R & R Gymnastics

A Breakdown of Gymnastics Meet Scores

Fri, 16 Sep 2022 20:00:00 GMT

If you’ve ever found yourself confused about how gymnastics scoring works, whether while watching the Olympics or at your child’s gymnastic meet, there’s a high chance that you’re not alone. Those numbers could easily leave anyone confused, wondering about the basis of scoring used by the judges.

Well, you’re in luck, as this article has all the answers you’re seeking. Here, we will explain how gymnastic meets are scored , ideal gymnastic meet scores, and what the numbers and letters used in scoring mean. Let’s get right to it!

How Is A Gymnastic Meet Scored?

Gymnastic meets are comprised of individual and team events. Each of these events has its method of scoring.

For individual events, gymnasts are scored based on the difficulty and technicality of their routines (difficulty score) and how well they executed their skills and techniques (execution score). A gymnast’s total score is the sum of the values of their difficulty and execution scores.

Difficulty Score

The difficulty score sometimes referred to as the start value, is determined by totaling all the values a participant earns in the most difficult skills. A panel of two judges determines the difficulty score.

The difficulty score is the sum of;

The Value of the Ten Most Difficult Skills In the Routine

Each skill is only counted once throughout the routine and has a set difficulty value obtained from the Code of Points . For floor exercises, difficulty skills begin from Group A and progress to Group J.

Beams, on the other hand, have difficulty with skills ranging from Group A to Group H. As the skill level increases, the number of points allocated increases by a tenth.

Here is a breakdown of the points the varying skill groups attract.

The total score in this section is established by 8 of their highest rating scores.

The Connection Value

The connection value is awarded when the gymnast successfully executes specific skills in a row. Each connection value is about 0.1 or 0.2 points for male and female gymnasts.

The Composition Requirements

These points are obtained when an athlete performs the elements required on a particular apparatus. There are four composition requirements, and each of them is worth 0.5 points. The highest number of points attainable under composition requirements is 2.5 points.

Execution Score

Execution scores are points awarded for the flawless execution of skills and techniques. The starting value for execution points in most events is 10.0 points. While a gymnast performs their routine, points are deducted when faults or errors are detected in their execution of techniques.

For small errors, 0.1 points are deducted, and up to 0.8 points could be deducted for a fall. A panel of six judges determines the execution score. Each judge in the six-person panel determines the athlete’s scores individually.

The emerging score is the average of the ratings from the remaining four judges after eliminating the highest and lowest scores.

Total Score

The gymnast’s total score is the value obtained after penalty points have been subtracted from the addition of their difficulty and execution scores.

Simply put, Total Score = Difficulty Score + Execution Score - Penalties

It is important to note that neutral deductions are taken from the sum of execution and difficulty scores. Neutral deductions include faults like inappropriate attire, exceeding time limits, and stepping out of bounds.

What Are Good Gymnastic Scores?

Every gymnast aims for a perfect execution score of 10.0 points. However, an execution score between 9.7 to 9.9 indicates that there were very few mistakes in their routine and can be considered a good score. For the difficulty scoring, it is almost impossible to surpass 6.5 points. Hence, a total score of around 16 is what most gymnasts aim for.

With the accumulation of difficulty and execution points, total scores are usually between 12 and 15 points, depending on the start value. Gymnastic scores in the mid to high 13’s range can be considered average. They are well-grounded and consistent.

Those in the range of 14s are very good and can even win medals. Scores in the 15’s range are exceptional and can win gold medals. Any score lower than 12.5 points is not a good gymnastic score.

Meanwhile, for gymnastic teams, scores between 188 and 192 indicate an average team. Team scores of 196 points and above indicate an exceptional team. A team score of 196+ tells that the team is a good one and translates to the team having an average of 9.8 for each routine.

A team score of 197 is also a great score, but most teams aim for a score of 198 as it pans out to an average of 9.9 per routine.

How Do Team Gymnastics Scores Work?

For gymnastic teams, the team score depends on the size of the team. For small teams, this score is made up of the top three scores that the gymnasts on the team made for that event.

For large teams, their score comprises the top five scores that the gymnasts on the team made for the event.

This implies that only the top scores on a team count. A large team consists of 7 or more gymnasts, while a small team has 3-6 gymnasts.

At gymnastic team competitions, each gymnast’s score is first calculated individually. College teams’ gymnastics scores are calculated using the same scoring method as level 10 gymnastics .

