USAG has established 10 levels of gymnastics, 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest. Gymnastics level 1-6 are known as compulsory levels. Compulsory gymnastics mean each gymnast competes the same routine on all events and has the same gymnastics floor music. Compulsory gymnastics is set up to have a steady progression of skills that start out from the basics and build until a gymnast reaches levels 7. Level 7-10 are called optional gymnastics levels.

One a gymnast reaches level 7 they are known as optional gymnasts. Optional means that the routines and music are no longer the same. Each routine is original and choreographed to fit the gymnast’s individuality, style, skill and gymnastics dance ability. Not having a standard routine allows gymnasts to display their talents, strengths and personality while decreasing their weaknesses. Optional gymnasts are also allowed to pick their own gymnastics floor music. Make sure to pick music that fits with your style of gymnastics dance.

Gymnastics level 7-10 have a few required skills and a specific degree of difficulty they must put into each routine to avoid deductions and receive a start value of a 10.00. Optional level skills have 5 categories, A, B, C,D and E. The skills are categorized by difficulty, A being the easiest and E being the hardest. Levels 7-10 have a specific amount of skills from particular categories that they are required to incorporate in their routines. For example, a level 7 must include 5 A’s and  2 B’s in their balance beam routine to have a 10.00 start value.

Optional levels 7 and 8 do have skill and difficulty restrictions. One small example is a level 7 and 8 are not allowed to perform any E skills in their routine. If they do they will receive a huge deduction. Gymnastics level 9 and 10 do not have any skill restrictions. They are allowed to put any skill in their routine as long as they meet the requirements. There is also age and score requirements for each level.

In order to compete as a level 7, a gymnast must have reach her 7^th birthday and had to receive an all-around (AA) score of a 31.00 as a level 6 at a sanctioned gymnastics meet. To compete as a level 8, the gymnast must reach her 8^th birthday and have received a minimum AA score of a 31.00  as a level 7 at a sanctioned meet. To be a gymnastics level 9, a gymnast must also be at least 8 years old and had to have received an AA score of a 34.00 as a level 8 at a sanctioned meet. A level 10 must be at least 9 years of age and had to receive an AA score of 34.00 at a sanctioned level 9 meet to be able to compete.

All of these rules and guidelines are established by USAG.

Here are is a list of the  required gymnastics skills along with faults and deductions.

***STRETCH  JUMP- must push through toes. Feet must come together in the jump (cannot have a gap).

You must not have an arch or curve in your body.

***STRADDLE JUMP- must separate legs a minimum of 120 degrees (up to 0.20 deduction).

Make sure to pull feet together before landing (up to 0.10 deduction).

***DIVE FORWARD ROLL- maintain a straight hollow body position (up to 0.20 deduction)

Must show flight before hands touch the floor (up to 0.20 deduction)

Re-contacting the floor with hands to land in a tuck position (0.30 deduction)

***FRONT HANDSPRING TO 2 FEET, REBOUND-arms must stay up by ears while focusing on hands (up to

0.10 deduction)

Must have flight before your hands contact the ground (up to 0.20 deduction)

Hands must land at the same time and must be side by side (0.10 deduction)

Insufficient blocking off hands (up to 0.20 deduction)

Total lack of blocking…doing a front limber instead of a front handspring (0.60

deduction)

not landing with feet side by side at the same time (0.10 deduction)

Failure to rebound immediately after the front handspring (0.10 deduction)

***STRAIGHT LEG LEAP- do not bend the front leg on the take-off (up to 0.10 deduction)

You must have a minimum of a 120 degree leg separation (up to 0.20 deduction)

***LEG SWING WITH HOP QUARTER TURN- Leg  must swing forward and reach a minimum height of

horizontal (up to 0.10)

***SPLIT- split must be all the way down on the floor- 180 degrees (up to 0.20 deduction)

***WEIGHT TRANSFER- Make sure to show a rocking action through the use of plie- feet must be turned out

some (up to 0.20 deduction)

***BACK EXTENSION ROLL- Do not place hands on floor before rolling backwards (0.30 deduction)

Hands staged or not placed at the same time (0.10 deduction)

Make sure you pass through vertical (up to 0.30 deduction)

