Level 5 Gymnastics Skills: The Last Compulsory Level

Level 5 adds some clear milestones to women’s compulsory gymnastics: higher casts on bars, a full turn and back tuck dismount on beam, and a back tuck at the end of the floor tumbling pass. Gymnasts still perform prescribed routines, but several parts offer a choice of skills.

This guide covers USA Gymnastics Women’s Development Program Level 5. It explains the main skills and permitted choices under the 2021–2029 compulsory cycle, with published amendments checked through July 2026 and entry rules from the 2026–27 season. It is a major-skill overview, not a complete choreography or judging manual.

Level 5 at a glance

	Level 5
Program	USA Gymnastics Women’s Development Program, compulsory (set) routines
Minimum age	7th birthday reached
Starting score	10.0 on every event, except bars with the Level 4 dismount, which starts from 9.5
Competitions	Sanctioned meets up to and including State Championships
Move up	32.00 all-around at a sanctioned meet lets her move to Level 6, or skip it and go straight to Level 7
Vault	A coach-assisted vault is void

Where Level 5 fits

Level 5 is the last compulsory level before the optional levels begin. In a compulsory routine, the program supplies the exercise. An allowed choice—such as selecting one of several beam skills—fits into that exercise. It does not allow a gymnast to design an entirely different routine.

For the usual progression from Level 4, a gymnast must have reached her seventh birthday and earned 34.00 all-around at Level 4. All-around is the combined score from vault, bars, beam and floor. Previous experience, re-entry and petition cases have separate provisions, so a coach should check the applicable entry rules.

The Development Program overview explains how compulsory competition fits into Levels 1–10.

The main Level 5 requirements

Event	What to recognize
Vault	Handspring over the vault table, landing on the feet
Uneven bars	Kips, casts above horizontal, a permitted circling choice, high-bar work and a flyaway or lower-start-value dismount option
Balance beam	A choice of acrobatic element, full turn, larger split positions, connected jumps and a back tuck dismount
Floor exercise	An opening acrobatic choice, two front handspring step-outs, dance elements and round-off–back handspring–back tuck

For an event lookup, open the Gymnastics Requirements Explorer, select USAG DP · women → Level 5 → an event, and choose Get info. Read the result’s review date and coverage note. The Level 5 bars record is currently a partial reference with a handbook-review flag; it should not be used as a complete routine checklist. The tool retrieves reviewed site records rather than live USAG updates.

Vault: the handspring still matters

The Level 5 vault is a handspring over the table. The gymnast runs toward the springboard, turns through an inverted position with her hands on the table, pushes away and lands on her feet.

The vault name is familiar from Level 4. The work is in improving the run, push from the table, body shape, flight and landing. Moving up a level does not always introduce a different vault.

One competition distinction is worth understanding: coach assistance during the first flight, support on the table or second flight makes the Level 5 vault void. Assistance on landing is addressed separately. A coach standing nearby is not the same as helping the gymnast through the vault.

Bars: higher casts and a meaningful dismount choice

A kip brings the gymnast from a hanging swing into support above the bar. A cast lifts the body away from the bar while the hands remain in place. Level 5 requires casts above horizontal; stopping exactly level with the bar does not meet the no-deduction height target.

The circling choice is a clear hip circle finishing above horizontal, a backward sole circle to clear support, or a backward Stalder circle to clear support. A clear hip circle keeps the hips away from the bar. The sole-circle and Stalder choices have their own finishing requirements; they should not all be described as an ordinary back hip circle.

The high-bar work includes a long-hang kip, a cast above horizontal, a long-hang pullover and the prescribed underswing and swings. These names describe parts of the exercise, not a substitute for its full sequence. The National Association of Women’s Gymnastics Judges study sheet supports the circling choices; the complete USAG manual remains the reference for how the entire routine is performed.

A flyaway is a dismount in which the gymnast releases the bar and performs a backward somersault. Level 5 permits a tucked, piked or stretched flyaway. There is also a specific alternative using the Level 4 half-turn dismount.

Dismount option	Starting maximum for the prescribed routine
Tucked, piked or stretched flyaway	10.00
Level 4 tap-swing half-turn dismount	9.50

This starting maximum is the Start Value. Execution mistakes and other applicable deductions still reduce the final score. The alternative is a permitted choice with a lower starting maximum, not an automatic 9.50 final score.