Scoring Method of Level 10 Gymnastics

Although each event has a perfect score of 10.0, the starting value (SV) is only 9.50 points. The extra 0.5 points are bonus points and can be earned in two ways;

For vault events, the number of points attainable is 10 points. Although some events have starting values below 10 points, others have their values at more than 10 points.

Once each gymnast has completed their routines in an event, the top three scores are added to form the team’s score for that event. This process is repeated for all events and all teams.

At the end of the competition, the team scores will be added to form the teams’ All Around Score (AA score). The group with the highest AA rating will be declared the winner.

The perfect team score for a tournament is 200. In addition, a team score of 196+ shows that the team is exceptional, which translates to an average of 9.8 for each routine.

A team score of 197 is also a great score, but most teams keep their eye on a score of 198 as it pans out to an average of 9.9 per routine.

What Is The Highest Difficulty Score In Gymnastics?

Theoretically, the highest difficulty score a gymnast can obtain is 10.0 points. However, the emergence of the Code of Points and the new scoring system by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) have made it a daunting task to earn difficulty scores beyond 6 points.

Legendary gymnast Simone Biles has, however, been able to earn a difficulty score of 6.5 points.

Before the effect of the new scoring system by FIG, the highest possible score was a perfect 10. Remarkable athletes such as Nadia Comăneci, Julianne McNamara, and Li Ning achieved a perfect ten before the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) scrapped the old scoring system.

Making Inquiries

An inquiry is one way to contest a gymnast’s score. If a coach suspects their gymnast’s score is too low and the judges have made a mistake, they can submit an inquiry. However, inquiries can only be made about difficulty scores and must be submitted before the next gymnast completes their performance.

A panel re-evaluates the difficulty score and uses video review where necessary. An inquiry can sometimes lead to changes in the ranking of gymnasts. For instance, Aly Raisman won a bronze medal in the London 2012 Olympics balance beam events due to the inquiry filed by her coach.

Coaches must, however, pay a fee to submit an inquiry . The cost is reimbursed if the investigation modifies the gymnast’s rating. If the investigation yields no new information, the funds are donated to the FIG foundation.

Conclusion

So there you have it! All you need to know about gymnastic scoring is now at your fingertips.

If you’re considering registering your child for a gymnastic meet or any other competitive event , a great place to start would be to ensure that they are adequately prepared by signing them up for the right gymnastics classes .

Gymnastics Moves for Beginners You Should Learn

Tue, 26 Jul 2022 22:00:00 GMT

Gymnasts work intensely hard to perform these techniques flawlessly. While complex strength training exercises are significant game-changers, all gymnasts build their foundation on simple gymnastic exercises. If you’re an aspiring gymnast who is new to the field, learning gymnastics moves for beginners can help. Continue reading this piece to learn what gymnastics exercises you should know as a beginner.

Simply put, learning basic gymnastics moves for beginners is all about establishing a solid foundation and building core strength . These gymnastics exercises make an essential component of complex maneuvers that gymnasts need to perform.

However, the ‘term’ easy is entirely subjective. For example, performing a handstand may be ridiculously easy for someone, whereas beginners may struggle with it. That said, practicing is the key to learning gymnastics moves.

Prep Your Body for Gymnastics

As a gymnast, you should not overlook basic gymnastics exercises . However, a gymnast can only master complicated gymnastic core exercises by prepping their body first.

Gymnasts must practice these essential fitness and gymnastics exercises for the long-term development of their body.

Plank

Plank is one of the most basic gymnast exercises that helps prepare your body for more advanced gymnastics core exercises. It helps improves strength in your arms, quads, and core.

Besides, it is also an excellent exercise to improve your posture, as well as improve your balance and stability. Once you can master the plank, you can have improve flexibility in your hamstrings, feet, and shoulder muscles.

Wall-Sit

Wall sits help gymnasts improve their posture, which is incredibly important for them to do their gymnastic exercises correctly. Not to mention, this simple gymnast exercise also tones and strengthens your muscles.

Rope-Jumping

Most gymnastic core exercises that gymnasts perform are not easy and require a lot of stamina and core strength. Rope-jumping is one of those gymnastic exercises that will help strengthen your entire body, increasing your stamina. Moreover, it is also beneficial for improved coordination and healthy bone density .

