A beam mount is the movement that takes a gymnast from the mat or springboard onto the balance beam. It may finish in support, a seated position, handstand or standing. The important questions are which exact movement is performed, which rules apply, and how it fits the rest of the routine.
There is no universal mount rating that carries across recreational gymnastics, USA Gymnastics compulsory routines, Xcel, optional levels and international elite competition. This guide uses the 2025–2028 FIG women’s Code for its named difficulty examples and explains where domestic routines need a separate reference.
Three Useful Ways to Describe a Mount
First, describe the approach. The gymnast may approach the end of the beam, its side or a diagonal. “Roundoff mount” tells you something about the entry, but leaves the airborne movement and final position unspecified.
Second, identify the main action: a supported jump, leap, roll, handstand or salto. Third, describe the finish. Landing on two feet, stepping out to one foot, finishing in a split and arriving in support are not interchangeable details.
This produces a much clearer description than a broad label such as “creative mount.” For example, a roundoff followed by a tucked backward salto to stand is different from a roundoff followed by a stretched backward salto with a full twist. Both begin with a roundoff, but their identity and value differ.
Support, Dance and Acrobatic Entries
Supported entries use the hands to help the gymnast arrive on the beam. They can introduce a routine with a clear, controlled position and a smooth transition into the next movement. A familiar-looking supported entry still needs a precise description before assigning a Code value.
Dance entries can involve leaps or jumps. The takeoff, split position, amount of turn and landing all matter. A leap showing arabesque on landing is not the same as a split leap, and a jump with hand support is not the same as a free jump to a split position.
Acrobatic entries include inversion, flight and somersaulting. Some use a roundoff before takeoff. Their difficulty is not determined simply by how dramatic the approach looks: the recognized movement and its particular finish are what identify the entry.
Examples From the Current FIG Mount Table
| Mount description | FIG entry | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Leap showing the required arabesque on landing | 1.101 | A — 0.1 |
| Split leap with 180-degree split | 1.201 | B — 0.2 |
| Roundoff at the end, then tucked backward salto to stand | 1.518 | E — 0.5 |
| Roundoff at the end, then stretched backward salto to stand | 1.618 | F — 0.6 |
| Erceg: backward takeoff with half turn into a tucked forward salto to stand | 1.716 | G — 0.7 |
| Roundoff at the end, then stretched backward salto with full twist to stand | 1.718 | G — 0.7 |
These examples are listed in Group 1 of the FIG women’s Code of Points. They show why claims that mounts stop at D or F value are incorrect. They also show why a generic “roundoff layout mount” label needs its finish specified.
One notation can confuse new readers: a parenthetical (D) beside some mount numbers marks an element counted as dance. It does not make every such entry a D-valued skill. Read the difficulty column as well as the notation.
How a Mount Contributes to the Routine
In FIG beam scoring, recognizing a listed mount and including it among the counting difficulties are related but separate questions. A mount does not automatically increase the D-score merely because it has a value. The exercise’s element selection and dance-and-acrobatics balance also matter.
Mounts should not be assumed to satisfy every composition requirement. The Code specifies where the required content must occur, and some requirements need movements on the beam itself. An impressive acrobatic entry does not replace checking the routine’s on-beam series and other required content.
The beam scoring guide explains the complete calculation. For examples at the upper end of the difficulty table, the difficult beam skills comparison separates mounts from acrobatics performed on the beam and dismounts to the mat.
Execution Begins With the Entry
A gymnast can receive difficulty credit for a mount while also losing execution points. The shape may be recognized, yet the performance may include bent knees, imprecise body position or a balance adjustment. Successfully staying on the beam is only one part of a controlled entry.
Watch the movement after the landing or support position as well. Does the gymnast continue into the planned choreography, or spend time recovering balance? That transition helps explain how the mount works inside the routine. There is no separate “impression score” that simply rewards a mount for looking original.
Under FIG rules, evaluation begins at takeoff from the board or mat. A stopped approach also has specific rules: whether the gymnast touched the board or apparatus affects what happens next. A spectator should not assume every interrupted approach allows a free restart. At a domestic meet, consult that program’s rules.
Compulsory Mounts Need Their Own Context
A USAG compulsory gymnast follows a prescribed exercise. The mount is part of that sequence, rather than a free choice made by comparing FIG letter values. For example, the official compulsory replacement pages identify a front-support fish-pose mount in the Level 4 beam routine.
The numerical value attached to a compulsory major element serves that program’s deduction system. It should not be read as the same thing as an elite element’s letter-based difficulty. Confusing those two systems can make an ordinary prescribed mount appear to have an international rating it does not possess.
Choosing an Entry That Fits
A coach considers the applicable rules, the gymnast’s controlled performance and the movement that follows. A more difficult entry may require changes to the opening choreography or provide little scoring benefit if other content already fills the relevant role.
For parents, useful questions are: Which exact mount is being trained? Is it required or optional in this program? What does the coach want to see before using it in a routine? These questions are more informative than asking when a child will learn an elite mount seen online.
Practice setup is another part of that discussion. A mount learned with a coach on a low beam is not automatically ready for a higher apparatus. The low-beam practice guide explains how the equipment and task can change. A reliable opening should serve the gymnast’s complete exercise, not simply supply a spectacular first photograph.