USAG women’s Development Program Levels 6–10 use optional floor routines. Gymnasts and coaches choose the routine’s elements and choreography within the level’s rules, rather than performing one universal compulsory routine.
This overview uses the 2026–2030 optional rules. It highlights how requirements change across the levels; it is not a substitute for the full Code, element tables and subsequent technical updates.
Levels 6–8: how the floor requirements progress
The 2026–2030 Levels 6–8 scoresheet lists the special requirements and value-part counts.
| Level | Acrobatic requirements in brief | Dance and turn requirements |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | One pass with two directly connected flight elements, including a salto; a second pass with a different salto, using two directly connected flight elements or an isolated B salto. | A passage of two different Group 1 elements, including a leap requiring a 180° cross or side split; at least a full turn on one foot. |
| 7 | Two passes: one with a backward salto and two directly connected flight elements, and one with a forward salto. At least one forward or backward salto must be stretched without twist and land on two feet. | The same dance-passage and full-turn requirements as Level 6. |
| 8 | A pass containing two saltos; three different saltos in the routine; at least an A salto in the last acrobatic pass initiated. | A passage of two different Group 1 elements, including a leap requiring a 180° cross or side split. |
“Salto” means a somersault without hand support. An aerial is not counted as one of the three different saltos specified for Level 8. The permitted ways of connecting elements and the exact skill recognition rules still matter.
Read the words “different” and “connected” carefully. Two familiar skills written on a practice list do not establish that the required pass was performed. The coach must consider which elements occurred, whether the connection met the rules and whether the gymnast showed the intended version of each skill.
For example, a Level 6 routine cannot meet the requirement for a different salto in the second pass simply by repeating the identical salto with different choreography around it. Likewise, describing a Level 7 salto as a layout is incomplete unless its no-twist and two-foot landing conditions are also considered.
Levels 9 and 10: more difficulty, not just more tumbling
Under the 2026–2030 Levels 9–10 scoresheet, both levels require a pass with two saltos, three different saltos overall, and a dance passage with two different Group 1 elements including the specified 180° leap.
The last acrobatic pass initiated must contain at least a B salto at Level 9 or a C salto at Level 10. That last-pass wording is important when evaluating a routine’s construction.
| Level | Required value parts | Base start value |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 4 A, 2 B | 10.0 |
| 7 | 4 A, 3 B | 10.0 |
| 8 | 4 A, 4 B | 9.8 |
| 9 | 3 A, 4 B, 1 C | 9.5 |
| 10 | 3 A, 3 B, 2 C | 9.2 |
The base values assume the underlying requirements are met. Level 8 adds up to 0.20 in composition credit; Level 9 up to 0.20 plus 0.30 in regular bonus; Level 10 up to 0.30 plus 0.50 in regular bonus. These routes can build the start value to 10.0. A separate Level 10 extra-bonus provision has additional conditions.
Value parts and special requirements answer different questions
Value parts count the recognized skills in difficulty categories such as A and B. Special requirements describe particular content the routine must show, such as a dance passage or a kind of acrobatic pass. Having enough total skills does not automatically satisfy every special requirement.
Imagine a routine with enough recognized elements to meet its value-part count but without the required dance passage. Counting the elements again would not solve the missing passage. Conversely, a routine might show the broad kinds of content required while still falling short of its value-part needs. Coaches check both.
Difficulty restrictions add another layer. A more difficult skill is not automatically an acceptable replacement for an easier one in every level. The current optional event rules identify allowed and restricted content alongside the requirements. This prevents a routine-planning shortcut such as “harder always covers easier.”
Start value and final score are different
A routine can contain the required skills and still lose points for how they are performed. Missing requirements, restricted elements and unsuccessful connections also have consequences under the relevant rules. A list of skill names alone cannot establish the final score.
The bonus guide explains bonus concepts separately. For earlier compulsory routines, use the Levels 1–5 floor guide rather than carrying optional requirements backward into a different program.
For a simplified Level 8 example, a routine meeting the underlying requirements starts from 9.80 and earns 0.20 in composition credit, giving a 10.00 start value. If it then receives 0.65 in performance deductions and no separate penalties, the arithmetic produces 9.35. This is an illustration, not a recorded competition result or a complete judging exercise.
Allow enough time for the whole performance
The current optional chart gives Levels 6 and 7 a maximum floor time of 80 seconds, and Levels 8–10 a maximum of 90 seconds. Those are routine limits, not instructions to fill every available second. The chosen music and choreography must support the requirements as well as the time limit.
The floor-timing comparison explains why a file’s displayed audio duration and the officially timed routine are not identical measurements. That distinction becomes useful when the coach adjusts an introduction, transition or ending.
How to use this guide
A family can use the table to understand why a coach changes a pass or dance sequence. The coach and judge need the complete current rules to check element restrictions, substitutions, connections and recognition.
Meeting the content on paper does not establish that a gymnast is ready to perform it. Routine choices should follow coached preparation and the athlete’s ability to repeat the work with control.
Ask a focused question when a routine changes: which requirement or execution problem is this revision intended to address? The answer may concern variety, a connection, a permitted alternative or a more reliable performance. A change is not necessarily an attempt to add the largest possible difficulty.
Use this overview to follow that reasoning, then consult the complete current rules for the exact element. A well-constructed optional routine brings its permitted skills, required content and performance together; a list of ambitious tumbling names does not do that on its own.