USAG floor exercise skill requirements change steadily from Level 1 to Level 5. Rolls and balances develop into connected handsprings and a back tuck, while the dance work asks for larger splits, fuller turns and more control.
This guide covers women’s Development Program compulsory floor in the 2021–2029 cycle. It explains the progression and the skills a parent or new gymnast will notice. For an individual level’s reviewed requirements, use the Explorer below.
How compulsory floor routines work
In compulsory gymnastics, the gymnast learns a prescribed exercise with set movements and music. There are some expressly allowed choices, but the routine is not assembled freely from a list of skills. A harder substitute is not automatically acceptable.
The skill list is only part of the exercise. Connecting steps, arm movements, directions and timing help turn the named elements into a complete routine. The official text, music and videos are the references for learning those details.
Levels 1–3 can be used for development or introductory competition. That does not make their official exercises “optional routines.” For the wider pathway, see the USAG Development Program guide.
What changes from Level 1 to Level 5?
| Level | Skills to recognize | Main change to watch |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cartwheel, tucked rolls, candlestick, balances and a three-quarter handstand | Learning basic shapes and moving between them |
| 2 | Full handstand, leap and split jump, backward roll to push-up, bridge and back kick-over | More time upside down and clearer split positions |
| 3 | Handstand forward roll, handstand to bridge and kick-over, roundoff–back handspring | Connecting the first back-handspring pass |
| 4 | Back walkover, front handspring step-out, backward roll to handstand, roundoff–two back handsprings | Longer tumbling connections and a full one-foot turn |
| 5 | An allowed opening acrobatic choice, two front handspring step-outs, roundoff–back handspring–back tuck | Adding a salto to the closing tumbling pass |
These are selected highlights, not the complete requirements. A salto is a somersault performed in the air without hand support; “back tuck” describes the tucked backward version.
Open the floor requirements in the Explorer, select the level and click Get info. The result gives the site’s latest reviewed major-element summary, allowed choices and sources. Check its review date and coverage notes: the button retrieves reviewed data, rather than automatically checking USAG for new rules.
Levels 1 and 2: learning the positions
The early routines ask the gymnast to show recognizable shapes and move between them with control. In Level 1, the tucked rolls, cartwheel and candlestick sit alongside a forward passé balance, a chassé and a stretch jump. A candlestick lifts the legs upward while the upper back stays on the floor. In a passé balance, the free leg bends with the foot near the supporting knee; a chassé is a traveling dance step.
Level 1 names a three-quarter handstand. Level 2 requires a full handstand with the legs joined at vertical and a one-second hold. Simply kicking upward does not show the whole requirement.
Level 2 also introduces a straight-leg leap and a split jump with 60-degree split targets. The bridge and back kick-over develop a different action from the cartwheel: the gymnast moves backward through an inverted position. These skills should be learned with a qualified coach and suitable equipment.
The backward roll ends in push-up support. Replacing it with a roll to handstand changes the prescribed skill, even if the replacement looks more advanced.
Levels 3–5: connecting the tumbling
Level 3 brings in one back handspring
The closing tumbling series is a roundoff connected to one back handspring and a rebound. The rebound is the upward bounce after the handspring. Connecting the movements matters as well as completing each skill.
The rest of the routine still deserves attention. It includes a handstand forward roll, a handstand-to-bridge and back kick-over sequence, dance work and a backward roll with a prescribed angled opening before the push-up finish. A back walkover is not the name of the required bridge-and-kick-over sequence.
The Level 3 skill requirements guide puts floor alongside vault, bars and beam for a picture of the whole level.
Level 4 adds length and control
Level 4 finishes its main tumbling with a roundoff and two back handsprings, finishing in a controlled stick on two feet. Earlier work includes a back walkover, a front handspring step-out, a cartwheel and a straight-arm backward roll to handstand.
A step-out means the gymnast lands one foot and then the other, rather than finishing with both feet together. On the dance side, the full turn on one foot is separate from the half-turn stretch jump. They are different elements with different takeoffs and body positions.
Level 5 adds a back tuck
The Level 5 closing series is a roundoff, one back handspring and a back tuck. It is not the Level 4 pass with an extra somersault added after two back handsprings.
The opening allows a front tuck, aerial cartwheel or forward aerial walkover. An aerial passes through the skill without placing the hands on the floor. The routine also includes two front handspring step-outs and more demanding dance work.
The floor leap may be a straight-leg leap or a switch-leg leap, as specified in the official exercise. That floor choice should not be assumed to apply to beam, which has its own prescribed content.
Understanding split angles and turns
A split requirement describes the separation between the legs in a particular element. It does not mean every split-shaped skill in that routine has the same target.
The main airborne leap and jump targets progress from 60 degrees in Level 2 to 90 in Level 3, 120 in Level 4 and 150 in Level 5. Levels 2–3 use a split jump, with one leg forward and one back; Levels 4–5 use a straddle jump, with the legs opening sideways.
The forward split performed on the floor in Levels 3–5 has a separate 180-degree target. For example, a Level 3 gymnast has a 90-degree target for the leap and split jump, but a 180-degree target for the floor split. These figures measure different parts of the exercise.
Turns also involve more than the amount of rotation. Level 2’s half turn in forward passé uses the prescribed heel-snap technique; Level 3’s half turn does not use that technique. The official movement description matters when two skills have similar names.
Why the skill list does not tell the whole score
Two gymnasts can perform the same compulsory routine and receive different scores. Judges also assess body position, the required holds, connections, landings and other details of the performance.
For example, the Level 3 handstand forward roll includes a one-second handstand hold. Rolling over successfully does not replace showing that position first. Likewise, pausing between elements can change how a connection is judged.
The numbers assigned to compulsory major elements are part of compulsory scoring. They are not international FIG difficulty letters. The guide to compulsory gymnastics scoring explains the distinction and how deductions affect the result.
Using this guide with the Explorer
Use this overview to understand the progression, then look up the specific level in the Explorer. For a Level 4 floor question, select women’s USAG DP, Level 4 and Floor exercise, then choose Get info. Read the scope and source notes before treating the result as a checklist.
The Explorer summarizes major requirements; the coach and current official materials provide the complete routine. This keeps the broad explanation useful while giving detailed rule lookups a single place to be reviewed and updated.
Reviewed September 28, 2026. Selected skills and explanations, not a reproduction of the complete choreography or deduction tables.