Level 7 Gymnastics Requirements: Skills on Every Event
Level 7 is the second optional level in USA Gymnastics’ Women’s Development Program. As at Level 6, the coach builds each routine from the gymnast’s own skills, but every routine has to include four Special Requirements and enough difficulty, counted in Value Parts: at least four “A” skills and three “B” skills on bars, beam and floor.
Contents
The step up from Level 6 is clearest on bars, where a cast must reach handstand and one circling skill must be a “B”, and on floor, where a gymnast needs both a backward and a forward salto, one of them straight. Every event still starts from a 10.0 Start Value, and Level 7 has no bonus or Composition Credit.
The requirements below are from the 2026–2030 Development Program optional rules and USA Gymnastics’ 2026–27 Rules & Policies.
Level 7 at a Glance
| Event | Special Requirements | Value Parts |
|---|---|---|
| Vault | Handspring, Tsukahara or Yurchenko entry onto the table, to a mat stack | 10.0 Start Value |
| Bars | Cast to handstand; two clear circling skills, one a “B”; salto dismount | 4 A, 3 B |
| Beam | Acro series and a flight skill; 180° split leap or jump; full turn; aerial or salto dismount | 4 A, 3 B |
| Floor | Backward salto pass, forward salto pass, a straight salto; 180° split leap; full turn | 4 A, 3 B |
Each missing Special Requirement costs 0.50 and each missing Value Part 0.10 (“A”) or 0.30 (“B”), taken from the 10.0 Start Value before execution deductions. Our guide to how USAG Start Value is calculated works through the arithmetic.
Who Competes Level 7?
A gymnast must have reached her seventh birthday and scored a 32.00 all-around at Level 5 or Level 6 in a live sanctioned meet. Level 6 can be skipped: a gymnast with 32.00 at Level 5 may go straight to Level 7. Our guide to moving from compulsory to optional gymnastics explains that first optional season.
Level 7 Vault
Level 7 vaults onto the table and lands on a mat stack set up behind it, at least as high as the underside of the table top, instead of vaulting all the way over. There are three allowed vaults, each with a 10.0 Start Value:
| Option | Vault | Landing on the mat stack |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Front handspring entry onto the table | On the feet, body straight with a tight arch in the upper back |
| 2 | ¼–½ twist on (Tsukahara entry) onto the table | On the feet, or on the back in a straight-hollow body |
| 3 | Round-off (Yurchenko) entry onto the table | On the feet, or on the back in a straight-hollow body |
Landing on the back is allowed at Level 7 only; Level 6 lands on the feet. Any vault not on the list is void, and if either of the two vaults performed is not allowed, the whole vault event is void. A spot during the vault voids it; a spot on landing costs 0.50.
Level 7 Bars
| Special Requirement | What it asks for |
|---|---|
| 1. Cast to handstand | A cast to handstand; the requirement is credited from a cast of at least 45°, and casts short of handstand take angle deductions |
| 2 and 3. Two clear circling skills | Two 360° clear circling skills, same or different: one rated at least “B”, and one from Groups 3, 6 or 7 of the Code |
| 4. Dismount | A salto dismount, at least “A” |
Level 7 allows all “A” and “B” skills and some “C” skills, which count as “B”: a cast to handstand with ½ turn, clear hip, stalder and pike sole circles backward to handstand, and those circles with a ½ turn to regular grip. Any other “C” skill, and all “D” and “E” skills, are restricted, at 0.50 each. Unlike Level 6, Level 7 doesn’t require a bar change, and it doesn’t restrict flight or release skills rated “A” or “B”.
Level 7 Beam
| Special Requirement | What it asks for |
|---|---|
| 1. Acro | An acro series, with or without flight, and one acro flight skill, alone or in connection (not the mount or dismount) |
| 2. Leap or jump | One leap or jump that calls for a 180° cross or side split |
| 3. Turn | At least a full (360°) turn on one foot |
| 4. Dismount | An aerial or salto dismount, at least “A” |
All “A” and “B” skills are allowed, and any “C” dance skill, counted as a “B”. “C” acro skills and “D” or “E” skills are restricted. The routine may last up to 1 minute 20 seconds.
Level 7 Floor
| Special Requirement | What it asks for |
|---|---|
| 1 and 2. Two acro passes | One pass with at least two directly connected flight skills, one a backward salto; one pass with a forward salto; and one salto, forward or backward, must be stretched (no twist) and land on two feet |
| 3. Dance passage | Two different leaps, jumps or hops, one a leap that calls for a 180° cross or side split |
| 4. Turn | At least a full (360°) turn on one foot |
As on beam, “C” dance skills are allowed and count as “B”, while “C” acro and any “D” or “E” skill is restricted. Floor routines may last up to 1 minute 20 seconds; warm-up is 1½ minutes per gymnast on every event.
Moving Up From Level 7
To move to Level 8, a gymnast needs a 32.00 all-around at Level 7, or an 8.50 as an individual event specialist (IES), and she must be at least eight. Level 8 changes the scoring: routines start from 9.80 and can earn 0.20 in Composition Credit, and bars, beam and floor each need four “B” skills.
Every Level 8 requirement, with the Level 8 vault values, is in our guide to Level 8 requirements.
Gymnasts who choose Xcel instead can enter at Platinum after Level 7, or at Diamond after Level 7 or 8; see Xcel vs. the Development Program.
Common Questions
What skills do you need for Level 7 gymnastics?
On bars, beam and floor: four Special Requirements, four “A” and three “B” skills. Bars needs a cast to handstand, two clear circling skills (one a “B”) and a salto dismount; floor needs backward and forward salto passes, one salto straight.
What score do you need to get to Level 7?
A 32.00 all-around at Level 5 or Level 6.
What score do you need to move up from Level 7?
A 32.00 all-around at Level 7, or an 8.50 as an individual event specialist, to move to Level 8.
Can Level 7 gymnasts do release moves on bars?
Level 7 doesn’t restrict flight or release skills rated “A” or “B”, as Level 6 does, but no release is required until Level 9.
Is Level 7 vault a full vault?
No. Level 7 vaults onto the table and lands on a mat stack behind it, on the feet or, from a Tsukahara or Yurchenko entry, on the back.
Final Takeaway
Level 7 routines need four Special Requirements and at least four “A” and three “B” skills on bars, beam and floor, from a 10.0 Start Value. The new demands compared with Level 6 are a cast to handstand and a “B” circling skill on bars, and forward and backward salto passes, one salto straight, on floor.
A gymnast reaches Level 7 with a 32.00 at Level 5 or 6, and moves on to Level 8 with a 32.00 at Level 7.