Every Gymnastics Level Guide From 1 to Elite

At Level One the Focus is on Building strength, flexibility, coordination, and basic gymnastics movements. Skills Requirements for Level 1 Gymnasts.

• Vault Skills
  • A simple jump onto the vault in a wide-legged position. 
  • basic jump landing in a squat position on top of the vault.
  • Fall to flat back.
• Beam Skills
  • Mastering confident and balanced walking across the beam's narrow surface.
  • Holding simple static positions like standing on one leg or in a squat.
  • Low jumps with straight legs or straddles.
• Floor Skills
  • Cartwheel
  • Running, skipping, hopping, and jumping in various directions.
  • Forward rolls and backward rolls with controlled entries and exits.
• Bar Skills
  • Pullover
  • Cast
  • Back hip circle
  • Simple exits from the bars like half-forward rolls or underwings.

Gymnasts at level 2 are expected to possess the following skills

• Vault Skills
  • Straddle jumps, pike jumps, and tuck jumps with proper form and control. 
  • Approaching the vault with a controlled handstand position,

• Beam Skills

• • Arabesques, squats, and straddles with longer hold times and improved form.
  • Jumps with leg separations and turns. 
  • Dynamic transitions from a handstand to a backward roll.

• Floor Skills
  • Connecting a forward roll to a momentary handstand.
  •  Linking a backward roll with a leg kick-over.
  • Connecting simple skills like cartwheels and jumps to create a flowing routine.
• Bar Skills
  • Maintaining a stable handstand position for longer durations.
  • Swinging through the bars with momentum and control(Full Swing).
  • Passing one leg through the arms while swinging on the bars(Leg Cuts).
  • More challenging dismounts like half somersaults

Think of Level 3 as the canvas where they paint their first masterpieces with strength, grace, and creativity. Here are the skills expected of a Level 3 gymnast. 

• Vault Skills
  • launching from a handstand onto the vault
  • Holding a handstand on the vault for an extended period
  • Performing vaults with tucked knees
• Beam Skills
  • Leaps with 90-degree splits
  • Mastering balance and control in a handstand position on the narrow beam.
  • Combining a cartwheel with a transition to a side handstand.
• Floor Skills
  • Connecting a roundoff (a tumbling entry skill) with a handspring.
  • Creating a flowing series of tumbling skills with multiple moments of aerial work, like jumps and flips.
  • Incorporating dance elements like turns and leaps with a required 180-degree leg split.
• Bar Skills
  • Kip
  • Back hip circle with half pirouette
  • Clear hip circle
  • Performing a dismount with a high difficulty score(at least A value), like a full somersault or a difficult aerial element.

Think of Level 4 as a high-wire act, balancing ambitious maneuvers with elegant execution. Here are the skills required of a Level 4 Gymnast. 

• Vault Skills
  • Handspring vault with ½ twist.
  • Handstand vault with straddle entry.
  • Performing a salto (a somersault) in a tucked position.
• Beam Skills
  • A cartwheel with a mid-air phase.
  • A breathtaking jump from the beam with a sideways salto.
  • Combining two acrobatic skills like handstands or walkovers into a fluid sequence.
• Floor Skills
  • Connecting two somersaults in one sequence.
  • Combining a salto with a twist.
  • Weaving a pirouette and a leap into a graceful dance sequence.
• Bar Skills
  • A high-scoring dismount with a ½ twist and landing in a straddle position.
  • A dynamic transition from a cast on the low bar to a handstand on the high bar.
  • Adding a ½ turn to release moves like pirouettes or straddles.

Level 5 in gymnastics is where the fireworks truly ignite. They are on their way to becoming phenomenal athletes. Here are the skills associated with a Level 5 Gymnast

• Vault Skills
  • Adding a full twist to the handspring entry.
  • Performing two somersaults with tucked knees.
  • Vaults with extended legs in a horizontal position
• Beam Skills
  • Taking the aerial cartwheel to the next level with a full twist
  • Executing a full somersault with a twist while leaving the beam.
  • Combining handstands with other acrobatic skills like walkovers or straddles
• Floor Skills
  • Connecting three somersaults in one sequence
  • Tumbling pass with salto, double twist, and salto
  • Weaving intricate pirouettes and dynamic leaps into a graceful dance sequence
• Bar Skills
  • Leaving the bars with a full somersault and a twist.
  • Ray salto
  • Release moves with multiple twists

Level 6, gymnastics routines are built with diverse skills ranked by difficulty, from "A" (easiest) to "E" (hardest). Here are the Skills associated with a Level 6 gymnast. 