Here are some tips for doing this fun and fit gymnastics exercise correctly:

Flamingo Stand

This gymnastics exercise helps reduce a gymnast’s risk of injury when performing gymnastic flexibility exercises and gymnastics core exercises. Additionally, you will learn to improve your balance while the gymnast exercise also increases your strength in the calf and ankles muscles.

Gymnastic Moves for Beginners

Mastering basic gymnast moves are critical for every beginner gymnast. Why? Well, basic skills appear throughout a gymnast’s gymnastic development and across performances across various gymnastic apparatuses.

If you’re new to gymnastics, learning, practicing, and mastering these gymnastics exercises will significantly help in the long haul.

Forward Roll

The forward roll is one of the most vital safety movements and gymnast exercises. With a forward roll, you can protect yourself from injury in many instances. It teaches you the right way to tuck your head, a critical safety movement in gymnastics.

For example, you can repeat this movement when you lose balance when performing a handstand or headstand. Additionally, this gymnast exercise also helps improve stability and control.

Typically, a forward roll involves inverted locomotion where you rotate your entire body along the floor's surface.

Backward Roll

Before you can learn this energy fitness and gymnastics exercise, you must know how to do the forward roll correctly. Building on the prior knowledge from a forward roll helps beginners struggling to learn basic gymnastic moves.

Not to mention, these gymnastic moves for a beginner gymnast are more challenging than a forward roll. Backward roll involves a reverse motion that typically takes longer to master. That said, this gymnastics exercise allows you to become more comfortable performing movements involving backward locomotion. In other words, you will be more confident doing movements that require beginning without looking at the floor behind you.

Bridge

The bridge is one of the more advanced gymnastic moves for beginners. So, be prepared to struggle a bit more when learning how to do this gymnastic exercise.

Nonetheless, the bridge makes for one of the most critical fundamental gymnastic core exercises in many advanced gymnastics movements. It is also a great gymnastics flexibility exercise for improving the flexibility and strength of your arms and back.

Bottom Line

Beginner gymnastic moves are bound to show up in your gymnastics flexibility exercises, and gymnastics core exercises some time or another. So, you can master simple gymnastics moves for beginners to perform better in advanced gymnastics later on.

Our Favorite Floor Drills to Practice

Tue, 19 Jul 2022 22:00:00 GMT

When practicing gymnastic drills, floor drills take up the most space. However, floor drills make up for the fundamental gymnastic core exercises and gymnastic flexibility exercises .

Instructors teach these exercises to gymnasts worldwide. Floor drills allow gymnasts to warm up for complex gymnastic exercises. And in every gymnastics tournament, the floor drill makes up a large part of their presentation.

Gymnasts need to stay in top shape and peak flexibility to perform well in competitive tournaments, and to keep their physical wellness . Besides strengthening your core and improving your flexibility and control, drill exercises also help improve muscle and joint balance, reducing the risk of injury.

Here are the top basic floor drill gymnastics exercises for gymnasts of all levels you can start practicing at R&R!

Cartwheel Wall Drill

All gymnasts must learn core-strengthening gymnastic exercises to improve their gymnastic performances. The Cartwheel Wall Drill is one of the best gymnastic core exercises that also improves flexibility.

How to do a Cartwheel Wall Drill

Knee Floor Cartwheel Drill

After mastering the cartwheel wall drill, you can move on to practice a more complicated version of this gymnast flexibility exercise. Time to try the cartwheel drill away from the floor! Known as the Knee Floor Cartwheel Drill, you need to perform this exercise on the floor.

How to do a Knee Floor Cartwheel Drill

Front Handspring Drill

The front handspring drill is one of the best gymnastic drills that prepare a gymnast for complicated gymnastic exercises. Not to mention, practicing this floor drill exercise also enhances Vault skills and prepares you for preflight gymnastic core exercises.

While this gymnast exercise is excellent for beginners to improve gymnastic skills, you will need a tumble track trampoline to do the front handspring drill. Fortunately enough, R&R has you covered with that.

How to do a Front Handspring Drill

Back Handspring Drill

Like the front handspring floor drill, the back handspring drill is also one of the best flexibility exercises for beginners.

Besides improving flexibility, this gymnastic exercise also helps you gain much better control over your body during movements. The back handspring floor drill exercise strengthens the core and prepares gymnasts for difficult Vaults.

To perform this exercise, you need to stack panel mats; the number varies from gymnast to gymnast, depending on their height.

