This article has been updated to reflect the 2026-2030 DP Code of Points changes.
Every four years, the rules change for optional gymnastics under USA Gymnastics. Sometimes there are a lot of changes, and other years, the optional gymnastics requirements stay pretty much the same. As of April 2026, the new rules for 2026-2030 have been released! Take a look below for the updated list of requirements, all in one place.
There are not a lot of changes to the optional gymnastics requirements this cycle. The good news is that the changes that have been made seem to be progressive and helpful as gymnasts prepare for the next level. And those types of changes are always good! Keep reading to find out what’s new!
Level 6 Gymnastics Requirements
Vault
Level 6 vault has three options. All of these options are vaults from the table to the mat stack. These options are:
- Front handspring to mat stack
- 1/2 on (Tsuk timer) to mat stack
- Yurchenko timer (roundoff to board, back handspring onto table) to mat stack
Bars
The current Level 6 requirements on bars are:
- Cast above horizontal
- 360° circling skill from Group 3/6/7
- 1 bar change
- A salto dismount
At Level 6, the gymnast must perform the following Value Parts:
- 4 A
- 2 B
A Level 6 routine that fulfills all of the Special Requirements and Value Parts will start at a 10.0.
Beam
The current Level 6 beam requirements are:
- Non-flight acro series x2 OR 1 acro flight element
- 180° leap or jump
- Minimum 1/1 turn on one foot
- A salto/aerial dismount
At Level 6, the gymnast must perform the following Value Parts:
- 4 A
- 2 B
A Level 6 routine that fulfills all of the Special Requirements and Value Parts will start at a 10.0.
Floor
The current Level 6 floor requirements are:
- 1st acro pass: minimum 2 flight elements with salto
- 2nd acro pass with DIFFERENT salto: minimum 2 flight elements with salto OR isolated B salto
- Dance passage (2 different Group 1 elements) including 180° leap off 1 foot
- Minimum 1/1 turn on one foot
At Level 6, the gymnast must perform the following Value Parts:
- 4 A
- 2 B
A Level 6 routine that fulfills all of the Special Requirements and Value Parts will start at a 10.0.
Level 7 Gymnastics Requirements
Vault
Level 7 vault has three options, which are the same as the Level 6 vault. All of these options are vaults from the table to the mat stack. These options are:
- Front handspring to mat stack
- 1/2 on (Tsuk timer) to mat stack
- Yurchenko timer (roundoff to board, back handspring onto table) to mat stack
Bars
The current Level 7 bars requirements are:
- Cast to minimum 45° from vertical
- 360° circling skill from Group 3/6/7
- 2nd circling skill (same or different), minimum B value
- A salto dismount
At Level 7, the gymnast must perform the following Value Parts:
- 4 A
- 3 B
A Level 7 routine that fulfills all of the Special Requirements and Value Parts will start at a 10.0.
Beam
The current Level 7 beam requirements are:
- Non-flight acro series x2 AND 1 acro flight element (isolated or in series)
- 180° leap or jump
- Minimum 1/1 turn on one foot
- A salto/aerial dismount
At Level 7, the gymnast must perform the following Value Parts:
- 4 A
- 3 B
A Level 7 routine that fulfills all of the Special Requirements and Value Parts will start at a 10.0.
Floor
The current Level 7 floor requirements are:
- Acro pass with a backward salto (min. 2 flight elements)
- Acro pass with a forward salto (add’l elements allowed) – EITHER the backward or forward salto must be a layout
- Dance passage (2 different Group 1 elements) including 180° leap off 1 foot
- Minimum 1/1 turn on one foot
At Level 7, the gymnast must perform the following Value Parts:
- 4 A
- 3 B
A Level 7 routine that fulfills all of the Special Requirements and Value Parts will start at a 10.0.
Level 8 Gymnastics Requirements
Vault
Level 8 gymnasts are required to perform at least one vault from the Level 8 vault chart, which lands on the feet first. These vaults range from handsprings to piked Yurchenkos and Tsukaharas.
