Level 10 Gymnastics: Requirements and What Comes Next
Level 10 is the highest numbered level in USA Gymnastics’ women’s Development Program. Gymnasts compete their own routines on vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor, with more freedom to include difficult elements than at Level 9.
Contents
On bars, beam and floor, each routine needs four event-specific requirements and at least three A, three B and two C Value Parts. Its base Start Value is 9.20; eligible bonus and Composition Credit can raise that to 10.0. Vault uses a separate chart of values.
These requirements follow the 2026–2030 Optional Code and the 2026–27 Rules & Policies. They describe women’s Development Program Level 10, not men’s Level 10, NCAA gymnastics or elite.
Level 10 requirements at a glance
| Event | Required content | Scoring starting point |
|---|---|---|
| Vault | A vault listed on the Level 10 chart | The value assigned to that specific vault |
| Bars | Two different flight elements, one at least C and the other at least B; a C-or-harder turning element; a C-or-harder salto dismount | 9.20 base, then eligible bonus and Composition Credit |
| Beam | An eligible acro series, a leap or jump requiring a 180° split, a full turn and an eligible aerial/salto dismount | 9.20 base, then eligible bonus and Composition Credit |
| Floor | A two-salto pass, three different saltos, a dance passage including a 180° split leap, and a C-or-harder salto in the last acro pass initiated | 9.20 base, then eligible bonus and Composition Credit |
The letters describe difficulty categories, called Value Parts. A higher-valued credited element can replace a required lower-valued one under the Code’s substitution rules; the routine is not limited to exactly three A skills, three B skills and two C skills. Each missing Special Requirement reduces Start Value by 0.50. Missing Value Parts have their own deductions.
Level 10 vault: there is no single mandatory vault
A Yurchenko full is associated with Level 10, but it is not a universal requirement to enter the level. Coaches choose from the current Level 10 vault chart. The entry, body shape and amount of twist identify the vault and its starting value.
| Vault example | Level 10 Start Value |
|---|---|
| Front handspring (1.101) | 8.1 |
| Tucked Yurchenko (4.203) or tucked Tsukahara (3.201) | 9.4 |
| Layout Yurchenko without a twist (4.305) | 9.7 |
| Yurchenko layout with a full twist (4.306) | 10.0 |
| Yurchenko layout with 1½ twists (4.406) | 10.0 |
Some successfully performed 10.0 vaults can earn an additional 0.10 bonus when there is no fall or spot. The chart marks exceptions: the Yurchenko layout full at 4.306 is one of the 10.0 vaults that does not receive that bonus. A 10.0 label alone therefore does not establish bonus eligibility.
The practical comparison is the available score after deductions. A higher starting value offers more scoring potential, but it does not erase a poor landing. Our vault scoring comparison explains why the same vault can have different values in different programs.
Watch a Level 10 vault
The Nastia Liukin Cup is a national meet for Level 10 juniors and seniors, who qualify through a series of invitationals, and USA Gymnastics publishes the routines. Josie Lynch won the 2026 senior all-around with 39.125. The four clips on this page are Lynch’s routines from that day. They were performed in March 2026, under the rules that applied before the 2026–2030 Code began that August, so use them to see what complete Level 10 work looks like, not to check a current requirement.
Before the run, a board beside the runway shows 4406, the chart number of the vault that follows. On the current chart, 4.406 is the round-off, back handspring entry with a stretched back salto and 1½ twists, a 10.0 vault. The round-off is at 0:09, the hands reach the table at 0:10 and the landing comes at 0:11. The vault scored 9.900.
Level 10 uneven bars
Bars combines flight, turning and a salto dismount. A flight element includes a release and catch on the same bar or a flight transition between bars. A turn around the gymnast’s length is a longitudinal-axis turn; it is different from simply circling around the bar.
| Requirement | What must be credited |
|---|---|
| First flight element | At least C, excluding the dismount |
| Second flight element | A different flight element, at least B, excluding the dismount |
| Turning element | An element with a longitudinal-axis turn, at least C; the mount and dismount cannot supply this requirement |
| Dismount | A salto dismount, at least C |
One element may satisfy more than one requirement when the rules allow it. However, the two flight requirements call for different elements; repeating one release does not automatically satisfy both. An element also has to receive the appropriate credit rather than merely resemble the intended skill.
Compared with Level 9, Level 10 requires both the two-flight combination and the turning element. At Level 9, the relevant requirement offers a second flight element or a turning element. The dismount minimum also increases from B to C.
Watch a Level 10 bars routine
The routine takes about 25 seconds. Lynch starts on the low bar, is on the high bar by 0:08, comes back to the low bar at about 0:10 and goes up again at about 0:16. The dismount leaves the high bar just before 0:25 and lands at 0:26. Before the dismount, watch for the moments when both hands are off the bars: releases and flights between the bars are the flight elements the first two requirements count. The routine scored 9.800.
Level 10 balance beam
Beam needs acrobatics, dance and a dismount, but the exact connections matter as much as the list of individual skills. An acro series is a connected sequence of acrobatic elements. A pause or balance correction can affect whether the intended series is recognized.
| Requirement | What must be credited |
|---|---|
| Acro series | At least two directly connected flight elements, including one C or harder; alternatively, an A non-flight acro element from Group 7 directly connected to an E acro flight element. Mounts and dismounts do not fulfill this series requirement |
| Leap or jump | One element whose description requires a 180° cross or side split |
| Turn | At least a full 360° turn on one foot from the turn group |
| Dismount | A C-or-harder aerial/salto; or a B aerial/salto directly connected to an acro series containing at least C, or directly connected to a C-or-harder acro flight or dance element |
The B-dismount alternative is a connection rule. An isolated B dismount does not satisfy it just because a C skill appeared earlier in the routine. Similarly, two flight elements that each land on beam do not establish a series if the required direct connection is lost.
