In the USA Gymnastics Women’s Development Program, Levels 1–5 use prescribed routines, while Levels 6–10 allow gymnasts to perform their own routines within each level’s rules. The required skills also differ across vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise.
That means a level is more than a short list of skills. A gymnast might be learning a back handspring, for example, without being ready to perform every routine at the level where that skill appears.
This guide explains the major compulsory skills and the main optional requirements for all four events. It uses the 2021–2029 compulsory program, including published amendments through July 2026, and the 2026–2030 optional rules.
These are the women’s Development Program requirements; Xcel and elite gymnastics follow separate rules. The applicable books and updates are available through USAG’s compulsory resources and optional resources.
How to Read a USAG Skill Requirements List
At a compulsory level, the official exercise determines the skills, their order and the choreography. Some parts have approved alternatives, but a gymnast cannot freely replace a required skill with a favorite one.
Levels 1–3 introduce the foundations through developmental compulsory exercises. Levels 4 and 5 continue with more demanding compulsory routines. All five levels use prescribed material.
At an optional level, coaches choose skills that suit the gymnast while meeting the requirements. Two routines can look different and still satisfy the same level’s rules.
For ages, advancement and the overall pathway, see the USAG Development Program guide. The tables below concentrate on routine content.
Value Parts and Special Requirements
Optional bars, beam and floor routines have two separate content checks:
- Value Parts are the recognized skills that count toward the routine’s difficulty requirements. Letters such as A, B and C indicate their classifications.
- Special Requirements describe the kinds of content the routine needs, such as a particular connection, a turn or a dismount.
A routine can contain enough skills but still be missing a required connection. It can also meet its Special Requirements while being short of a needed Value Part.
The current minimum Value Part combinations are the same across bars, beam and floor at each level. They are listed in USAG’s Levels 6–8 reference chart and Levels 9–10 reference chart.
| Level | Required credited Value Parts on each event |
|---|---|
| 6 | 4 A skills + 2 B skills |
| 7 | 4 A skills + 3 B skills |
| 8 | 4 A skills + 4 B skills |
| 9 | 3 A skills + 4 B skills + 1 C skill |
| 10 | 3 A skills + 3 B skills + 2 C skills |
These counts do not mean that any collection of skills with those letters makes a complete routine. Rules for permitted difficulty, repeated elements and skill recognition also apply.
For example, Level 6 beam permits one C dance element, credited as a B, but restricts C acrobatic elements. A more difficult skill can therefore be unsuitable for a lower-level routine. USAG’s event rules charts give the event-specific exceptions.
Vault Requirements: Levels 1–10
Vault has its own structure. A gymnast performs a prescribed or permitted vault with an assigned Start Value; she does not collect the bars, beam and floor Value Parts listed above.
Levels 1–5: From Mat Work to the Vault Table
The early progression develops the approach, hand support, body position and landing before introducing the vault table.
| Level | Prescribed vault format |
|---|---|
| 1 | A stretch jump onto raised mats, followed by a separate kick to handstand and fall to a straight-body position on the back. |
| 2 | A jump to handstand on a mat stack, followed by a straight-body finish on the back. |
| 3 | A handspring over a raised mat surface, landing on the feet beyond it. |
| 4 | A handspring over the vault table, landing on the feet. |
| 5 | A handspring over the vault table, landing on the feet. |
Level 3 vault finishes on the feet. It should not be confused with the Level 2 handstand-to-back exercise. The Level 3 landing rules explicitly address landing feet first beyond the raised mat surface. These compulsory formats are documented in USAG’s July 2023 replacement pages, read with the July 2025 updates.
Levels 6–10: Choose From the Level’s Vault List
Levels 6 and 7 use developmental vault options involving the table and a landing mat stack. The current choices are a front handspring entry, a turning entry associated with Tsukahara vaults, or a round-off entry associated with Yurchenko vaults.
| Level | Main requirement |
|---|---|
| 6 | One of the three permitted entry vaults, finishing on the feet on the mat stack. Each starts from 10.0. |
| 7 | The same entry choices. The turning and round-off entries may finish on the feet or the back on the mat stack; the front handspring entry finishes on the feet. Each starts from 10.0. |
| 8 | A vault from the Level 8 list. Both non-somersaulting and approved somersaulting vaults are available, with different Start Values. |
| 9 | A vault permitted by the Level 9 chart, using its Level 9 Start Value. |
| 10 | A vault from the Level 10 chart, using its Level 10 Start Value. |
The Level 6–7 entry names do not mean the gymnast must perform a complete flipping Tsukahara or Yurchenko vault.