DO NOT DO a backward roll step out, this is an element change (0.60 deduction)

***FULL TURN IN COUPE- foot must remain at ankle in high releve while completing a 360 degree turn (up

to 0.40 deduction)

***HITCHKICK- Each leg must reach a minimum height of horizontal (up to 0.10 deduction of EACH kick)

***BACK WALKOVER- Make sure your leg lifts continuously while going into the back walkover-do not let

your leg drop after you begin arching backwards (up to 0.10 deduction)

Do not stag your hands or place them on the gymnastics floor one at a time (0.10

deduction)

Must have a minimum leg separation of 150 degrees (up to 0.20 deduction)

***ROUND-OFF – You must not lack acceleration in the series (up to 0.20 deduction)

Make sure to pass through vertical (up to 0.30 deduction)

Feet must land at the same time (0.10 deduction)

***2 BACK HANDSPRING REBOUND- Do not squat deeply in either back handspring (up to 0.20 deduction

for each)

Land feet next to each other at the same time (0.10 deduction for each)

Landing of the last  back handsprings must be followed by an immediate rebound

(0.10 deduction)

Must show a controlled, paused, and stuck landing (0.05 deduction)

These are not  ALL the gymnastics skills or  deductions for the gymnastics level 5 floor routine. These are the MAIN skills required for level 5 and the deductions for those skills.  There is more deductions in the level 5 routine that I did not list. One will receive deductions for lack of gymnastics dance, fluidity and rhythm. You will also receive a deduction for going out of bounds or not completing your routine with the music.

Gymnastics floor exercise is one out of two events that are competed by both men and women. Out of all the events, floor exercise is favored by most. Floor takes a vast amount of strength, power, endurance, flexibility, grace, and gymnastics dance.

The floor exercise has springs underneath, for this reason many people refer to them as spring floors. The standard size for a spring floor is 12 meters by 12 meters. This size makes it a perfect square.

A spring floor is made out of tons of small springs that are covered by plywood, the plywood is covered by thick foam padding, and the foam padding is covered by carpet. The carpet has four taped lined along the outside, these are called the boundary lines. A gymnast must stay inside these lines when performing his/her routine. If a gymnast steps outside these lines they will receive a deduction.

Levels one through six all have the exact same choreographed gymnastics floor routine. Once a gymnast becomes a level seven they get to pick their very own floor music and have a gymnastics floor routine choreographed to fit her skills and style.

Floor Exercise is where the gymnasts get to express who they are as a gymnast. A gymnast expresses her character and ability through the tumbling, leaps, jumps, skill, turns, etc. she puts into her routine. Her personality also gets expressed though the music she chooses, and the type of gymnastics dance she selects and puts in her routine.

Gymnastics and dance are completely different sports, but a working knowledge and ability to perform each of these disciplines are a must to be a great gymnast and dancer. Every gymnastics floor and balance beam routine includes a vast amount of dance to connect gymnastics skills.

Serious and competitive gymnasts should take dance lessons along side with working out in the gym. Dance is an extremely important part of gymnastics. Gymnastics and dance go hand in hand, for this reason I refer to it as gymnastics dance. Gymnastics dance is crucial to a gymnasts’ success. In every balance beam and gymnastics floor routine ever performed, gymnastics dance is weaved throughout the entire piece. You may be a gymnast, not a dancer, but you are going to get judged on the dance you put into your routines. The neatest thing about gymnastics dance is it makes your routine unique and helps it stand out from all other gymnastics routines. Through gymnastics dance you are able to express your personality as an individual and a gymnast. This has a huge weight in your overall score, so make sure you go all out and make every move count. Amazing leaps, high flexible jumps, and perfect turns are a necessity for a high scouring balance beam and floor routine. Gymnastics dance is used in-between tumbling passes and gymnastics skills it is the fluidity that ties each part of your routine together making it whole.

Dance lessons will help you master these skills. I cannot express enough how beneficial dance is for gymnastics floor and balance beam success. It teaches great form, technique, grace, flexibility, fluidity, balance, and posture. Make sure your balance beam and gymnastics floor routines are choreographed specifically for you and no one else. By incorporating dance, skills, and tumbling passes that show your strengths.