In USA Gymnastics optional competition, performing difficult skills is only part of building a complete routine. Gymnasts must also include specific types of skills known as Special Requirements.
- What Are Special Requirements in Gymnastics?
- USAG Special Requirements by Level: Quick Comparison
- Level 6 Special Requirements
- Level 7 Special Requirements
- Level 8 Special Requirements
- Level 9 Special Requirements
- Level 10 Special Requirements
- What Happens If a Gymnast Misses a Special Requirement?
- Can One Skill Fulfill More Than One Special Requirement?
- Do Special Requirements Get Harder at Every Level?
- Does Vault Have Special Requirements?
- Special Requirements vs Composition Credit and Bonus
For Levels 6–10, these requirements help make sure routines contain a balanced mix of acrobatics, dance, turns, flight, circling skills and appropriate dismounts.
Missing even one can have a noticeable effect on the gymnast’s Start Value.
This guide covers the current 2026–2030 USAG Development Program rules for Levels 6–10.
What Are Special Requirements in Gymnastics?
Special Requirements (SR) are four specific requirements that a gymnast must fulfill on uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise.
Each Special Requirement is worth 0.50.
That means:
| Special Requirements Met | Value Lost |
|---|---|
| 4 of 4 | 0.00 |
| 3 of 4 | 0.50 |
| 2 of 4 | 1.00 |
| 1 of 4 | 1.50 |
| 0 of 4 | 2.00 |
For example, if a Level 7 gymnast does not perform the required acro flight element on beam, she loses 0.50 from the Start Value for the missing Special Requirement.
Special Requirements are separate from Value Parts, execution deductions, difficulty restrictions, Composition Credit and bonus.
Vault is also different. It does not use the same four-Special-Requirement system. Instead, gymnasts perform vaults allowed for their level, with the Start Value determined by the applicable vault rules or vault chart.
USAG Special Requirements by Level: Quick Comparison
The requirements become progressively harder from Level 6 through Level 10.
| Level | Bars Focus | Beam Focus | Floor Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Cast, bar change, clear circle, A dismount | Basic acro, 180° split, turn, A dismount | Two acro passes, dance passage, turn |
| 7 | Cast toward handstand, two clear circles, A dismount | Acro series + flight, split, turn, A dismount | Forward and backward tumbling, dance, turn |
| 8 | Handstand cast, B flight/turn, B clear circle | Acro series with flight, split, turn | Multiple saltos, dance passage, A last salto |
| 9 | Bar changes, flight, turn/second flight, B dismount | Two-flight acro series, split, turn, B dismount | Multiple saltos, dance passage, B last salto |
| 10 | C-level flight and turn requirements | Higher-level flight series, split, turn, C-level dismount requirement | Multiple saltos, dance passage, C last salto |
The official USAG event rules charts specify four requirements on bars, beam and floor and a 0.50 deduction for each missing SR.
Level 6 Special Requirements
Level 6 is the first optional level in the Development Program. Level 6 routines need 4 A and 2 B Value Parts under the current code.
Once the required Value Parts and all four Special Requirements are present, bars, beam and floor can have a 10.0 Start Value without Composition Credit or bonus.
Level 6 Uneven Bars Special Requirements
| # | Requirement |
|---|---|
| 1 | A cast reaching at least 45° above horizontal |
| 2 | At least one bar change |
| 3 | One 360° clear circling element from Groups 3, 6 or 7 |
| 4 | A salto dismount, minimum A |
A clear circling element may come from skill families such as clear hips, Stalders or pike sole circles.
The cast requirement deserves some explanation. The official chart identifies a cast at least 45° above horizontal, although SR credit can still be awarded when the cast is above horizontal; angle deductions apply when it does not reach the full required amplitude.
Level 6 Balance Beam Special Requirements
| # | Requirement |
|---|---|
| 1 | A non-flight acro series OR one acro flight element |
| 2 | A leap or jump requiring a 180° cross or side split |
| 3 | At least a 360° turn on one foot |
| 4 | An aerial or salto dismount, minimum A |
The first requirement gives Level 6 gymnasts some flexibility. The routine can include a connected non-flight acro series, such as suitable walkover-type skills, or an acro element with flight.
Level 6 Floor Exercise Special Requirements
| # | Requirement |
|---|---|
| 1 | An acro pass with at least two directly connected flight elements, including a salto |
| 2 | A second acro pass with a different salto, or an isolated B salto under the rule |
| 3 | A dance passage with at least two different Group 1 elements, including a leap requiring a 180° split |
| 4 | At least a 360° turn on one foot |
For the second acro requirement, the standard option is another pass containing at least two directly connected flight elements and a different salto. USAG also permits an isolated B salto to satisfy this requirement.
Level 7 Special Requirements
Level 7 builds on Level 6 by increasing the expected quality of circling, flight and tumbling.
Level 7 requires 4 A and 3 B Value Parts.
Like Level 6, a Level 7 routine that meets its Value Parts and Special Requirements can reach a 10.0 Start Value without bonus or Composition Credit.