Example: with 0.70 in total deductions, a 10.00-start routine scores 9.30, while a 9.50-start routine scores 8.80. This is a calculation example, not a recommendation about which dismount an individual gymnast should compete.

Beam: six acrobatic choices, plus dance and balance

Level 5 does not require every gymnast to use a back walkover. For the designated acrobatic position in the routine, the permitted choices are:

• Back walkover with a 150° split.
• Backward roll to at least three-quarter handstand.
• Back handspring step-out.
• Back handspring landing on two feet.
• Front walkover with a 150° split.
• Round-off.

The round-off is included in the July 2024 replacement pages. Lists that show only the earlier five choices miss this addition.

Dance and balance remain central to the exercise. The gymnast performs a full turn in forward passé—a 360° turn on one foot, with the other foot near the supporting knee. The routine also includes a 150° split jump connected to a sissonne, a split-style jump that lands on one foot.

A scale requires the free leg above horizontal with a one-second hold. The straight-leg leap has a 150° split target and connects to a stretch jump. Later, a cartwheel is followed by a stretch jump.

The dismount is a backward tucked somersault, commonly called a back tuck. It is separate from the earlier cartwheel–stretch jump connection; the routine should not be described as a direct cartwheel-to-back-tuck dismount. The beam time limit is 70 seconds, with a warning at 60 seconds.

Floor: somersaults, connections and larger split positions

The opening acrobatic element offers three choices: a front tuck, an aerial cartwheel or an aerial front walkover. Aerial skills pass through the movement without placing the hands on the floor. These are alternatives for one place in the routine, not three separate requirements.

The exercise also includes two connected front handspring step-outs, a cartwheel and a straight-arm backward roll to handstand. “Step-out” describes landing on one foot before the other. The ending tumbling pass is round-off, one back handspring and a back tuck.

Level 5 develops the dance side as well. It includes a stretch jump with a full turn and a separate full turn on one foot in forward passé. Those are different elements: one turns in the air after a two-foot takeoff; the other turns while supported on one foot.

The leap may be a straight-leg leap or a switch-leg leap, with a 150° split target. In a switch leap, the legs change position during flight. The straddle jump also has a 150° target. The forward split performed on the floor requires 180°, so the grounded split and the airborne split positions should not be given the same number.

Compared with the Level 4 requirements, the final tumbling pass adds a somersault, and the dance elements demand larger split positions and a full-turn jump. The prescribed connecting movements and musical timing still matter.

Moving from Level 5 to optional gymnastics

The 2026–27 mobility chart requires 32.00 all-around at Level 5 to advance. Mobility scores must come from live USAG-sanctioned competitions. Level 6 may be skipped after the required Level 5 score, allowing entry into Level 7 when the applicable requirements are met.

Meeting the score requirement establishes eligibility; it does not decide which level is the best next step. Optional routines bring different construction rules and skill choices. Coaches also consider consistency and preparation across all four events.

The guide to USAG mobility scores covers the wider progression rules and exceptions.

Level 5 questions parents ask

What age is Level 5 gymnastics?

A gymnast must have reached her 7th birthday, the same minimum as Level 4.

What score do you need to pass Level 5?

A 32.00 all-around at a sanctioned meet. It lets her move to Level 6, or skip Level 6 and go straight to Level 7. Gymnasts can also move back and forth between Levels 5 and 6.

Can a Level 5 gymnast use the Level 4 bars dismount?

Yes. The Level 5 dismount is a flyaway, but a gymnast can do the Level 4 dismount instead. Her bars routine then starts from 9.5 instead of 10.0.

What to remember about Level 5

Level 5 combines more demanding skills with the precision of compulsory routines. Knowing where choices are allowed is as useful as knowing the skill names: a beam back walkover is one option, floor has several opening choices, and the bars dismount can change the starting maximum. The goal is to understand the exercise as a whole, including its connections, shapes and control.

Reviewed September 28, 2026. The July 2026 compulsory replacement pages were also checked; that update did not change the Level 5 elements described here. Consult the complete current manual for the full routines and deductions.