Nor does every Level 8 gymnast have to perform a flipping vault. Under the current chart, a front handspring is allowed with a 9.0 Start Value; tucked and piked Tsukahara and Yurchenko vaults are among the 10.0 options. Those examples come from USAG’s 2026–2030 Levels 6–8 vault values. The separate Level 9 and Level 10 lists are linked from the official optional resources.
Uneven Bars Requirements: Levels 1–10
Bars progress from learning to support and circle around the bar to connecting more demanding swings, flight and turns.
A cast lifts the body away from the bar from a support position. A kip uses a swing and coordinated body movement to reach support on the bar. A dismount is the skill used to leave the apparatus and land.
Levels 1–5: Major Compulsory Skills
The following are selected major components, not the complete routine sequence. The official exercises also specify connections, shapes and other details.
| Level | Major bars content |
|---|---|
| 1 | A back hip pullover, cast and back hip circle, followed by an approved underswing or straddle-on sole-circle dismount. |
| 2 | A glide swing and return, back hip pullover, casts, back hip circle and underswing dismount. |
| 3 | A glide swing and pullover opening, or the permitted glide kip alternative; two back hip circles, a front hip circle, and a squat-on or pike-on followed by a stretch-jump dismount. |
| 4 | A glide kip on the low bar, a long-hang kip on the high bar, casts to horizontal and the prescribed swing-and-half-turn dismount. |
| 5 | Kips, the prescribed cast and circling work, and a flyaway dismount in the 10.0-start exercise. A specified alternative dismount is allowed at a lower Start Value. |
Two choices are especially helpful to understand. A kip is an allowed opening option at Level 3, rather than the only permitted opening. At Level 5, the prescribed flyaway—a release into a somersault off the bar—is not the only allowed finish: the specified Level 4-style swing-and-half-turn dismount produces a 9.50 Start Value instead.
These choices are described in the 2021 compulsory replacement pages, the 2024 amendments and the 2025 amendments.
Levels 6–10: Main Optional Requirements
Optional bars requirements distinguish between circling, flight and turning. A clear circle keeps the hips clear of the bar; an ordinary back hip circle does not automatically fulfill that requirement. A long-axis turn rotates around the gymnast’s length, as in a pirouette.
The table summarizes the current optional bars rules. “A or higher,” for example, means the dismount must receive at least A credit and be permitted at that level.
| Level | Main content before the dismount | Required dismount |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | A cast aimed at least 45° above horizontal; at least one bar change; one full clear circle from an eligible circling group. | A or higher somersault dismount. |
| 7 | A cast to handstand; two full clear circles, which may be the same or different. One must be at least B, and one must belong to an eligible circling group. | A or higher somersault dismount. |
| 8 | A cast to handstand; a B flight skill or B skill with at least a half long-axis turn; and a B clear circle from an eligible group. | A or higher somersault dismount. |
| 9 | At least two bar changes; a B-or-higher flight skill; plus either a second, different flight skill rated C or higher, or a B-or-higher skill with at least a half long-axis turn. | B or higher somersault dismount. |
| 10 | A C-or-higher flight skill; a second, different flight skill rated B or higher; and a C-or-higher long-axis turning skill. | C or higher somersault dismount. |
For the circling requirements at Levels 6–8, the specified families are Groups 3, 6 and 7 in the Code, which include clear-hip, Stalder and pike sole-circle work. The qualifying flight skills above exclude dismounts; the turning requirements at Levels 8–10 exclude mounts and dismounts. Level 8’s qualifying clear circle also excludes a dismount.
There is an important distinction between earning requirement credit and avoiding an execution deduction. At Level 6, a cast above horizontal can receive the Special Requirement even if it falls short of 45° above horizontal. At Level 7, a cast reaching at least 45° above horizontal can receive that requirement even if it falls short of handstand. The applicable angle deductions still apply.