• Vault Skills 
  • Handspring vault with full twist and layout.
  • Double salto with the layout.
  • Combining a tucked salto with a double twist.
• Beam Skills
  • Aerial Walkover
  • Connecting multiple skills like walkovers and jumps with full twists.
  • Acrobatic series with handstand variations and saltos.
• Floor Skills
  • CQuadruple salto pass
  • Tumbling pass with triple salto and double twist
  • Dance series with multiple pirouettes leaps, and acrobatic elements
• Bar Skills
  • Stalder salto dismount, a release move with a half-twisting salto.
  • Release moves with multiple twists and layout
  • Giant swing with full-twisting dismount

Level 7 is a symphony of movement, where every leap, twist, and handstand is a carefully orchestrated note. Here's where precision meets panache:

• Vault Skills
  • Double salto with a full twist
  • Handspring vault with layout and double twist.
  • Tsukahara vault
• Beam Skills 
  • Aerial walkover with full twist
  • Series with multiple acrobatic elements and full twists.
  • Full twisting dismount with layout
• Floor Skills 
  • Quadruple salto pass with layout
  • Tumbling pass with triple salto, double twist, and pirouette.
  • Dance series with intricate footwork, leaps, and acrobatic elements
• Bar Skills
  • Release moves with multiple twists and layouts with straddle legs.
  • Stalder salto dismount with layout.
  • Ray salto with full twist

Level 8 gymnasts must seamlessly integrate four "A" and four "B" skills into their routines. Here's where daring meets finesse.

• Vault Skills
  • Double salto with full twist and layout.
  • Handspring vault with a double full twist
  • Double layout salto
• Beam Skills
  • Aerial walkover with a double full twist
  • Stringing together handstands, walkovers, saltos, and pirouettes with double twists.
  • Leaving the beam with a full twisting salto
• Floor Skills
  • Connecting four somersaults with extended legs and a double twist.
  • Tumbling pass with triple salto, double twist, pirouette, and acrobatic element.
  • Dance series with intricate footwork, leaps, and acrobatic elements with double twists.
• Bar Skills
  • Release moves with multiple twists and layouts with straddle legs and pirouette.
  • Stalder salto dismount with layout and full twist, it must be at least an "A" skill
  • Bar change

Level 9 is where gymnasts craft routines that are not just technically sound, but also breathtakingly beautiful. Here's where artistry paints on the canvas of skill

• Vault Skills 
  • Handspring vault with double full twist and layout
  • Double-tucked salto with a half twist
  • Tsukahara full
• Beam Skills
  • One Acro Series with a minimum of 2 flight elements (excludes the mount and dismount)
  • Tumbling pass with triple salto, double twist, pirouette, and acrobatic element
  • Dance series with intricate footwork, leaps, and acrobatic elements with double twists and pirouettes
• Floor Skills
  • Dance series with at least 2 different leaps, jumps or hops – one of which should be a leap with 180 degrees leg separation
  • Tumbling pass with triple salto, double twist, pirouette, and acrobatic element.
  • Quadruple salto pass with double twist and layout
• Bar Skills
  • Release moves with multiple twists and layout, straddles, and pirouettes.
  • Stalder salto dismount with layout and double full twist.
  • Ray salto with double full twist.

Level 10 in gymnastics is the pinnacle, where artistry takes flight and skill becomes an expression of pure athletic poetry. Here's where artistry soars to new heights

• Vault Skills
  • Double full with layout and two full twists
  • Tsukahara double full
  • Handspring double layout with a double full twist
• Beam Skills
  • Aerial walkover with double full twist and double layout
  • Multi-element series with multiple double twists and pirouettes, 
  • Triple twisting dismount with layout and salto
• Floor Skills
  • Quadruple salto pass with double twist and layout and pirouette.
  • Tumbling pass with triple salto, double twist, pirouette, acrobatic element, and salto.
  • Dance Series with intricate footwork, leaps, and acrobatic elements with double twists and pirouettes and acrobatic elements.
• Bar Skills
  • Release moves with multiple twists and layout, straddles, pirouettes, and acrobatic elements.
  • Stalder salto dismount with layout, double full twist, and salto.
  • Ray salto with double full twist and salto.

Reaching Elite is like turning pro in other sports, opening doors to Olympic Trials and professional events. Here's where daring meets the sublime:

• Vault Skills
  • Handspring double full with layout and three full twists.
  • The Tsukahara double full with half twist and layout.
  • Kasamatsu double full.
• Beam Skills
  • Aerial walkover with double full twist and double layout and salto.
  • Series with multiple double-twisting triple saltos and pirouettes.
  • Triple twisting dismount with layout and double salto.
• Floor Skills
  • Quadruple salto pass with double twist and layout and pirouette and acrobatic element.
  • Tumbling pass with triple salto, double twist, pirouette, double salto, and acrobatic element.
  • Dance series with intricate footwork, leaps, and acrobatic elements with triple twists and pirouettes and acrobatic elements.
• Bar Skills
  • Release moves with multiple twists and layout, straddles, pirouettes, and multiple acrobatic elements.
  • Stalder salto dismount with layout, double full twist, salto, and pirouette.
  • Ray salto with double full twist and salto and pirouette.