The routine’s maximum time is 1 minute 30 seconds. Split recognition and execution deductions are separate from the written 180° requirement: receiving requirement credit does not certify that a leap was performed without deduction. The optional beam requirements guide compares how the series changes through Levels 6–10.
Watch a Level 10 beam routine
Three parts of the routine match the requirements in the table:
- 0:31, acro series. A back handspring straight into a backward salto with the body stretched. The hands touch the beam in the first skill and not in the second.
- 0:41, split leaps. Two leaps with the legs in a full split, at 0:41 and 0:42, and another split in the air at 0:49.
- 1:10, dismount. A round-off at the end of the beam into a salto, landing at 1:12.
It was the highest beam score among the seniors, 9.825.
Level 10 floor exercise
A salto is a flip without hand support. On floor, the requirements look at both the content of a pass and the range of saltos in the full routine. Aerials do not count as saltos for these requirements.
| Requirement | What must be credited |
|---|---|
| Two-salto pass | One pass containing at least two saltos, the same or different, connected directly or indirectly through flight elements |
| Variety of saltos | Three different saltos in the routine |
| Dance passage | At least two different Group 1 elements linked directly or indirectly; one must be a leap requiring a 180° cross or side split |
| Last pass | The last acro pass the gymnast initiates must contain a salto rated C or higher |
The final-pass rule is about the last pass started, not the hardest pass anywhere in the routine. A C salto in the opening pass does not cover a later pass that lacks the required credited salto. Dance content also remains necessary; difficult tumbling alone cannot complete the routine’s requirements.
The maximum routine time is 1 minute 30 seconds. For the broader progression and the difference between a direct and indirect acro connection, see USAG floor requirements for Levels 6–10.
Watch a Level 10 floor routine
There are three tumbling passes, at about 0:20, 1:03 and 1:27, with dance in between. The third is the pass the last requirement looks at: whatever came earlier, the last pass a gymnast starts has to contain a salto rated C or higher. The routine scored 9.600.
How 9.20 becomes a 10.0 Start Value
A routine with its required Value Parts and Special Requirements begins from the 9.20 base on bars, beam and floor. It can add up to 0.30 Composition Credit and 0.50 bonus. These are different categories of credit, so one cannot simply replace a missing amount of the other.
| Part of the calculation | Purpose |
|---|---|
| 9.20 base | The starting framework when the required routine content is credited |
| Up to +0.30 Composition Credit | Rewards the event’s specified difficulty and construction criteria |
| Up to +0.50 regular bonus | Combines eligible Difficulty Value and Connection Value bonus |
| Maximum 10.0 Start Value | The routine’s starting maximum before execution and other applicable deductions |
To earn the full regular bonus, the routine needs at least 0.10 from difficulty and at least 0.10 from connections. No more than 0.40 of either type can be used toward that 0.50. Difficulty bonus depends on eligible harder elements; connection bonus depends on eligible combinations performed under the apparatus-specific rules.
Composition Credit asks a separate question about how the routine is built. Bars rewards its specified release difficulty and dismount construction; beam considers acro flight difficulty and dismount construction; floor considers salto difficulty and dance difficulty. The Composition Credit guide explains the full criteria without turning this overview into a second judging manual.
For a simple calculation, 9.20 + 0.20 Composition Credit + 0.50 bonus produces a 9.90 Start Value. Extra regular bonus cannot fill the missing 0.10 of Composition Credit. A missing Special Requirement lowers the starting calculation by another 0.50.
Level 10 also has a separate additional 0.10 bonus for routines meeting all the specified conditions, including sufficient total bonus and the required advanced element. It is recorded outside Start Value; it does not turn Start Value into 10.10. The apparatus rules and vault bonus exceptions must be checked individually.
Entering Level 10 and deciding what comes next
The normal all-around move-up route is 34.00 at Level 9, with the gymnast having reached her ninth birthday. An individual event specialist has an event-specific route using 8.50. Those scores establish eligibility; they do not oblige the coach or gymnast to move up before the next routines are ready. Return, petition and specialist situations need the current Rules & Policies.
Level 10 has its own national pathway. The normal all-around route to Development Program Nationals is through regionals, with the top seven per age division per region and at least 35.00 all-around, subject to the detailed qualification and replacement rules. These are different nationals from the elite U.S. Championships. The qualification guide separates mobility, championship entry and elite qualification.
A gymnast can remain in Level 10 and continue improving over several seasons. NCAA gymnastics is a possible goal, but Level 10 does not guarantee recruitment, admission or a scholarship. Elite is another separate route, with its own qualification and scoring system. The NCAA versus elite comparison explains those choices.
Final Takeaway
Level 10 requires complete routines, not one signature skill. Check the event requirements, credited difficulty, Composition Credit and bonus separately, then consider execution. Reaching this level can lead to demanding goals within the Development Program itself; college and elite are additional choices rather than required next steps.
Main Sources
- USA Gymnastics 2026–2030 optional event rules charts: Level 10 requirements, difficulty, base Start Value and routine times.
- 2026–2030 Level 10 vault values: exact vault identities, Start Values and bonus exceptions.
- 2026–2030 Levels 9/10 scoresheet and the Optional Code of Points: routine construction and bonus distinctions.
- USA Gymnastics 2026–2027 Women’s Rules & Policies, Chapter 9: age, mobility and championship qualification.
- USA Gymnastics: 2026 Nastia Liukin Cup report and series announcement: the meet, its Level 10 field and the scores quoted beside the clips.