Level 2 Gymnastics Skills and Requirements (2026 Guide)

Level 2 is the second level of USA Gymnastics’ Women’s Development Program, for gymnasts who have reached their 5th birthday. As at Level 1, every gymnast performs the same set (compulsory) routines on vault, bars, beam and floor and passes by meeting three of the four checkpoints listed for each event; where Level 2 is competed, each routine is scored from 10.0.

Contents

Where Level 2 fits
Level 2 requirements at a glance
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
How a gymnast passes Level 2
Level 2 questions parents ask
Final Takeaway
Main Sources

The routines develop the basics of Level 1 and ask gymnasts to connect them with more control. On vault, the gymnast jumps directly toward a handstand on raised mats. Bars adds a glide swing and a second cast, beam adds a kick-up to stand and a pivot turn, and floor adds a half turn, a leap, a split jump, a full handstand and a bridge kick-over.

This guide follows the 2021–2029 compulsory routines with USA Gymnastics’ published updates through July 2026, including that month’s change to Level 2 floor, and the 2026–27 Rules & Policies. It covers the major skills; the full choreography is in USA Gymnastics’ compulsory book.

Where Level 2 fits

Level 2 is the middle of the three developmental levels (1–3). They come before the compulsory competition levels (4–5) and the optional levels (6–10), and all five early levels use set routines from the same compulsory book. Gymnastics levels explained shows how these stages sit alongside Xcel.

A gymnast must have reached her 5th birthday to compete 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; gymnastics age requirements by level lists every minimum. The national entry chart lists no prerequisite score for Level 2 and no mobility score to advance from it.

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. A gym can run it as an in-gym achievement program or as introductory competition, and some states hold sanctioned meets for Levels 1–3. The Development Program overview explains that distinction.

A recreational class with the same level number may follow a different syllabus, so ask which program your gym uses.

Level 2 requirements at a glance

	Level 2
Program	USA Gymnastics Women’s Development Program, developmental level
Minimum age	5th birthday reached
Routines	Set (compulsory) routines on vault, bars, beam and floor
Score at meets	Each routine starts from 10.0
To pass	Three of the four Evaluation Points (75%) on every event
Competition	Optional: in-gym testing or introductory meets, depending on the gym and state
Next level	Level 3, from the 6th birthday. Levels 1–3 have no mobility score

Event	Main Level 2 skills
Vault	Jump to handstand on mats at least 16 inches high, falling to a straight lying position on the back
Uneven bars	Glide swing and return, back hip pullover, two casts, back hip circle and underswing dismount
Balance beam	Jump to front support mount, single-leg kick-up to stand, passé balance, stretch jump, 30° arabesque, leg swings, half pivot turn and cartwheel to side handstand dismount
Floor	Cartwheel, backward roll to push-up position, heel-snap half turn, chassé, 60° leap and split jump, handstand, candlestick and bridge with back kick-over

The event 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. For one event at a time, with its sources and review date, use the Gymnastics Requirements Explorer.

Vault: the handstand-to-back exercise

Level 2 has one prescribed vault type: the gymnast jumps from the board toward hand support on a raised mat stack at least 16 inches high, 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. Compared with Level 1, there is no preliminary stretch jump to a standing position on the mats; the approach and board action 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 hands should land in a marked zone between the front edge of the mats and a tape line, and both hands beyond the line cost 0.50. Coach assistance has specific consequences: help from the board to the mat stack makes the vault void, so it earns no score, while help after hand support is established costs 2.00. A coach standing nearby is not the same as physically helping the gymnast.

The Levels 1–5 vault requirements guide explains the approved mat-stack setups 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; it first appears as an option at Level 3.

The pullover takes the gymnast over the bar to front support, where the hands support the body above the bar. The Level 2 penalty table then lists two casts, followed by the back hip circle and the 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, but body alignment and a controlled return still matter: judges look for a straight line from shoulders to feet.

The back hip circle rotates backward around the bar while the hips or upper thighs stay in contact. The underswing dismount carries the gymnast away from the bar, feet first, to land. The aim is a connected exercise with the intended shapes, rather than simply reaching the end without falling. The Levels 1–5 bars guide follows these skills into the kips of Level 4.

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 a standing balance, a stretch jump, an arabesque and forward and backward leg swings. The routine must finish within 40 seconds, with a warning at 30.

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 backward leg swing should reach at least 45 degrees.

The half pivot turn changes the gymnast’s facing direction through the prescribed foot action on the balls of both feet. 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 reach vertical, a step up from the ¾ handstand of Level 1, and her hands stay on the beam as she lands. Its finish is not a freely chosen jump off the beam. 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 is performed to the official compulsory music. It includes a cartwheel, covered step by step in how to do 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 update changed the deduction for performing that roll to handstand from 0.60 to 0.30; the required skill remains the backward roll to push-up.

The floor exercise also includes a half turn in forward passé using the prescribed heel-snap technique (skipping it costs 0.30), 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 a bridge with back kick-over also belong to the major-element list; in the bridge, the shoulders should be over the hands, and each extra kick needed to get over costs 0.30. The Levels 1–5 floor guide follows these skills toward the tumbling of Levels 3–5.

How a gymnast passes Level 2

Like all of Levels 1–3, Level 2 has no mobility score. Instead, USA Gymnastics lists four Evaluation Points at the end of each routine, and a gymnast passes an event by meeting at least three of them: 75% of the requirements. If she shows all four points but falls, the attempt still counts as successful.

All four events must be passed to pass the level, but she can move ahead at her own rate on individual events. To compete Level 3, she must have reached her 6th birthday.

If her gym enters Level 2 meets, judges start each routine from 10.0 and take deductions for errors. Those scores decide placings or awards on the day, but they don’t move her up. When she’s ready, our guide to Level 3 skills shows the next routines.

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.

Do Level 2 gymnasts compete?

It depends on the gym and the state. USA Gymnastics lets Levels 1–3 run either as a non-competitive achievement program or as an introductory competitive program.

How long is a Level 2 gymnastics meet?

USA Gymnastics recommends that sessions for Levels 1–3 last no longer than 2.5 hours, warm-up included. The meet’s own schedule gives the exact times.

Can a Level 2 gymnast switch to Xcel?

Yes. A Level 2 gymnast can enter Xcel at Bronze, Silver or Gold, as long as she meets that division’s minimum age of 5, 6 or 7. Our guide to Xcel levels explains the divisions.

Final Takeaway

Level 2 is the second developmental level of USA Gymnastics’ Women’s Development Program, open from the 5th birthday. Every gymnast performs the same set routines: a jump to handstand on the vault mats, a glide, pullover and two casts on bars, balances and a pivot turn on beam, and a floor routine with a leap, a split jump, a handstand and a bridge kick-over.

She passes by meeting three of the four Evaluation Points on each event, with no score required, and can compete Level 3 from her 6th birthday. Whether she competes at all depends on her gym and state.

Level 2 Gymnastics Skills: What Gymnasts Learn on Each Event