Bars
The current Level 8 bars requirements are:
- Cast to handstand
- 360° circling skill from Group 3/6/7
- 1 skill (min. B) with at least 180° LA turn OR flight
- A salto dismount
At Level 8, the gymnast must perform the following Value Parts:
- 4 A
- 4 B
Routines need 0.20 of Composition Credit to receive a full Start Value. Composition Credit for Level 8 bars consists of the following:
- B+B direct connection = +0.10
- B dismount OR B+A dismount = +0.10
A Level 8 routine that fulfills all of the Special Requirements, Value Parts, and Composition Credit will start at a 10.0.
Beam
The current Level 8 beam requirements are:
- Acro series x2, min. 1 flight element
- 180° leap or jump
- Minimum 1/1 turn on one foot
- A salto/aerial dismount
At Level 8, the gymnast must perform the following Value Parts:
- 4 A
- 4 B
Routines need 0.20 of Composition Credit to receive a full Start Value. Composition Credit for Level 8 beam consists of the following:
- B+B acro series, both skills must have flight = +0.10
- B or higher dismount OR B acro + A dismount = +0.10
A Level 8 routine that fulfills all of the Special Requirements, Value Parts, and Composition Credit will start at a 10.0.
Floor
The current Level 8 floor requirements are:
- 3 different saltos in the routine
- Acro pass with two saltos
- “A” last salto or in the last salto series
- Dance passage (2 different Group 1 elements) including 180° leap off 1 foot
At Level 8, the gymnast must perform the following Value Parts:
- 4 A
- 4 B
A Level 8 routine that fulfills all of the Special Requirements and Value Parts will start at a 9.80. A Level 8 routine must include 0.20 in Composition Credit to achieve a Start Value of 10.0.
Routines need 0.20 of Composition Credit to receive a full Start Value. Composition Credit for Level 8 floor consists of the following:
- 2 different B saltos + 1 A salto = +0.10
- 2 different B dance skills = +0.10
Level 9 Gymnastics Requirements
Vault
Level 9 gymnasts are required to perform at least one vault from the Level 9 vault chart, which lands on the feet first. These vaults can range from handsprings to layout Yurchenkos and Tsukaharas, among others.
Bars
The current Level 9 bars requirements are:
- 2 bar changes
- 1 flight element min. B
- 1 skill (min. B) with at least 180° LA turn OR a C flight element (different)
- B salto dismount
At Level 9, the gymnast must perform the following Value Parts:
- 3 A
- 4 B
- 1 C
If all of these Value Parts and Special Requirements are performed, the routine will start at 9.5. A Level 9 bar routine must include 0.30 in Bonus and 0.20 in Composition Credit to achieve a Start Value of 10.0.
Routines need 0.20 of Composition Credit to receive a full Start Value. Composition Credit for Level 9 bars consists of the following:
- 2 C or higher skills = +0.10
- C/D/E dismount OR C/D/E skill + B dismount = +0.10
Level 9 gymnasts can receive 0.10 of their bonus from a D/E skill. The other 0.20 must come from connections.
Beam
The current Level 9 beam requirements are:
- Acro series x2 flights
- 180° leap or jump
- Minimum 1/1 turn on one foot
- B salto/aerial dismount
At Level 9, the gymnast must perform the following Value Parts:
- 3 A
- 4 B
- 1 C
If all of these Value Parts and Special Requirements are performed, the routine will start at 9.5. A Level 9 beam routine must include 0.30 in Bonus and 0.20 in Composition Credit to achieve a Start Value of 10.0.
Routines need 0.20 of Composition Credit to receive a full Start Value. Composition Credit for Level 9 beam consists of the following:
- 2 different C/D/E acro flight skills (no dismount) = +0.10
- C/D/E dismount OR B flight + B dismount OR C dance + B dismount = +0.10
Level 9 gymnasts can receive 0.10 of their bonus from a D/E acro skill. The other 0.20 must come from connections.
Floor
The current Level 9 floor requirements are:
- 3 different saltos in the routine
- Acro pass with two saltos
- B last salto or in the last salto series
- Dance passage (2 different Group 1 elements) including 180° leap off 1 foot
At Level 9, the gymnast must perform the following Value Parts:
- 3 A
- 4 B
- 1 C
If all of these Value Parts and Special Requirements are performed, the routine will start at 9.5. A Level 9 floor routine must include 0.30 in Bonus and 0.20 in Composition Credit to achieve a Start Value of 10.0.
