Level 10 Floor Routine Requirements

Level 10 floor is so much fun! These are some of the most exciting routines to watch. Level 10 is the fifth, and highest, of the five optional levels in gymnastics. Optional gymnastics means that the gymnast gets to use their own choreography. Level 10 floor music can be chosen by the gymnast and coach. Today we will look at the Level 10 floor routine requirements, and what type of skills can be used to meet them.

In Level 10, gymnasts must meet requirements in several different categories. Level 10 is one of the levels in which composition deductions can be taken. These deductions are based on the construction of the routine. Deductions reflect the difficulty, quantity, and type of skills and choreography in the routine. Coaches and gymnasts must design routines based on not only the Special Requirements, but the composition requirements as well.

This post has been updated to reflect the 2022-2026 Code of Points.

Basic Requirements for a Level 10 Floor Routine

First, the gymnast must fulfill the Value Parts required for the level. Once a gymnast gets to Optional levels (Levels 6-10), they must perform a certain number of skills (Value Parts). Each level has different requirements for the number of skills at varying degrees of difficulty. Missing Value Parts are reflected in the Start Value.

Next, the gymnast must fulfill four Special Requirements on each event. Missing Special Requirements are also reflected in the Start Value.

Additionally, in Levels 9 and 10, routines do NOT automatically start at a 10.0 if the requirements are met. Instead, gymnasts must earn bonus points to achieve the maximum Start Value.

Finally, the gymnast will have Composition Requirements for each event. Composition deductions are taken at the end of the routine, and are NOT reflected in the Start Value. These deductions are not covered in this article. Read Making Sense of Composition: Level 10 Floor to learn more.

Value Parts for a Level 10 Floor Routine

Level 9 gymnasts need 3 A skills, 3 B skills, and 2 C skills on each event (bars, beam, and floor). All skills in gymnastics are evaluated based on their difficulty level, and they are given a value from A through E. A skills are the easiest, B skills are a bit more difficult and C skills are even more challenging. The gymnast is allowed to choose the skills that she can perform the best in each of these difficulty categories. Each A skill is worth 0.10, each B skill is worth 0.30, and each C skill is worth 0.50. Deductions are taken off the Start Value if a skill is missing.

In a Level 10 floor routine, gymnasts are allowed to perform unlimited difficulty. Gymnasts can choose which skills best fit their strengths, and they can fulfill the requirements using their chosen skills and combinations. There are no deductions for restricted elements in Level 10.

Higher-valued skills can replace lower-valued skills when counting Value Parts in a routine. This means that if the gymnast performs 1 A, 1 B, 3 C’s, 2 D’s, and 1 E skill, she will fulfill all of her Value Part requirements (and earn quite a bit of bonus, too!).

For examples of B and C skills on floor, see Level 9 Floor Routine Requirements.

Examples of D skills on floor include:

Switch leap 1/1
Wolf jump 1 1/2
Tour jete 1/1
Switch-ring 1/2
Tour jete-ring 1/2
Cat leap 2/1 turn
Tuck jump 2/1 turn
Triple turn
Double turn with leg held upward with hand in 180 split
Wolf double turn
Rudi (front tuck, pike, or layout with 1 1/2 twist)
Double back tucked
Double back piked
Back salto 2 1/2 twist

Examples of E skills on floor include:

Wolf jump or hop 2/1 turn
4/1 turn
Wolf 3/1 turn
Front salto 2/1 twist
Double front
Arabian double front
Full twisting double back
Double layout
Back salto 3/1 twist

Special Requirements for a Level 10 Floor Routine

There are four Special Requirements for a Level 10 floor routine. Each Special Requirement is worth 0.50. If a Special Requirement is missing, it is a deduction of 0.50 off the Start Value.