How to do a Back Handspring Drill

Knee Floor Roundoff Drill

The knee floor roundoff drill is a great place to start if you're looking for flexibility core exercises for beginners. It is one of the best floor drill gymnastic exercises as it helps strengthen your core and improve flexibility.

How to do a Knee Floor Roundoff Drill.

Bottom Line

Floor drill gymnastic exercises help all levels of gymnasts , from beginners to experts, strengthen their core and improve their flexibility and control. Cartwheel Wall Drill, Knee Floor Cartwheel Drill, Front Handspring Drill, Back Handspring Drill, and Knee Floor Roundoff Drill are excellent gymnastic core exercises for gymnasts of all levels.

Gymnastics Safety Tips for R&R Gymnasts

Thu, 14 Jul 2022 19:00:00 GMT

No doubt gymnastics is a demanding sport. From flipping in the air to balancing on a beam, there is a risk of injuries! Honestly, we see parents worrying for their kids everyday at the gym. You can reduce the chance of injuries by applying some safety tips. For our gymnasts, here are a few to ensure that you do your best and perform well during practice and in the events as well. For our parent, make sure your gymnasts are aware of these tips and enjoy your time at the gym!

Warm Up and Stretch

Warm-up and stretching are a must in every sport, no matter what. It helps in preparing your body for a challenging workout. It doesn't matter to which level you belong, but loosen your muscles and warm up the body before starting any gymnastic moves. At the end of practice, you can even stretch again! Stretching relaxes the muscles and decreases the chances of injury. Ask our coaches for some help with stretching the right muscles for the moves you're working on.

Keep an Eye Out for Other Gymnasts

The gym is crowded, and even the most alert among us may miss seeing a potential falling gymnast as we go by. Taking responsibility for your awareness is the most important defense against this. Assume that others aren't paying attention to you, and you'll be more likely to notice them. This puts an end to all kinds of crashes and mishaps!

Follow Your Coach

You can count on your coach to be by your side every step of the way. They will be able to guide you regarding the dos and don’ts of gymnastics, as well as the proper techniques, accessories, equipment, and methods to use to ensure that you don’t get injured. Once you are more adept at it, you will be able to perform the stunts and moves safely.

Never try a new move without the supervision of your coach. Let them guide you through the entire routine before you try it on your own. Plus, if you are using any equipment or accessories for your gymnastics sessions, make sure that they are properly maintained, and use them under the supervision of your coach or other senior gymnasts.

Choose an Appropriate Mat

In R&R, we have a variety of mats. Make sure to pick the right one while you are practicing. The right mat should have the right support and cushioning to protect your body as you land on it. Moreover, it should be of a good quality and shouldn’t tear or get worn down easily. Otherwise, you might risk getting injured as you land on your mat.

Keep Your Hands and Feet Protected

Protecting the hands and feet is a must for all gymnasts, whether they are teens or adults. Especially when you start practicing and warming up, your joints aren’t used to stretching and different positions. Therefore, having the right accessories will keep your hands and feet from spraining or getting injured easily. For this purpose, you can use wrist straps and guards to avoid sprains and blisters.

Some gymnasts like to practice on the balancing beam in shoes. You may use rubber soles or strengthened toes in the boots to help with dismounts. In addition to learning and practicing new moves, spotting belts are also utilized for this purpose. Belts are attached to and hung from the ceiling when learning or performing new techniques to avoid falling.

On the other hand, try to wear appropriate shoes to avoid injury, preferably shoes with rubber soles to prevent slipping or ankle damage while practicing on the balance beam.

Don’t Train If You Are Injured

One of the most important things to remember is that you should never train if you feel even the slightest discomfort or injury. Make sure to let your coach know that you aren’t feeling 100%, so that they can let you rest for a bit or tone down your training regiment until you recover fully.

Otherwise, you can risk aggravating your injury and being unable to perform your moves properly. Moreover, it can take you out of important competitions for a long time.

See What Other Gymnasts Are Doing

While training, you can also take help and inspiration from other gymnasts around you, especially those that are more experienced. You can talk to them and let them guide you regarding proper techniques and moves for gymnastics. This way, you will be able to accelerate your progress and polish your skills in a better way.

However, it is also important to remember that senior or professional gymnasts are more experienced and have spent much more time in practice than you. Therefore, you shouldn’t try to copy them, as you may end up injuring yourself.