Level 7 Uneven Bars Special Requirements
| # | Requirement |
|---|---|
| 1 | One cast to handstand, subject to the USAG angle-credit rules |
| 2 | One 360° clear circling element worth at least B |
| 3 | Another 360° clear circling element from Groups 3, 6 or 7 |
| 4 | A salto dismount, minimum A |
The two clear circling elements may be the same or different, but one must satisfy the minimum B-value requirement.
A notable point in the current 2026–2030 rules is that Level 7 does not list a separate bar-change Special Requirement.
Level 7 Balance Beam Special Requirements
| # | Requirement |
|---|---|
| 1 | An acro series plus an acro flight element |
| 2 | A leap or jump requiring a 180° split |
| 3 | At least a 360° turn on one foot |
| 4 | An aerial or salto dismount, minimum A |
The acro series may contain flight or non-flight skills, but Level 7 must also include an acro flight element, either isolated or connected.
Level 7 Floor Exercise Special Requirements
The two acro requirements work together:
| # | Requirement |
|---|---|
| 1 | An acro pass with at least two directly connected flight elements, including a backward salto |
| 2 | An acro pass containing a forward salto |
| 3 | A dance passage containing a leap requiring a 180° split |
| 4 | At least a 360° turn on one foot |
In addition, one of the forward or backward saltos used for the acro requirements must be performed in a stretched position without twist and land on two feet.
Level 8 Special Requirements
Level 8 is where routine construction becomes more important. Special Requirements still make up an important part of the Start Value, but gymnasts must now also consider Composition Credit.
Level 8 requires:
4 A + 4 B Value Parts
Meeting the Value Parts and four Special Requirements produces a 9.80 base Start Value on bars, beam and floor. The remaining 0.20 comes from Composition Credit, allowing the routine to reach 10.0.
Level 8 Uneven Bars Special Requirements
| # | Requirement |
|---|---|
| 1 | One cast to handstand |
| 2 | A B element with flight OR a B element with at least a 180° long-axis turn |
| 3 | A B 360° clear circling element from Groups 3, 6 or 7 |
| 4 | A salto dismount, minimum A |
The flight or turning element and the clear circling requirement introduce more difficulty than at Levels 6 and 7.
Level 8 Balance Beam Special Requirements
| # | Requirement |
|---|---|
| 1 | A two-element acro series with at least one flight element |
| 2 | A leap or jump requiring a 180° split |
| 3 | At least a 360° turn on one foot |
| 4 | An aerial or salto dismount, minimum A |
The biggest progression from Level 7 is that the acro series itself must now contain flight.
Level 8 Floor Exercise Special Requirements
| # | Requirement |
|---|---|
| 1 | An acro pass containing at least two saltos |
| 2 | At least three different saltos in the routine |
| 3 | A dance passage containing a leap requiring a 180° split |
| 4 | The last acro pass initiated must contain at least an A salto |
For the first requirement, the two saltos may be the same or different and may be connected directly or indirectly through flight elements. Aerials do not count toward the three-different-saltos requirement.
Level 9 Special Requirements
At Level 9, gymnasts are expected to show more flight and greater difficulty. The minimum dismount expectations also increase.
Level 9 requires:
3 A + 4 B + 1 C Value Parts
Meeting the Value Parts and Special Requirements gives the routine a 9.50 base Start Value on bars, beam and floor.
To reach 10.0, the gymnast can then add up to 0.30 in bonus and 0.20 in Composition Credit under the current rules.
Level 9 Uneven Bars Special Requirements
| # | Requirement |
|---|---|
| 1 | At least two bar changes |
| 2 | One flight element worth at least B, excluding the dismount |
| 3 | A second, different C flight element OR a B element with at least a 180° long-axis turn |
| 4 | A salto dismount, minimum B |
The third requirement gives the gymnast two routes: another higher-level flight element or a qualifying turning element.
Level 9 Balance Beam Special Requirements
| # | Requirement |
|---|---|
| 1 | An acro series containing at least two directly connected flight elements |
| 2 | A leap or jump requiring a 180° split |
| 3 | At least a 360° turn on one foot |
| 4 | An aerial or salto dismount, minimum B |
Compared with Level 8, simply having one flight element in the acro series is no longer enough. Both directly connected elements must have flight.
Level 9 Floor Exercise Special Requirements
| # | Requirement |
|---|---|
| 1 | An acro pass containing at least two saltos |
| 2 | At least three different saltos |
| 3 | A dance passage containing a leap requiring a 180° split |
| 4 | The last acro pass initiated must contain at least a B salto |
The basic structure looks similar to Level 8, but the required difficulty of the final tumbling increases from an A salto to a B salto.
Level 10 Special Requirements
Level 10 is the highest level of the Women’s Development Program. Level 10 routines must meet stronger Special Requirements and use higher-value skills to build a full Start Value.
Level 10 requires:
3 A + 3 B + 2 C Value Parts
Meeting the Value Parts and Special Requirements produces a 9.20 base Start Value on bars, beam and floor.