The Level 10 requirements for floor are as follows:

Acro pass with minimum of 2 saltos
Three different saltos (NOT aerials)
Dance passage (2 leaps, jumps, or hops), including one 180° leap
Min. C salto in last salto connection

Here is more detail on each of these Special Requirements.

gymnast tumbling on Level 8 floor routine

Acro Pass With Minimum of 2 Saltos

An acro pass is a tumbling pass consisting of at least one acro element. The 2-salto acro pass in a Level 10 floor routine must contain at least two saltos, directly or indirectly connected. The two saltos can be the same or different.

A direct acro connection means that the two saltos are connected with no other skills in between. Direct acro connections are a great place to get bonus (discussed further later in this article).

Aerials are NOT considered saltos.

Examples of direct acro connections that fulfill this requirement:

Rudi, layout stepout
Front-full, front layout
Roundoff, 1 1/2 twist, front tuck
Roundoff, whip 1/2, front-full
Roundoff, whip, double back
There are lots of possibilities! Leave a comment with some of your favorite Level 10 acro series.

An indirect acro connection is a salto connection with additional flight elements between the saltos.

Examples of indirect acro connections that fulfill this requirement:

Roundoff, whip, back handspring, double pike
Front tuck stepout, roundoff, back handspring, double tuck
Front handspring, front tuck stepout, front handspring, front -full
Roundoff, 1 1/2 twist stepout, roundoff, double full
Again, there are many possible combinations!

The great part about Level 10 is that there are SO many ways to meet the requirements, and coaches and gymnasts can choose the skills that best suit that gymnast’s individual strengths.

As long as at least one salto is performed both backward and forward, the rest of them are the gymnast’s choice!

Can’t tumble out of a back handspring? Just do a roundoff into your back tumbling pass!

Dance is stronger than tumbling? Earn more bonus with your dance (but be sure to check the acro composition requirements!).

Three Different Saltos in the Routine

The gymnast must perform three different saltos during the routine. These saltos can be isolated or in combination.

The same salto in a different connection will NOT count as a different salto for this requirement.

Saltos with a step-out and to two feet are considered the SAME.

Aerials will NOT meet this requirement. They are not considered saltos.

All saltos must land on the bottom of the feet first to get Value Part and Special Requirement credit. For example, a front salto that lands on the back or the seat first will not get credit.

Examples of Floor Routines That Meet the Acro Requirements

See examples in Making Sense of Composition: Level 10 Floor.

Note that both a 2-pass and a 3-pass routine are acceptable. Coaches and gymnasts can choose what works best for them! 2-pass routines have become increasingly more popular at all levels, including Level 10 and NCAA. It helps the gymnasts to save their body, as well as reduce potential deductions in their routines.

When deciding between a 2-pass and 3-pass routine, consider the difficulty of the skills the gymnast can perform. 2-pass routines have more difficult composition requirements, which means that some gymnasts will get more composition deductions with these routines. Additionally, be sure to count the Value Parts in the routine to ensure nothing is missing.

On the flip side, an extra acro pass is an extra opportunity for judges to take deductions. Look critically at the passes you’re considering, to determine what execution deductions might occur. Then look at the composition chart, and you can decide if it makes more sense to do 2 or 3 passes.

Dance Passage

The dance passage must consist of at least 2 skills from Group 1 (leaps, jumps, or hops). At least one of the skills in the dance passage must be a leap, which takes off from 1 foot, that achieves a 180° split.

The skills in the dance passage can be connected in two ways. Both are equally acceptable to receive Special Requirement credit.

Direct dance connection – no extra steps, hops, etc in between skills. To receive bonus, skills must be directly connected.
Indirect dance connection – skills can be performed with steps, hops, chasses, assembles, or turns between the skills.

***Pauses, stops, or acro skills between dance elements will BREAK the dance passage, and the gymnast will NOT receive Special Requirement credit.

There is an almost endless variety of combinations that a Level 10 gymnast can do to fulfill this requirement.