Balance Beam Requirements: Levels 1–10
Beam combines balance, acrobatics and dance on a narrow surface. A routine must develop all three; one impressive acrobatic skill does not replace the required turn or leap.
Levels 1–5: Major Compulsory Skills
These highlights show how the prescribed exercises develop. They do not include every balance, step or connection.
| Level | Major beam content |
|---|---|
| 1 | Basic balances, a stretch jump, leg swings and a cartwheel-entry handstand dismount. |
| 2 | Balances, a stretch jump, an arabesque, a pivot turn and the prescribed cartwheel-entry side-handstand dismount. |
| 3 | A cross handstand, half turn, a leap with 90° leg separation, stretch jumps and a cartwheel-to-handstand turning dismount. |
| 4 | A cartwheel on the beam, cross handstand, half turn, split jump, leap and the prescribed handstand turning dismount. |
| 5 | An approved acrobatic choice, full turn, split jump and sissonne, leap, and a cartwheel–stretch-jump–back-tuck dismount sequence. |
An arabesque is a balance with one leg lifted behind the body. A sissonne is a split jump taking off from two feet and landing on one.
Level 5 does not require every gymnast to perform a back walkover. Its approved acrobatic choices also include a backward roll to at least a three-quarter handstand, either of two back handspring versions, a front walkover or a round-off. The current alternatives appear in the 2024 compulsory amendments; the earlier level highlights are documented in the 2023 replacement pages.
Levels 6–10: How the Acro Requirement Changes
An acro series connects acrobatic skills without a break that loses the connection. Flight means the gymnast becomes airborne during the skill. A back walkover has no flight; a back handspring has flight.
At every optional level, beam also needs a qualifying leap or jump requiring a 180° split, plus at least a full turn on one foot. The main differences concern the acro series and dismount, as shown in the current Levels 6–8 and Levels 9–10 charts.
| Level | Main acro requirement, excluding the mount and dismount | Dismount requirement |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | A non-flight acro series or one flight skill, performed alone or in a connection. | A or higher aerial or somersault. |
| 7 | An acro series and a flight skill. The flight can be within that series or performed separately. | A or higher aerial or somersault. |
| 8 | A connected two-skill acro series containing at least one flight skill. | A or higher aerial or somersault. |
| 9 | At least two directly connected flight skills. | B or higher aerial or somersault. |
| 10 | At least two directly connected flight skills, including one rated C or higher. A specified non-flight/E-flight alternative is also permitted. | C or higher aerial or somersault, or a B dismount through a specified qualifying connection. |
The Level 6–8 distinction is easy to miss. A Level 6 gymnast can satisfy the acro requirement through a permitted non-flight series. At Level 7, flight is also required, but it can be separate. At Level 8, the series itself must contain flight.
Level 10’s alternative routes have precise conditions. A B dismount does not qualify simply because it appears at the end of an otherwise difficult routine. The Levels 6–10 beam requirements guide explains the broader beam comparison; the current Code determines the exact connection credit.
Floor Exercise Requirements: Levels 1–10
Floor combines tumbling with leaps, jumps, turns and choreography. The tumbling becomes more advanced through the levels, but dance remains part of the requirements.
Levels 1–5: Major Compulsory Skills
The table gives recognizable parts of each prescribed exercise, rather than every movement in order.
| Level | Major floor content |
|---|---|
| 1 | A cartwheel, forward and backward rolls, a candlestick, a three-quarter handstand and basic dance. |
| 2 | A cartwheel, handstand, backward roll to a push-up position, bridge and back kick-over, and leap and split-jump work. |
| 3 | A handstand forward roll, handstand-to-bridge and back kick-over, leap and split jump, and a round-off connected to one back handspring. |
| 4 | A back walkover, front handspring step-out, backward roll to handstand, full turn and a round-off connected to two back handsprings. |
| 5 | An approved front-tuck or aerial choice, connected front handsprings, full turn, more demanding dance and a round-off–back-handspring–back-tuck pass. |
“Flic-flac” in the compulsory text means back handspring. The Level 3 and Level 4 passes differ in the number of back handsprings, rather than both requiring the same pass. The relevant prescribed sequences appear in the 2021 replacement pages.
