Level 8 Gymnastics Requirements: Skills on Every Event
Level 8 is the third optional level in USA Gymnastics’ Women’s Development Program, after Levels 6 and 7. The coach still builds each routine from the gymnast’s own skills, and every routine on bars, beam and floor needs four Special Requirements and enough difficulty, counted in Value Parts: at least four “A” and four “B” skills.
Contents
What changes most is the scoring. Bars, beam and floor no longer start from 10.0: the base is 9.80, and the last 0.20 has to be earned as Composition Credit, for harder connections, dismounts, saltos and dance skills. Vault changes too: Level 8 is the first optional level to vault all the way over the table, from a chart where each vault has its own value.
The requirements below are from the 2026–2030 Development Program optional rules and USA Gymnastics’ 2026–27 Rules & Policies.
Level 8 at a Glance
| Event | Special Requirements | Value Parts |
|---|---|---|
| Vault | Any vault on the Level 8 chart, over the table | 9.0 to 10.0, by vault |
| Bars | Cast to handstand; a “B” flight or turning skill and a “B” clear circling skill; salto dismount | 4 A, 4 B |
| Beam | Acro series with flight; 180° split leap or jump; full turn; aerial or salto dismount | 4 A, 4 B |
| Floor | A pass with two saltos; three different saltos; 180° split leap; a salto in the last pass | 4 A, 4 B |
Each missing Special Requirement costs 0.50, each missing Value Part 0.10 (“A”) or 0.30 (“B”) and each restricted skill 0.50. Our guide to how USAG Start Value is calculated works through the arithmetic.
Who Competes Level 8?
A gymnast must have reached her eighth birthday and scored a 32.00 all-around at Level 7, or an 8.50 on an event as an individual event specialist (IES), in a live sanctioned meet. Level 7 can’t be skipped the way Level 5 or Level 6 sometimes can. Our guide to Level 7 requirements covers the level before.
Level 8 isn’t an entry point from other programs. Gymnasts whose experience is elsewhere, Xcel included, enter the Development Program at Level 4 or below; one who is at least 12 may petition, with a video, to enter at Level 7 or below. Level 8 has local, sectional and State meets, and its season can end at a Regional Championship: USA Gymnastics requires Regionals only for Levels 9 and 10, so each region decides whether to hold one for Level 8.
Level 8 Vault
Level 8 is where optional vaulting stops landing on a mat stack. Each vault on the Level 8 chart carries its own value, and any vault that isn’t on the chart is void; if either of the two vaults a gymnast performs isn’t allowed, her whole vault score is void. Some of the common choices:
| Vault | Level 8 value |
|---|---|
| Handspring; Yamashita | 9.0 |
| Round-off, back handspring on, repulsion off | 9.0 |
| Handspring with ½ twist off | 9.1 |
| ½ twist on–½ twist off | 9.2 |
| Round-off, back handspring on, 1/1 twist off | 9.4 |
| Handspring with 1/1 twist | 9.5 |
| Handspring with 1½ twists | 9.7 |
| Tsukahara tucked or piked | 10.0 |
| Round-off, back handspring on, back tuck or pike (Yurchenko) | 10.0 |
| Handspring with 2/1 twists | 10.0 |
At Levels 6 and 7 every vault starts from 10.0; at Level 8 a handspring starts a full point below a Tsukahara or a Yurchenko tuck, so the choice of vault matters much more. A spot during the vault voids it, except that a spot in the second flight of a salto vault costs 1.00. Each gymnast gets two minutes of warm-up.
Level 8 Bars
| Special Requirement | What it asks for |
|---|---|
| 1. Cast to handstand | One cast to handstand |
| 2 and 3. Two “B” skills | A “B” skill with flight (not the dismount), or a “B” skill with at least a 180° turn (not the mount or dismount); and a “B” 360° clear circling skill from Groups 3, 6 or 7 of the Code (not the dismount) |
| 4. Dismount | A salto dismount, at least “A” |
A clear circling skill circles the bar without the hips touching it. All “A” and “B” skills are allowed, plus 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. Level 8 also allows one other “C” skill, the first one performed; any further “C” skill and all “D” and “E” skills are restricted, at 0.50 each. Each gymnast gets two minutes of warm-up.
Level 8 Beam
| Special Requirement | What it asks for |
|---|---|
| 1. Acro series | At least two connected acro skills, one with flight (not the mount or dismount) |
| 2. Leap or jump | One leap or jump that calls for a 180° cross or side split, alone or in a series |
| 3. Turn | At least a full (360°) turn on one foot |
| 4. Dismount | An aerial or salto dismount, at least “A” |
The flight skill has to be inside the series: a series without flight plus a separate flight skill, which met the Level 7 requirement, doesn’t meet Level 8’s. Our guide to beam requirements for Levels 6–10 compares each level.