Some examples of 180° leaps are:

Split leap
Side leap
Switch leap
Tour jete
Tour jete 1/2
Switch-side
Switch-ring
Switch-1/2

The dance passage is also a common place for gymnasts to perform one or more of their required “B” or “C” elements. It’s also a great place to get some bonus!

Keep reading for more about possible bonus connections. Combining a Special Requirement with a bonus opportunity works well to minimize deductions in a Level 10 floor routine.

Minimum “C” salto in last salto connection

The gymnast must perform a “C” salto, either as the last salto in the routine, OR in the last salto connection (acro pass). For example, a gymnast could perform front-full, front tuck as her last pass. This would meet the requirement, because the front-full is a C salto performed in the last salto connection.

Obviously, if the last acro pass only contains an “A” or “B” salto, the gymnast would lose this Special Requirement credit. Let’s look at a few other reasons she might not get credit.

1. Gymnast performs the exact same pass twice in her routine.

EXAMPLE: First pass is a RO, BHS, 1 1/2 twist, front tuck. Then, gymnast tries to do a RO, BHS, 1 1/2 twist, front pike as her final pass, but she bends her knees and receives credit for another front tuck. The elements in this acro pass would NOT receive Value Part credit because the two passes are exactly the same, and the gymnast would lose the Special Requirement for the “B” salto in the last salto connection.

2. Gymnast performs a salto for the third time in the routine. That one is pretty self explanatory.

3. Last salto does not land on the bottom of the feet first. It would get 0 VP credit, and therefore no Special Requirement credit.

4. Gymnast does not initiate a salto in the final acro pass.

EXAMPLE: Gymnast runs, and does not perform an acro pass.

EXAMPLE: Gymnast does roundoff back handspring, and bails out without performing a salto.

In these last two examples, a 0.30 deduction from the Start Value for No Dismount would also apply.

Bonus in a Level 10 Floor Routine

Level 10 floor routines, if all of the requirements are met, will start from a 9.50. The gymnast must earn bonus points to make up the remaining 0.50.

If the gymnast has enough bonus, it’s even possible to start from a 10.1! More on this later.

Here are the combinations that can earn bonus in a Level 10 floor routine, along with some examples.

Dance Bonus

Gymnasts can earn bonus for a dance (or mixed) series as follows:

C+C = +0.10
B+D = +0.10
C+D = +0.20
D-salto + A-jump (in that order = +0.10

Here are some examples of Dance and Mixed Bonus:

Switch-side, Popa = C+C +0.10
Switch-ring, switch-1/2 = C+C +0.10
Wolf-1/1 (landing on 1 foot), double turn = C+C +0.10
Tour jete 1/2, wolf-1 1/2 = C+D +0.20
Cat leap 2/1, cat leap 1 1/2 = C+D +0.20
Rudi, straddle jump = D-salto+B-jump, +0.10

Remember that a turn into a jump will NOT receive bonus, regardless of the values of the turn and jump.

Acro Bonus (Direct)

There are many possibilities for Direct Acro Bonus:

B+B (same or different) = +0.10
A+C = +0.10
A+A+C = +0.10
B+C = +0.20
C+C = +0.20
A/B+D = +0.20
A/B+A/B+D/E = +0.20

Here are some examples of Direct Acro Bonus:

Front layout, front layout (B+B = +0.10)
Front-full, front tuck (C+A = +0.10)
Roundoff, whip, whip, double full (A+A+C = +0.10)
Roundoff, 1 1/2 twist, front pike (C+B = +0.20)
Front layout, front-full (B+C = +0.20)
Roundoff, back handspring, 1 1/2 twist, front-full (C+C = +0.20)
Rudi, layout stepout (D+A = +0.20)
Front double-full, front tuck (E+A = +0.20)

Acro Bonus (Indirect)

To earn Indirect Acro Bonus, the gymnast can choose one of the following combinations:

