Level 2 Gymnastics Skills: What Gymnasts Learn on Each Event
USAG Level 2 develops the basic movements introduced at Level 1 and asks gymnasts to connect them with more control. On vault, the gymnast jumps directly toward a handstand on raised mats. Bars adds a glide swing, beam develops balances and turns, and floor combines tumbling with a prescribed dance sequence.
Contents
- Who can compete at Level 2?
- Level 2 skills across the four events
- Vault: the handstand-to-back exercise
- Bars: a glide, then controlled work in support
- Beam: balance, leg swings and a half turn
- Floor: the roll’s finish and the dance details matter
- Level 2 questions parents ask
- What parents can look for as skills improve
These requirements belong to the USA Gymnastics Women’s Development Program, using the 2021–2029 compulsory exercises and published updates through July 2026. A recreational class with the same level number may follow a different syllabus.
For a specific event, use the Requirements Explorer: choose USAG DP · women, Level 2 and the event, then select Get info. For example, the bars result identifies the glide, pullover, two casts, back hip circle and underswing. Each result shows its scope and review date; it retrieves our reviewed information rather than checking USAG live.
Level 2 at a glance
| Level 2 | |
|---|---|
| Program | USA Gymnastics Women’s Development Program, developmental level (set routines) |
| Minimum age | 5th birthday reached |
| Starting score | 10.0 on every event |
| To pass | Complete 75% of the routine requirements |
| Competitions | Depends on the state: Level 2 can be a non-competitive achievement level or a beginner competitive level |
| Next step | Level 3. Levels 1–3 have no mobility score |
Level 2 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 (5)
Beam (8)
Floor (9)
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. Her coach decides when she’s ready to compete.
Who can compete at Level 2?
A gymnast must have reached her fifth birthday to compete at USAG Women’s DP Level 2 under the 2026–27 Rules & Policies. This is the minimum competition age, not an upper age limit or a recommended age to begin classes.
The national entry chart lists no prerequisite score for Level 2 and no mobility score required to advance from it. Placement still depends on preparation and the gym’s program. Completing a skill once is different from performing it reliably in a routine.
Competition at the early developmental levels is not compulsory for every gymnast, but the exercises themselves are compulsory routines: they use prescribed content. Level 2 should not be called an “optional level” in the sense of the optional routines used at Levels 6–10. The Development Program overview explains that distinction.
Level 2 skills across the four events
| Event | Main content to recognize |
|---|---|
| Vault | Jump to handstand on raised mats, continuing to a straight-lying position on the back |
| Uneven bars | Glide and return, pullover, two casts, back hip circle and underswing dismount |
| Balance beam | Front-support mount, single-leg kick-up to stand, balances, stretch jump, leg swings, half pivot turn and cartwheel-to-side-handstand dismount |
| Floor | Cartwheel, backward roll to push-up, half heel-snap turn, chassé, leap, split jump, handstand, candlestick and bridge kick-over |
This table identifies major elements. The official exercise also specifies their order, transitions and positions; it is not a menu from which the gymnast chooses a routine.
Vault: the handstand-to-back exercise
Level 2 has one prescribed vault type: the gymnast jumps from the board toward hand support on the raised mat surface, passes through the intended handstand position and finishes lying straight on her back.
“Jump to handstand” and “handstand flat-back” describe parts of this same exercise. They are not two different vaults that every gymnast must perform. A second attempt is also different from a second required vault type.
Compared with Level 1, there is no preliminary stretch jump to a standing position on the mats. The approach and board action now lead directly toward the inverted support. Level 3 later changes the finish to a landing on the feet beyond the mats.
Judges assess body position and control throughout the prescribed movement. Coach assistance has specific consequences: assistance from the board to the mat stack makes the vault void, while assistance after hand support is established carries a 2.00 deduction in the published Level 2 table. A coach standing nearby is not the same as physically helping the gymnast.
The Levels 1–5 vault requirements guide explains the approved apparatus arrangements and the progression to the vault table.
Bars: a glide, then controlled work in support
The routine begins with a glide swing and return. The gymnast travels outward beneath the low bar with the feet leading, then returns before performing the back hip pullover. A glide kip is not the required Level 2 mount.
The pullover takes the gymnast over the bar to front support, where the hands support the body above the bar. The major-element table then lists two casts, followed by the back hip circle and underswing dismount.
A cast lifts the body away from the bar behind the hands before the gymnast returns to support. Level 2 does not prescribe the Level 4 cast-to-horizontal benchmark. Body alignment and a controlled return still matter; the absence of that later height target does not make every cast equally well performed.
The back hip circle rotates backward around the bar while maintaining the required hip or upper-thigh contact. The underswing carries the gymnast away from the bar into the dismount. The aim is a connected exercise with the intended shapes, rather than simply reaching the end without falling.
Beam: balance, leg swings and a half turn
Level 2 starts with a jump to front support and includes a single-leg kick-up to stand. The major elements then develop control in standing balances, a stretch jump and forward and backward leg swings.
A forward passé balance lifts one bent knee in front while the foot rests near the supporting leg. In the arabesque, the free leg extends behind; the Level 2 requirement is at least 30 degrees above the beam with a one-second hold.
The half pivot turn changes the gymnast’s facing direction through the prescribed foot action. It should not be confused with the one-leg heel-snap turn in forward passé used on Level 2 floor.
The cartwheel-to-side-handstand dismount requires the gymnast to attain the prescribed vertical position. Its finish is not a freely chosen jump off the beam. The Level 2 beam time limit is 40 seconds, with a warning at 30 seconds.
The grouped beam requirements guide shows how these movements develop across Levels 1–5.
Floor: the roll’s finish and the dance details matter
Level 2 floor includes a cartwheel and a backward roll to push-up position. Calling the second skill only a “backward roll” leaves out its required finish. A backward roll to handstand is a different performance and is not a way to earn extra difficulty in this compulsory exercise.
The July 2026 amendment changes the listed deduction for performing that roll to handstand from 0.60 to 0.30. The required skill remains the backward roll to push-up; the amendment does not replace it with a handstand.
The floor exercise also includes a half turn in forward passé using the prescribed heel-snap technique, a forward chassé, a straight-leg leap and a split jump. The leap and split jump each have a 60-degree split requirement. A leap takes off from one foot; a split jump uses a two-foot takeoff.
The handstand should reach vertical with the legs joined and show a one-second hold. A candlestick and bridge with back kick-over also belong to the major-element list. The candlestick raises the legs above the shoulders during the rolling action; the bridge and kick-over form a separate section.
These movements are performed within the prescribed compulsory exercise and music. The gymnast does not assemble a custom routine lasting anywhere from one to one-and-a-half minutes. The complete USAG routine materials supply the connecting steps, arm positions and musical timing.
Level 2 questions parents ask
What age is Level 2 gymnastics?
A gymnast must have reached her 5th birthday to compete Level 2. That’s a minimum, not a target.
How does a gymnast pass Level 2?
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 3.
Do Level 2 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.
What parents can look for as skills improve
A useful sign of progress is greater control: a steadier balance, a clearer handstand position or fewer pauses between bar skills. Those changes can be meaningful even when the list of skills stays the same.
Training hours and the time spent at Level 2 vary by gym and gymnast. There is no need to treat a generic weekly-hour range as a USAG requirement. Ask the coach which parts of the routine are becoming consistent and what needs more preparation before the next level.
Reviewed September 28, 2026. This guide summarizes major requirements; the complete compulsory manual remains the source for the full routine text and judging rules.