All “A” and “B” skills and all “C” dance skills are allowed, the “C” counting as “B”, plus one “C” acro skill, mount or dismount included. Any further “C” acro skill, and all “D” and “E” skills, are restricted. The routine may last up to 1 minute 30 seconds.
Level 8 Floor
| Special Requirement | What it asks for |
|---|---|
| 1. Salto pass | One acro pass with at least two saltos, same or different, connected directly or through flight skills with or without hand support |
| 2. Three saltos | Three different saltos in the routine; aerials don’t count |
| 3. Dance passage | Two different leaps, jumps or hops, connected directly or indirectly, one a leap that calls for a 180° cross or side split |
| 4. Last pass | The last acro pass the gymnast starts must contain a salto, at least “A” |
A salto is a flip without the hands touching the floor; our guide to floor requirements for Levels 6–10 follows the passes from level to level. Level 8 floor has no turn requirement, but judges deduct 0.20 if the routine has no turn on one foot rated at least “B”.
As on beam, “C” dance skills are allowed and count as “B”, along with one “C” acro skill; further “C” acro skills and any “D” or “E” skill are restricted. Floor routines may last up to 1 minute 30 seconds, and warm-up is two minutes per gymnast on every event.
How Level 8 Is Scored
A Level 8 routine on bars, beam or floor that meets every requirement starts from 9.80. Up to 0.20 more comes from Composition Credit, 0.10 for each of two conditions:
| Event | +0.10 | +0.10 |
|---|---|---|
| Bars | Two “B” skills directly connected (a cast to handstand doesn’t count) | A “B” or harder dismount, or a “B” or harder skill connected to an “A” dismount |
| Beam | A directly connected “B” + “B” acro series, both skills with flight | A “B” or harder dismount, or a “B” acro skill connected to an “A” salto dismount |
| Floor | Two different “B” or harder saltos and an “A” salto | Two different “B” or harder dance skills |
For example, a beam routine with every requirement and a “B” + “B” flight series, but an “A” dismount, starts from 9.90. Level 8 is also the first level where judges evaluate composition, with deductions of its own: on beam, 0.20 for no dance series and 0.10 for acro skills in only one direction; on floor, 0.20 for no “B” salto and 0.10 for saltos in only one direction. Our guide to Composition Credit in Levels 8–10 covers each condition.
Moving Up From Level 8
To move to Level 9, a gymnast needs a 34.00 all-around at Level 8, or an 8.50 as an individual event specialist, and she must be at least eight. The mobility score is separate from the scores that qualify a gymnast for State or Regionals; our guide to USAG mobility scores lists the move-up score for every level.
Level 9 routines start from 9.50 and need a “C” skill on each event, with bonus available. Bars needs two bar changes, a “B” flight skill and a second flight or turning skill; beam needs a series of two connected flight skills; and the bars dismount and the last floor pass need a “B” salto, the beam dismount a “B” aerial or salto. Gymnasts who move to Xcel instead can enter at Diamond after Level 8, or at Sapphire from age 12; see Xcel vs. the Development Program.
Common Questions
What skills do you need for Level 8 gymnastics?
On bars, beam and floor: four Special Requirements and at least four “A” and four “B” skills. Bars needs a cast to handstand, a “B” flight or turning skill, a “B” clear circling skill and a salto dismount; floor needs a pass with two saltos and three different saltos in all.
What age is Level 8 gymnastics?
A gymnast must have reached her eighth birthday. There is no maximum age.
What score do you need to get to Level 8?
A 32.00 all-around at Level 7, or an 8.50 as an individual event specialist.
Why does Level 8 start from 9.80?
Because the last 0.20 is Composition Credit: a routine earns it with harder connections and dismounts on bars and beam, and harder saltos and dance skills on floor.
What score do you need to move up from Level 8?
A 34.00 all-around at Level 8, or an 8.50 as an individual event specialist, to move to Level 9.
Final Takeaway
Level 8 routines need four Special Requirements and at least four “A” and four “B” skills on bars, beam and floor, from a 9.80 base plus up to 0.20 Composition Credit. Vault moves to a full chart, from 9.0 for a handspring to 10.0 for a Tsukahara or Yurchenko.
A gymnast reaches Level 8 with a 32.00 at Level 7, and moves on to Level 9 with a 34.00 at Level 8.
Main Sources
- USA Gymnastics Women’s Development Program, optional event rules charts, Levels 6–10 (2026–2030)
- USA Gymnastics 2026–2030 vault values, Levels 6, 7 and 8 and cheat sheet for Levels 6, 7 and 8 (Composition Credit and Level 8 composition deductions)
- USA Gymnastics 2026–2027 Women’s Rules & Policies, Chapter 9: Development Program age, entry and mobility chart