Routines need 0.20 of Composition Credit to receive a full Start Value. Composition Credit for Level 9 floor consists of the following:
- 2 different C saltos + 1 B salto = +0.10
- 2 different C dance skills = +0.10
Level 9 gymnasts can receive 0.10 of their bonus from a D/E acro skill. The other 0.20 must come from connections.
Level 10 Gymnastics Requirements
Vault
Level 10 gymnasts are required to perform at least one vault from the Level 10 vault chart, which lands on the feet first. There are a vast number of vaults to choose from, in 5 different groups. The Start Values range up to 10.0, with some difficult vaults eligible for an extra 0.10 of bonus.
Bars
The current Level 10 bars requirements are:
- 1 flight element, min. C
- 1 flight (different), min. B
- 1 skill with LA turn, min. C
- C salto dismount
At Level 10, the gymnast must perform the following Value Parts:
- 3 A
- 3 B
- 2 C
If all of these Value Parts and Special Requirements are performed, the routine will start at 9.2. A Level 10 bar routine must include 0.50 in Bonus and 0.30 in Composition Credit to achieve a Start Value of 10.0.
Routines need 0.30 of Composition Credit to receive a full Start Value. Composition Credit for Level 10 bars consists of the following:
- 2 different D/E releases = +0.20
- OR 1 D/E release = +0.10
- D/E dismount OR D/E skill + C dismount = +0.10
A Level 10 routine that starts from 10.0, has at least +0.60 in Bonus, and contains an “E” release or “D” single bar release is eligible for an extra +0.10 in Bonus.
Beam
The current Level 10 beam requirements are:
- Acro series x2 flights (1 min. C OR A non-flight + E)
- 180° leap or jump
- Minimum 1/1 turn on one foot
- C salto/aerial dismount (OR B dismount directly connected to C dance or C acro element/series)
At Level 10, the gymnast must perform the following Value Parts:
- 3 A
- 3 B
- 2 C
If all of these Value Parts and Special Requirements are performed, the routine will start at 9.2. A Level 10 beam routine must include 0.50 in Bonus and 0.30 in Composition Credit to achieve a Start Value of 10.0.
Routines need 0.30 of Composition Credit to receive a full Start Value. Composition Credit for Level 10 beam consists of the following:
- 2 different D/E acro flight skills = +0.20 (no dismount)
- OR 1 D/E acro flight = +0.10 (no dismount)
- D/E dismount OR B flight + C dismount OR C dance + C dismount = +0.10
A Level 10 routine that starts from 10.0, has at least +0.60 in Bonus, and contains an “E” acro skill is eligible for an extra +0.10 in Bonus.
Floor
The current Level 10 floor requirements are:
- 3 different saltos in the routine
- Acro pass with two saltos
- C last salto or in the last salto series
- Dance passage (2 different Group 1 elements) including 180° leap off 1 foot
At Level 10, the gymnast must perform the following Value Parts:
- 3 A
- 3 B
- 2 C
If all of these Value Parts and Special Requirements are performed, the routine will start at 9.2. A Level 10 floor routine must include 0.50 in Bonus to achieve a Start Value of 10.0.
Routines need 0.30 of Composition Credit to receive a full Start Value. Composition Credit for Level 10 floor consists of the following:
- 2 different D saltos + 1 C salto OR 1 E salto + 1 D salto = +0.20; OR
- 2 different D saltos OR 1 E salto + 1 C salto = +0.10
- 3 different C dance skills OR 1 D dance + 1 C dance = +0.10
A Level 10 routine that starts from 10.0, has at least +0.60 in Bonus, and contains an “E” acro skill is eligible for an extra +0.10 in Bonus.
Summary
In this article, you have learned about the most updated version of the optional gymnastics requirements. To see what’s changed specifically since last cycle, read Level 6-10 Code of Points Updates 2026.
References
2026-2030 USA Gymnastics Code of Points.