At the designated Level 5 opening acrobatic position, the allowed choices are a front tuck, an aerial cartwheel or a front aerial walkover. These are alternatives within a prescribed routine. They do not make Level 5 an optional level.
For Level 2, the prescribed backward roll still finishes in a push-up position. The July 2026 amendment updates the deduction for substituting a backward roll to handstand; it does not change the required element into a handstand roll.
Levels 6–10: Tumbling and Dance Requirements
A salto is a somersault without hand support, such as a front tuck or back layout. A back handspring uses hand support, so it is not a salto. An aerial cartwheel also does not count toward the requirement for three different saltos at Levels 8–10.
All five optional levels require a dance passage: at least two different eligible leaps or hops, with one leap requiring a 180° split. The elements can connect directly or through permitted traveling movement.
| Level | Main tumbling requirements | Turn or final-pass requirement |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | One pass with at least two directly connected flight skills, including a salto. A second pass must contain a different salto, either in another two-flight-skill connection or as a B-rated salto performed on its own. | At least a full turn on one foot. |
| 7 | At least two passes: one includes a backward salto in a connection of at least two flight skills; another includes a forward salto. One forward or backward salto must be stretched, without a twist, and land on two feet. | At least a full turn on one foot. |
| 8 | One pass contains at least two saltos; the routine includes three different saltos overall. | The last acro pass started must contain an A-or-higher salto. |
| 9 | One pass contains at least two saltos; the routine includes three different saltos overall. | The last acro pass started must contain a B-or-higher salto. |
| 10 | One pass contains at least two saltos; the routine includes three different saltos overall. | The last acro pass started must contain a C-or-higher salto. |
For the two-salto pass at Levels 8–10, the saltos may be the same or different. They can connect directly or through connecting flight elements. However, the separate requirement for three different saltos across the routine still applies. These distinctions are set out in USAG’s optional floor rules.
The table covers the Special Requirements, not every composition expectation. At Levels 8–10, for example, turn content still matters even though the four Special Requirements include a final-pass condition instead of the Level 6–7 full-turn requirement.
Meeting the Requirements and Earning a Score
Having the required content and performing it well are separate parts of judging.
For example, a permitted Level 6 beam routine might satisfy the acro requirement with a non-flight series. It still needs the necessary Value Parts, split leap or jump, full turn and dismount. It can then lose execution points for errors such as bent knees, balance checks or an uncontrolled landing.
Each missing Special Requirement on optional bars, beam or floor reduces the Start Value by 0.50. Missing Value Parts and restricted skills can also affect that starting number. Meeting the basic content does not automatically produce a 10.0 Start Value at the higher optional levels, where composition and eligible bonus also matter.
USAG women’s Development Program scoring uses Start Value minus applicable deductions, rather than a separate FIG-style D-score added to an E-score. The USAG Start Value guide explains how the starting number is built. Once that number and the deductions are known, the gymnastics score calculator can demonstrate the arithmetic; it does not determine whether a routine meets its level’s skill requirements.
Common Questions About Level Requirements
Does a gymnast have to perform every common skill at her level?
No. A skill that is common in routines is not necessarily mandatory. Optional requirements often allow different skills or connections to do the same job, and compulsory routines sometimes have specific approved alternatives.
Does learning one harder skill mean a gymnast can move up?
Not by itself. Readiness concerns the complete routines across the events, consistent execution and the applicable competition eligibility rules. A single advanced skill does not establish all of those things.
Does every Level 10 routine need an E skill?
No. The minimum Value Part combination on bars, beam and floor is 3 A, 3 B and 2 C. More difficult skills and connections can affect bonus and the routine’s scoring potential, but “every Level 10 routine must contain an E” is not the basic rule.
Are these the requirements for Xcel or elite gymnastics?
No. Xcel has its own division requirements, while elite gymnastics follows separate competition and qualification rules. A skill’s classification or permitted use should always be checked in the correct program.
What to Remember
A useful skill list identifies the program, level, event and current rule cycle. In compulsory gymnastics, the complete prescribed exercise matters. In optional gymnastics, the key is choosing permitted skills that satisfy both the difficulty counts and the required types of content.