Always Protect Your Head

When it comes to training and practicing for gymnastics, protecting your head is of utmost importance. Most moves and stunts require you to turn yourself upside down, and you might land on your head or back several times. However, landing directly on your head can be detrimental, and it increases the likelihood of neck injuries, which can be quite dangerous.

For instance, if you are practicing or performing a handstand, your head has to support most of the body weight. If you put too much weight on your head, it will put pressure on your neck, which can quickly lead to an injury. Therefore, you should know how to balance your body weight equally on your head and arms.

Why is Safety Important for Teen Gymnasts?

Many gymnasts' accidents result from collisions with and falling off the apparatus, although floor exercises also cause many injuries. The most prevalent injuries include sprained ankles, wrist sprains, and foot injuries.

Gymnasts are at risk for various injuries, including fractures, ligament tears, and concussions; gymnasts may also put themselves under pressure to maintain a healthy weight, which may lead to weaker and more susceptible to injury. Therefore, it is very important for gymnasts to protect themselves while polishing their skills and technique.

Final Thoughts

Undoubtedly, gymnastics is a challenging sport that requires a lot of effort, deliberation, and focus. However, one wrong move can be disastrous for you, which is why you should apply the aforementioned tips to stay safe while fulfilling your potential.

The Xcel Gymnastics Program: A Complete Guide

Sat, 02 Jul 2022 15:00:00 GMT

The traditional program for competitive gymnastics is rigorous. It can be exhausting for an actively competing gymnast, giving them no time for other activities, interests, or sports. Luckily, there's another gymnastics program that is more lenient and less intense!

The Xcel Gymnastics Program is a less rigorous alternative to the traditional competitive gymnastics program, and it just might work better for your child! In this article, you'll learn what the Xcel Program is, how it works, and what differentiates it from the traditional gymnastics system.

What Is the Xcel Gymnastics Program?

The Xcel Gymnastics Program is a gymnastics system created in 2003 by the USA Gymnastics , the association in charge of competitive gymnastics in America. It was created to help gymnasts practice and master their gymnastics skills at their pace without the rigors of the traditional competitive gymnastics program — the JO Program .

The program has five gymnastics levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond, each with their optional rules for competition. This means that a gymnast can choreograph their routines according to their strengths and weaknesses, as long as it meets a few requirements (usually about 4 or 5). This allows for more lenient marking and higher marks.

The skill requirements for entry levels are lowered, so gymnasts can compete at any point. Also, aside from the basic entry levels, the Xcel Program has advanced levels which allow gymnasts to compete as they learn more gymnastics skills.

Similarly, gymnasts in the Xcel Program can practice skills required for national gymnastics competitions without aiming to reach the Olympics or the NCAA competition. Plus, gymnasts at higher skill levels can compete at lower skill levels.

The hardest level in the Xcel Program (Diamond) could be compared to the first optional level in the JO Program (Level 6). This means that without the Xcel Program, a gymnast may never perform a unique, individualized routine.

In addition, the Xcel Program is used to train high school gymnasts in readiness for a high school gymnastics team. Gymnasts who compete in the JO Program can also participate in the Xcel Program, especially if they seek an optional program to participate in during their "off" season.

What are the Xcel Gymnastics Levels?

There are 5 gymnastics levels in the Xcel Program, each of which could be roughly compared to levels in the Junior Olympic Gymnastics Program. They include:

Bronze

For gymnasts to compete in the Xcel Bronze Division, they have to master the required skills and ensure that their routine fulfills certain requirements. Some gymnasts compete without mastering all the required skills, but failure to meet the requirements attracts mark deductions.

The Xcel Bronze requirements are as follows:

Vault Skills

The Bottom Line

The Xcel Gymnastics Program is an alternate gymnastics program that was created with less rigid rules and skill requirements, compared to the JO Program.

Depending on your goal for your child, your child's preferences, and the resources available to you, you should carefully consider which program you want to enroll your child in. Don't hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions!

Understanding the Levels of Gymnastics

Thu, 30 Jun 2022 23:00:00 GMT

Like any other sport, competitive gymnastics has rules, regulations, and levels. Gymnastics levels are used to arrange different skills into difficulty levels. Ultimately, becoming a better and well-skilled gymnast means going through the levels and mastering the skills every step of the way. Here's all you need to know about gymnastics levels.