A full 10.0 routine then needs up to 0.50 in bonus and 0.30 in Composition Credit. The current code also requires the bonus used for the normal 10.0 Start Value to include at least 0.10 Difficulty Value bonus and 0.10 Connection Value bonus.
Level 10 Uneven Bars Special Requirements
| # | Requirement |
|---|---|
| 1 | A flight element worth at least C, excluding the dismount |
| 2 | A second, different flight element worth at least B, excluding the dismount |
| 3 | An element with a long-axis turn worth at least C, excluding mount and dismount |
| 4 | A salto dismount, minimum C |
This makes flight a major part of Level 10 bar composition. Two different flight elements are required, and one must be at least C value.
Level 10 Balance Beam Special Requirements
| # | Requirement |
|---|---|
| 1 | An acro series containing two directly connected flight elements, with at least one C, or the specific A + E alternative allowed by USAG |
| 2 | A leap or jump requiring a 180° split |
| 3 | At least a 360° turn on one foot |
| 4 | A C aerial/salto dismount, or an allowed B dismount directly connected to qualifying C-level difficulty |
The standard first option is an acro series with at least two directly connected flight skills and at least one C element.
USAG also allows an alternative involving an A non-flight Group 7 acro element directly connected to an E acro flight element.
For the dismount requirement, a C dismount is the straightforward option, but certain B dismount combinations can also satisfy the requirement.
Level 10 Floor Exercise Special Requirements
| # | Requirement |
|---|---|
| 1 | An acro pass containing at least two saltos |
| 2 | At least three different saltos |
| 3 | A dance passage containing a leap requiring a 180° split |
| 4 | The last acro pass initiated must contain at least a C salto |
The progression from Levels 8 through 10 is especially easy to see in the last requirement:
| Level | Minimum Salto in Last Acro Pass |
|---|---|
| Level 8 | A |
| Level 9 | B |
| Level 10 | C |
The rest of the general floor structure remains similar, while the overall difficulty expected from the routine continues to increase.
What Happens If a Gymnast Misses a Special Requirement?
A missing Special Requirement reduces the Start Value by 0.50.
Suppose a Level 8 beam gymnast meets every requirement except the required acro series with flight.
Instead of receiving credit for all four Special Requirements, she would lose 0.50 before normal execution deductions are considered.
This distinction is important: judges do not simply subtract 0.50 from the gymnast’s final performance score in place of everything else. The missing requirement affects the Start Value, and judges then apply execution and other deductions to the routine that was actually performed.
Can One Skill Fulfill More Than One Special Requirement?
Sometimes, yes.
The current USAG bar chart specifically states that one element may fulfill more than one SR unless otherwise specified.
That does not mean every requirement can automatically be combined. Some requirements call for different skills, separate passes or specific connections.
This is why coaches normally design optional routines around the exact wording of the Code rather than simply counting skills.
Do Special Requirements Get Harder at Every Level?
Generally, yes, although the progression is not always as simple as replacing an A skill with a B skill.
Some requirements change in structure.
On beam, for example, the acro progression goes roughly from a non-flight series or flight element at Level 6, to a series plus flight at Level 7, a series containing flight at Level 8, two directly connected flight elements at Level 9, and a higher-difficulty flight series at Level 10.
Floor shows another clear progression in the final acro pass:
Level 8: A salto → Level 9: B salto → Level 10: C salto.
Bars increasingly emphasizes handstand work, circling, flight and turning as the gymnast advances.
Does Vault Have Special Requirements?
Not in the same way as bars, beam and floor.
Vault does not have four 0.50 Special Requirements. Instead, each level has rules governing which vaults may be performed and what Start Value they receive.
Under the current rules, Levels 6 and 7 use three prescribed vault options based on front handspring, Tsukahara and Yurchenko entries onto a mat stack. Each is listed with a 10.0 Start Value when performed under the applicable rules.
Levels 8, 9 and 10 use separate vault value charts.
Special Requirements vs Composition Credit and Bonus
These are also separate parts of the Start Value.
Composition Credit (CC) rewards a routine for meeting certain composition expectations, such as including the required types or level of difficulty in the routine. It applies to Levels 8–10.
Bonus is additional Start Value earned through higher-difficulty skills and/or connections. Bonus is mainly used at Levels 9 and 10 to help the routine reach a 10.0 Start Value.
| Component | What It Measures |
|---|---|
| Value Parts | Number and difficulty of recognized elements |
| Special Requirements | Required types of skills or combinations |
| Composition Credit | Additional routine construction requirements at Levels 8–10 |
| Bonus | Extra difficulty and/or connections, mainly Levels 9–10 |
Levels 6 and 7 can reach a 10.0 Start Value through their required Value Parts and Special Requirements.
Level 8 begins at 9.80 after meeting those core requirements and needs 0.20 Composition Credit.
Level 9 begins at 9.50 and needs another 0.50 through Composition Credit and bonus.
Level 10 begins at 9.20 and needs another 0.80 through Composition Credit and bonus.
In short, Special Requirements are skills a routine must include, while Composition Credit and bonus add credit for stronger routine construction and difficulty.
