Level 3 Gymnastics Skills: What Gymnasts Learn on Each Event
USAG Level 3 brings together handsprings, bar circles, beam balances and a floor routine performed to compulsory music. The challenge is learning to connect familiar skills with control across all four events.
Contents
This guide covers the women’s Development Program and the 2021–2029 compulsory cycle. It explains the main skills and what a parent can look for; it is not the full choreography or a substitute for the official routine text.
Level 3 at a glance
| Level 3 | |
|---|---|
| Program | USA Gymnastics Women’s Development Program, developmental level (set routines) |
| Minimum age | 6th birthday reached |
| Starting score | 10.0 on every event |
| To pass | Complete 75% of the routine requirements |
| Competitions | Depends on the state: Level 3 can be a non-competitive achievement level or a beginner competitive level |
| Next step | Level 4. Levels 1–3 have no mobility score |
Level 3 skills checklist
Tick each skill your gymnast can do on her own. Your ticks stay in this browser, and you can print the list for the gym bag.
Vault (1)
Bars (6)
Beam (8)
Floor (10)
Skills from the USA Gymnastics Women’s Development Program compulsory routines (2021–2029 cycle), with updates through the 2026–27 season. A tick means your gymnast can do the skill, not that she’s ready to compete. Her coach decides that.
What does Level 3 include?
| Event | Main skills to recognize | What the gymnast is learning |
|---|---|---|
| Vault | Handspring over a raised mat stack | Passing through an inverted position and landing on the feet beyond the mats |
| Uneven bars | Glide-and-pullover or glide-kip opening, hip circles and a stretch-jump dismount | Linking swings, support positions and circles on the low bar |
| Balance beam | Handstand, turns, connected jumps, a leap and a cartwheel-to-handstand dismount | Keeping balance while changing direction and body position |
| Floor | Handstand forward roll, bridge kick-over, dance skills and a roundoff–back handspring | Combining tumbling and dance in a prescribed routine |
These are highlights, not a complete competition checklist. Open the Level 3 requirements in the Explorer, choose an event and click Get info for the site’s latest reviewed summary, permitted choices and sources. Each result shows its review date; the button does not automatically check for new USAG rule changes.
Understanding the four events
Vault: moving over the mats
Level 3 uses a handspring over a raised mat surface, rather than the vault table. The gymnast lands on the feet beyond the stack. This is different from the flat-back landing used in Level 2.
A parent can watch for a continuous movement through the vault and a controlled landing. Finishing on the feet is only part of the performance: body alignment and the way the gymnast passes through the support and flight phases also matter. Coaches and meet officials should use the current equipment rules for the setup.
Bars: connecting the circles
The opening has an allowed choice: a glide swing and return followed by a pullover, or a glide kip. A kip is therefore an option, not a requirement for every Level 3 gymnast.
The routine includes a cast, two back hip circles and a front hip circle followed by a small cast and return to support. A cast is the movement in which the gymnast pushes the body away from the bar. Level 3 does not impose the horizontal-cast target associated with Level 4.
The routine ends with a squat-on or pike-on and a stretch jump off the low bar. There is no required jump to catch the high bar. Watch how the gymnast moves from one skill into the next, as well as whether each individual skill is completed.
Beam: balancing through changes
Beam includes a handstand, a half turn in forward passé, two connected stretch jumps, an arabesque, a straight-leg leap and two half pivot turns. In a passé position, the free leg is bent with the foot near the supporting knee. An arabesque is a balance with one leg extended behind the body.
The leap has a 90-degree split target. The arabesque has its own leg-height and hold requirements, so the two positions should not be treated as the same flexibility test.
The dismount moves through a cartwheel into a side handstand before a quarter turn off the beam. A dismount is simply the skill used to leave the apparatus. The turn in the air and the landing are both part of this finish.
Floor: tumbling and dance belong together
Level 3 floor follows prescribed choreography and compulsory music. It is not a freely assembled list of skills.
The tumbling includes a handstand forward roll, handstand to bridge and back kick-over, a backward roll that opens before lowering to a push-up position, and a roundoff connected to one back handspring and rebound.
The dance elements also matter. The straight-leg leap and split jump have 90-degree split targets, while the separate split position on the floor targets 180 degrees. Those numbers describe different elements; one does not replace the other.
For the broader progression, see USAG floor exercise skill requirements for Levels 1–5. Use the Explorer above for the Level 3 floor lookup; the official text and music remain the references for learning the complete exercise.
Why doing every skill does not guarantee a high score
Two gymnasts can perform the same compulsory exercise and receive different scores. Judges also assess how the movements are performed: body position, balance, continuity and landings all contribute.
A useful example is the handstand forward roll. Reaching an upside-down position is not the whole task; the prescribed handstand position and hold matter before the roll begins. On bars, completing the circles with interruptions is different from connecting them smoothly.
Harder skills do not automatically earn extra credit in a compulsory routine. The gymnast must follow the prescribed exercise and its allowed choices. The guide to compulsory gymnastics scoring explains how these routines are judged.
Level 3 questions parents ask
What age should a Level 3 gymnast be?
She must have reached her 6th birthday to compete Level 3. That’s a minimum, not a target. Many Level 3 gymnasts are older, and starting age matters more than birthdays.
Do Level 3 gymnasts compete?
It depends on the state and the gym. USA Gymnastics lets Levels 1–3 run either as a non-competitive achievement program or as an introductory competitive program, and some states hold sanctioned Level 3 meets.
How does a gymnast pass Level 3?
Levels 1–3 have no move-up score. To pass, a gymnast must complete 75% of the routine requirements. Her coach then decides when she’s ready for Level 4.
Is the Level 3 vault done on a vault table?
No. Level 3 vault is a handspring over a raised stack of mats, at least 32 inches high. The vault table starts at Level 4.
What to remember
Level 3 develops connected routines across vault, bars, beam and floor. Parents can learn to recognize the main skills without memorizing every deduction. Use this article for the overview, the Explorer for reviewed event details, and the coach and official materials for the complete routine.
Reviewed September 28, 2026. This overview summarizes selected requirements; it does not reproduce the complete compulsory routine.