Like any other sport, competitive gymnastics has rules, regulations, and levels. Gymnastics levels are used to arrange different skills into difficulty levels. Ultimately, becoming a better and well-skilled gymnast means going through the levels and mastering the skills every step of the way. Here's all you need to know about gymnastics levels.

What are Levels in Gymnastics?

Gymnastics levels are the status of a gymnast according to the development of their skills.

There are two gymnastics programs run by USA Gymnastics — each with its separate sets of levels. They are the Junior Olympic (JO) Program and the Xcel Program . However, the main gymnastics program used in competitive gymnastics is the JO Program, and it's divided into 10 gymnastics levels.

Bar Skills

Level 3 Gymnastics Meet

Unlike levels 1 and 2 meets, a level 3 meet involves a measure of seriousness as it determines whether or not a gymnast is good enough to move on to level 4 and start competing. Performances are graded and a minimum score of 32 AA (All Around) qualifies participants for the next level.

LEVELS 4-6

Levels 4-6 are compulsory levels in competitive gymnastics. This means that a gymnast must learn a specific routine for each meet of each level and attain a minimum mobility score to qualify for the subsequent gymnastics levels.

Level 4 Gymnastics

This is the first compulsory level for competitive gymnastics. Gymnasts at this level are required to master compulsory and unified routines.

Level Requirements

To be categorised as a level 4 gymnast and compete in a level 4 meet, gymnasts must have perfected all skills from gymnastics levels 1-3 and mastered all level 4 routines. They must also be at least 7 years old.

Level 4 Gymnastics Skills

A level 4 gymnast must be able to perform and master the following skills:

Vault Skills

Beam Skills

Floor Skills

Bar Skills

Level 4 Gymnastics Meet

Level 4 Meet is the first competition that a gymnast faces. The meet aims to test the mastery of a gymnast in level 4 gymnastics skills, with scores assigned for the execution of each skill.

Gymnasts will be required to put on an official leotard and abide by all rules of the competition. At the end of the performance, they'll will be awarded a total score. They need a minimum of 34AA to qualify for level 5.

Level 5 Gymnastics

Level 5 gymnastics is the second compulsory level in competitive gymnastics. The skills and routines at this level are similar to level 4, but they're more complex and difficult to execute.

Level 5 Requirements

Before gymnasts can be classified as level 5 gymnasts, they must have perfected level 4 routines and scored a minimum of 34AA at a level 4 meet. They must master dictated routines to participate in a level 5 meet and qualify for level 6. Also, they must be at least 7 years old at the time of the level 5 meet.

Level 5 Gymnastics Skills

Gymnasts must perform routines that involve the following skills:

Vault Skills

Beam Skills

Floor Skills

Bar Skills

Level 5 Gymnastics Meet

The rules for level 4 meets apply to level 5 meets. At the end of the competition, gymnasts must have scored at least 34AA to advance to level 6.

Level 6 Gymnastics

Level 6 Gymnastics is the entry-level optional competition in gymnastics. In optional competition, there are no predefined routines. Gymnasts are free to create their routines with a combination of different level 6 gymnastics skills. Rather than the specifics of their routines, they're judged by the execution of the skills and their overall routine,

From Level 6, gymnastics skills are graded according to difficulty levels, and the routines executed at meets of subsequent levels must possess a certain number of skills with different difficulty levels. An "A" skill is the least difficulty level, while an "E" skill is the highest difficulty level.

Level 6 Requirements

For gymnasts to compete in a Level 6 meet, they must have scored at least a 34AA in level 5 meets. They must master level 6 gymnastics skills and have 5 "A" skills and 1 "B" skill in their routine. Gymnasts must be at least 7 years old to compete in a Level 6 meet.

Note: Level 6 is the only optional level that may be skipped if a gymnast scored 32AA in a level 5 meet.

Level 6 Gymnastics Skills

The following are the skills that a level 6 gymnast must master:

Vault Skills

Beam Skills

Floor Skills

Bar Skills

Level 6 Gymnastics Meet

Gymnasts can skip level 6 meets and move on to level 7 skills if they score 32AA or higher at level 5 meets. However, gymnasts who participate in level 6 meets must score at least 32AA to move on to level 7.

Level 7 Gymnastics

Lile level 6, level 7 gymnastics is an optional competition level with more specific requirements. However, its meet is compulsory. A level 7 routine must have 5 "A" skills and 2 "B" skills.