B+C = +0.10
A+D = +0.10
A/B+A/B+C = +0.10
C+C = +0.20
A+E = +0.20
B+D = +0.20
A+A+D = +0.20

Here are some examples of Indirect Acro Bonus:

Front pike stepout, roundoff, back handspring, double full (B+C indirect = +0.10)
Roundoff, whip, whip, back handspring, 1 1/2 twist (A+A+C indirect = +0.10)
Front tuck stepout, roundoff, back handspring, double tuck (A+D indirect = +0.10)
Roundoff, 1 1/2 twist, roundoff, double full (C+C indirect = +0.20)
Front tuck stepout, roundoff, back handspring, full-in (A+E indirect = +0.20)
Roundoff, Arabian salto stepout, roundoff, 2 1/2 twist (B+D indirect = +0.20)
Roundoff, whip, whip, back handspring, double pike (A+A+D indirect = +0.20)

D/E Bonus

Level 10 gymnasts can receive bonus for performing a D or E skill. Unlike Level 9, acro AND dance skills will receive bonus in Level 10. Bonus is given as follows:

D = +0.10
E = +0.20

D or E skills can receive bonus ONE time only. This means that if the same D or E skill is performed later in the routine, in a different connection, it will NOT receive bonus the second time. It will be eligible for Connection bonus, though.

How to Get a 10.1 Start Value

A gymnast will receive a 10.1 Start Value if the following criteria are met:

E acro skill is performed
0.60 or more in bonus
10.0 Start Value

You’ll know if the 10.1 was awarded, because judges will flash a 10.0 +0.10 on the Start Value flasher.

Common Deductions for a Level 10 Floor Routine

In Level 10 gymnastics, gymnasts are expected to perform more difficult skills, but that doesn’t mean they can sacrifice technique. Many times, I have seen a less difficult routine, cleanly executed, beat out a difficult routine with more errors. What do I mean by “cleanly executed”? A gymnast with clean execution has minimal form deductions.

Here are some of the most common deductions that can occur during a Level 10 floor routine. These deductions are assessed each time they occur.

Common deductions include:

Foot form – 0.05
Concentration pause – 0.10 (2 seconds or more)
Legs not parallel to floor in split or straddle-pike leaps/jumps – up to 0.20
Insufficient split when required – up to 0.20
Insufficient height (dance skills, aerials, or acro flight skills) – up to 0.20
Insufficient height (saltos) — up to 0.30
Incomplete turn/twist – up to 0.20
Poor body position – up to 0.20
Incorrect posture on landings of elements and dismount — up to 0.20
Leg separation – up to 0.20
Bent arms – up to 0.30
Bent knees – up to 0.30
Insufficient open of tuck/pike position prior to landing acro elements — up to 0.30
Deep squat on landing — up to 0.30
Fall – 0.50
Coach on the floor — 0.50

General Deductions in a Level 10 Floor Routine

Level 10 floor routine ending pose — portrait of young gymnasts competing in the stadium

In a Level 10 floor routine, there are several categories of “general deductions”, which are evaluated by looking at the routine as a whole. These deductions are:

Rhythm – up to 0.30
Dynamics – up to 0.20
Footwork – up to 0.30
Posture/alignment – up to 0.30
Artistry – up to 0.30 (3 categories of artistry)

For more information on general deductions, see 6 General Deductions You’re Probably Getting.

Final Thoughts

The best Level 10 floor routines will show huge tumbling along with incredible artistry, showing off the gymnast’s personal style. As discussed above, it’s best to choose skills that showcase the gymnast’s abilities. For instance, if the gymnast has poor flexibility, she might opt to perform only the minimum elements that require a full split, and use other skills to fulfill the rest of the requirements. If her feet aren’t as flexible, the routine might use choreography that doesn’t rely on fully pointed feet. You get the idea!

Level 10 floor routines are so fun and entertaining to watch. If you’re constructing one, have fun, pick out your best skills, and show it off!

References

USA Gymnastics J.O. Code of Points, 2022-2026.