USAG Beam Routine Skill Requirements (Levels 1–5)
USAG beam routine skill requirements build from basic balances and jumps in Level 1 to more demanding acrobatics, dance connections and a back-tuck dismount in Level 5. The gymnast is learning to keep control while moving along the beam, turning, going upside down and leaving the apparatus.
Contents
- What is required in a compulsory beam routine?
- Beam skills from Level 1 to Level 5
- Levels 1 and 2: balance before bigger skills
- Levels 3 and 4: handstands, connections and control
- Level 5: acrobatic choices and a back-tuck dismount
- What matters beyond staying on the beam?
- Finding the right detail for a gymnast’s level
This guide covers women’s Development Program compulsory beam in the 2021–2029 cycle. It explains the progression across Levels 1–5; the Explorer provides the individual level lookups.
What is required in a compulsory beam routine?
A compulsory routine is a prescribed exercise. The gymnast follows its named skills, connecting movements and choreography, using the choices that the official text allows. A skill is not interchangeable with another simply because it looks harder.
A mount is the way the gymnast gets onto the beam, and a dismount is the skill used to leave it. Both belong to the routine. The work between them includes more than acrobatics: balances, turns, leaps and jumps all matter.
The USAG Development Program overview explains where these compulsory levels fit in the wider pathway. This article concerns the women’s DP exercises, rather than Xcel or international elite requirements.
Beam skills from Level 1 to Level 5
| Level | Skills to recognize | What becomes more demanding |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Needle leg kick, balances, stretch jump, arabesque and cartwheel-to-three-quarter-handstand dismount | Controlling basic positions and moving onto the hands |
| 2 | Single-leg kick-up, balances, leg swings, half pivot turn and cartwheel-to-side-handstand dismount | Clearer holds, changes of direction and a vertical dismount position |
| 3 | Handstand, half turn in passé, two stretch jumps, arabesque and straight-leg leap | Connected jumps, a larger leap and a quarter turn in the dismount |
| 4 | Cartwheel, handstand, stretch-jump–split-jump connection, scale and straight-leg leap | Acrobatics on the beam and more demanding held positions |
| 5 | An allowed acrobatic choice, full turn, split-jump–sissonne connection and back-tuck dismount | Larger split positions, fuller rotation and a salto off the beam |
This table selects the most useful landmarks; it is not a complete routine checklist. For a particular level, open the beam requirements in the Explorer, choose the level and select Get info. Read the result’s major elements, permitted choices, time limit and source notes.
The Explorer shows the site’s latest reviewed data and its review date. Get info does not automatically scan USAG for new rules, and the result does not replace the complete official exercise.
Levels 1 and 2: balance before bigger skills
In the early levels, a movement that looks small can still have a specific requirement. A stretch jump should land with both feet together. A balance may need a clear pause or a measured hold. Stepping into the position is only the beginning.
Level 1 includes a relevé “lock” balance, with the heels raised, held for two seconds. It also includes a forward passé balance, with the free leg bent and the foot near the supporting knee. These positions help the gymnast control the body over a small base of support.
An arabesque is a balance with one leg extended behind the body. Levels 1 and 2 both use a 30-degree leg-height target, but their hold requirements differ: Level 1 marks the position, while Level 2 holds it for one second. A quick appearance in the shape and a full hold are not the same task.
The dismount also develops. Level 1 uses a cartwheel to a three-quarter handstand position; Level 2 uses a cartwheel to a side handstand at vertical. The gymnast should learn the prescribed finish with a coach, rather than treating either skill as an ordinary cartwheel off the end.
Levels 3 and 4: handstands, connections and control
Level 3 includes a handstand, a half turn in forward passé, two connected stretch jumps, a 45-degree arabesque held for one second, a straight-leg leap and two half pivot turns. A pivot turn changes direction on the feet; it is different from the one-leg passé turn.
The Level 3 leap has a 90-degree split target. This measures the separation between the legs in the leap. It should not be confused with the height of the raised leg in the arabesque.
Level 4 adds a cartwheel that finishes on the beam. Its dance connection is a stretch jump followed by a split jump, and its leap and split jump have 120-degree targets. The routine also includes a handstand held for one second and a scale with the free leg at least horizontal, held for one second.
A scale is a balance in which the gymnast lifts one leg behind while the upper body lowers forward. The shape and hold both count. For help recognizing these movements, see the guide to beam skill names; its FIG values describe a different scoring system from these compulsory exercises.
The Level 3 and Level 4 dismounts both pass through a cartwheel to side handstand and include a quarter turn off the beam. Level 4 adds a one-second handstand hold within that dismount. Similar names do not make the two versions identical.
Level 5: acrobatic choices and a back-tuck dismount
Level 5 does not require every gymnast to perform a back walkover. The acrobatic choice also allows a backward roll to at least a three-quarter handstand, a back handspring step-out, a back handspring to two feet, a front walkover or a round-off, added in the July 2024 update. Each of these six options must meet its own description.
The dance work includes a full turn in forward passé and a split jump connected to a sissonne. A sissonne is a jump taking off from two feet and landing on one, with the legs opening into a split shape. It should be recognizable as a different movement from the split jump before it.
The split jump and straight-leg leap have 150-degree split targets. The scale raises the free leg above horizontal and is held for one second. The straight-leg leap connects to a stretch jump; the floor routine’s switch-leap choice should not be transferred to this beam requirement.
The closing work includes a cartwheel, a stretch jump and a tucked backward salto dismount. A salto is a somersault in the air without hand support; here, the gymnast rotates backward in a tuck and lands off the beam. Its preparation and timing should be learned from the complete official routine with a coach.
What matters beyond staying on the beam?
Staying on is important, but it does not account for every deduction. Judges also look at body alignment, required positions and holds, turns, connections and landings. A routine can have no falls and still lose points.
Consider the Level 4 handstand. Reaching vertical and immediately stepping down is different from showing the required one-second hold. Likewise, completing two jumps separately does not necessarily show the prescribed connection between them.
The turn technique also changes. Level 3’s half turn in passé uses the prescribed heel-snap technique; Level 4’s half turn does not. The official text distinguishes them even though both involve a half turn.
For an explanation of how these details affect the result, read how compulsory routines are scored. Major-element values in this program should not be read as FIG difficulty letters.
Finding the right detail for a gymnast’s level
For a Level 3 beam question, choose women’s USAG DP, Level 3 and Balance beam in the Explorer, then select Get info. The result brings the reviewed major requirements and source context together without requiring a separate article for that level and apparatus.
Use the overview here to understand what develops across Levels 1–5. Use the reviewed tool result for a specific lookup, and the coach and official materials for the complete movement sequence, choreography and competition preparation.
Reviewed September 28, 2026 against the public compulsory materials and update index. This is an overview of selected requirements, not the complete choreography or deduction tables.