the equipment or obstacles. Athletes and copaws usually have access to the course beforehand.
Copaw / Halfpaw / Half ·noun· /ˌkō-pô/
A person that an athlete may bring into competition grounds with them for certain sports. This person is usually a mentor or trainer but can be anyone besides a judge or fellow athlete*, this includes friends and family members. A Copaw’s job is to lead the athlete in the correct direction, and otherwise assist them and give instructions. Copaws are most common in agility based sports. Their presence is often limited, and it is common in higher levels for them to be assigned places to stand, have limited speaking, or be limited to the sidelines. If an athlete without a copaw has 3+ difficulty points, they will be assigned by a judge for a professional Copaw to assist them.
*It is common in higher level sports for fellow athletes to be barred from being copaws for each other unless under specific circumstances such as DP requirements.
Crimp ·noun·
The term is used for low stanced gaits when the athlete’s elbows or knees touch the ground. If this occurs from a collapse, then points can be deducted in competitions. Crimps are common in low stanced gaits such as crouches. It's common to also see it occur in show sports when the athlete has resting times between steps.
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Den Meet ·noun·
A customary 40-120 minute event before a competition that takes place outside of the arena or competition grounds. This time is used for all members of staff and audience to talk and connect, usually over food and drink, while athletes —usually in a separate area— prepare for the event among their peers. For athletes, this time is mostly used for warming up, familiarizing themselves with the arena or track, and going through normal procedures such as Copaw assignment, gear registration, DP assignment and tracking, and going over safety procedures. Many also use this time for meeting the staff, talking with other athletes and talking with the medic.
Difficulty Points / DP / DPs ·noun·
Difficulty points are assigned to athletes based on factors such as injury, physical ailments, form preferences, mental or physical conditions, gear preferences, habits, and other factors that may complicate one's ability to compete. DPs are used to skew an athlete's points in a competition, and qualify them for access to resources to help them compete at their desired level.
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Eye line ·noun·
The vertical point in a stance that an athlete's eyes are at. This is used to measure neck posture and stance height in formal or some recreational sports.
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False ·verb·
To false is to stumble, stutter, miss a beat, or fall while gaiting or jumping.
Falsed ·adj·
To fail or complete something incorrectly, usually in reference to a gait, jump, maneuver or step.
False Jump ·noun·
A jump where the athlete backs out, ceases, lands feet first (unintentionally), stumbles, or is unable to start a jump.
False Landing ·noun·
A landing after a jump that isn't completed successfully. This includes landing on one's knees, collapsing, stumbling, or being unable to complete a break step.
Flat ·noun·
(the flat/ flat of one’s feet)- A term used to describe how high the heels of the feet are in proportion to the ground while the balls of the feet are on ground during quadrobics.
Focal Point / Axis ·noun·
A singular point where the athlete is focused on throughout an entire jump, space, or period of time. Example: The barrel in barrel racing, a Copaw’s flag in an agility course.
Forestep ·noun·
The step directly before a jump, commonly mistaken for a starting jump, occurs when the paws land at the same time as each other before a jump.
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Gait ·noun· /ɡāt/
A step pattern: a mode of moving forward in a predetermined pattern of steps.
Gait Ratio / Step Ratio ·noun·
When a set of steps in a gait occurs twice as fast on one (usually)horizontal half than the other.
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Half jump / .5 / Incomplete Jump ·noun·
A jump where all or most of the stages were executed correctly, besides an incomplete or false landing.
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Jump Line (R) ·noun·
The highest point of a jump, as recorded in recreational quadrobics— to measure the height of a jump. The Jump line lies under the limbs during midform, where the elbows and knees are at their closest. Jumps are measured at what height the person could jump so long as their midform is intact.
Jump Line (T) ·noun·
The highest point of a jump, as recorded in traditional quadrobics— to measure how high the jump was. The jump line lies under the waist at midpoint. Jumps are measured at what height the person could theoretically jump over if their jump form allowed the hurdle to pass under the waist.
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Mentor ·noun·
Someone that is privately hired long-term for one athlete, to teach them personally based on their specifics. They often help the athlete prepare and compete, and usually have other qualifications such as physical therapy training and/or other nutrition or sports based education.
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N
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Paw(s) / pawform ·noun· /pô/ /pô·fôrm/
Common term to refer to one’s hands while doing quadrobics. Pawform is used to describe the mode of holding your hands in quadrobics; the fingers curled and thumb loose to the side, the last knuckle of the four fingers excluding the thumb are flush with the ground.
Pitting ·noun· /pit/
A balance and coordination exercise, where one stands in starting position and lifts 1-2 limbs at a time before lowering them slowly. This exercise is often used in physical therapy for injury recovery, or used as a strengthening exercise when used with weights.
The term is also used for gaits that are practiced in place, instead of moving forward.
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Rear ·noun· /rir/
A rear is a movement where one lifts completely off their hands to stand on their hind legs in order to maneuver small spaces, make sharp turns, or to see higher than their eye line.
Recreational Quadrobics
The second category of quadrobics, including levels 4+, focuses on professional movements that would otherwise be unnecessary to have. Many recreational sports start at level 4, and more sports are allotted to students who graduate to higher levels. The style of this focus is more heightened; concentrating on control, focus, and consistency.
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Soft Step / Canter Step ·noun·
The first step before a jump, if the gait before the jump was anything other than a canter, when the last step mirrors a canter before lift off.
Stance ·noun· /stans/
A personal measurement of standing height or limb extension in starting position, floor - eye level.
Stride ·noun· /strīd/
A personal measurement of canter extension, paw - foot.
Student Assessment Form / SAF ·noun·
A resume-type form that each student must take upon level graduation, and all athletes* must take in order to apply for a competition. This form must be taken by a teacher, mentor, trainer or competition judge. It displays important information such as trainer information, difficulty point assignment, skills and knowledge, and level placement.
Suspended Gait ·noun·
This type of suspension is used to describe a phenomenon in momentum based gaits where the torso is 'suspended' or stable, giving the illusion that the torso isn't moving while the legs move under it. It's categorized by its 'floaty' or stable appearance, and often features shorter, more frequent steps, a tight and controlled posture, and occasionally a harsher, stompy appearance on the steps. Suspended gaits are a recreational trait, equivalent to traditional’s sprinted gaits.
Suspension ·noun·
A term used to describe the “suspended” period between steps where no part of the body is touching the ground.
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