Level Requirements

For gymnasts to compete in a Level 7 meet, they must have scored at least a 32AA in a level 6 meet or a 32AA in a level 5 meet. They must master level 7 gymnastics skills and have 5 "A" skills and 2 "B" skills in their unique routines. They must also be at least 7 years old to compete in a Level 7 meet.

Level 7 Gymnastics Skills

To be classified as a level 7 gymnast, gymnasts must be able to perform the following skills and execute a combination of them in their unique routines:

Vault Skills

Beam Skills

Floor Skills

Bar Skills

Level 7 Gymnastics Meet

To compete in a level 7 gymnast meet, gymnasts must be able to execute all level 7 skills and score a minimum of 32AA to advance to level 8.

LEVELS 8-10

Gymnastics levels 8-10 are optional levels. Gymnasts must master the skills in each level, but their routines (at their meets) could be completely unique.

Level 8 Gymnastics

In level 8, each gymnast can create a unique routine on each skill set and choose which skills they want to meet the requirements of 4 "A" skills and 4 "B" skills.

Level 8 Requirements

For gymnasts to compete in a level 8 meet, they must have scored a minimum of 32AA in a level 7 meet. They must be at least 8 years old. They must master all level 8 skills and create unique routines which must have 4 "A" skills and 4 "B" skills. To advance to level 9, they must score a minimum of 34AA.

Level 8 Gymnastics Skills

Level 8 gymnast must be able to perform the following skills and involve them in their routines:

Vault Skills

Beam Skills

Floor skills

Bar Skills

Level 8 Gymnastics Meet

Gymnasts must master level 8 skills and execute their routines which must consist of 4 "A" skills and 4 "B" skills. Level 8 gymnastics is the first of the gymnastics levels to demand composition deductions — gymnasts' routines must balance both skill and difficulty. To advance to level 9, a gymnast must score a minimum of 34AA.

Level 9 Gymnastics

Like level 8, level 9 gymnastics is an optional level which allows gymnasts to create their personal, unique routine as long as it meets the stated requirements.

Level 9 gymnastics is also tougher and more complex than level 8 because it requires that a gymnast's routine has 3 "A" skills, 4 "B" skills and 1 "C" skill. Points will be deducted if a level 9 routine does not have the stated requirements.

Level 9 Requirements

Gymnasts must have scored a minimum of 34AA in a level 8 meet to qualify as level 9 gymnasts. They must be at least 8 years old by the time of her first meet. They must master level 9 skills and create their routine which must meet the requirements of a level 9 meet: 3 "A" skills, 4 "B" skills, and 1 "C" skill.

Level 9 Gymnastics Skills

Gymnasts must master the following skills and have them in their personal routines:

Vault Skills

Beam Skills

Floor Skills

Level 9 Gymnastics Meet

Gymnasts must master and execute level 9 skills and their routines in the presence of judges. The routines must contain 3 "A" skills, 4 "B" skills, and 1 "C" skill. If a gymnast's routine fails to meet the above requirements, marks will be deducted (composition deductions). To move on to the last level in the JO Gymnastics levels — level 10, gymnasts need to score a minimum of 34AA in level 9 meets.

Level 10 Gymnastics

This is the final level in the Junior Olympic Gymnastics Levels. Usually, gymnasts move on to Elite Gymnastics after competing in its meets and clearing this stage. They also go on to compete in college gymnastics.

Level 10 Requirements

Gymnasts must have scored at least 34AA in a level 9 meet to qualify as a level 10 gymnast. They must master level 10 skills and formulate their unique routines which must meet the requirements of a level 10 meet: 3 "A" skills, 4 "B" skills, and 2 "C" skills.

Level 10 Gymnastics Skills

Level 10 gymnasts must be able to perform the following skills and involve them in their routines:

Vault Skills

Beam Skills

Floor Skills

Bar Skills

Level 10 Gymnastics Meet

A level 10 meet determines whether or not a gymnast will advance into Elite Gymnastics or not. To compete in a level 10 meet, gymnasts must pass level 9 meets with at least 34AA.

Then, they must master level 10 skills and perform their routines which must meet the requirements of a level 9 meet: 3 "A" skills, 4 "B" skills and 1 "C" skill. To pass a level 10 meet, gymnasts need to score at least 34AA.

Conclusion

If you're thinking of enrolling your child in gymnastics training, understanding the gymnastics levels will help you determine whether you would like the JO Program or the Xcel Program . You'd also be able to track their progress properly.

Here's a breakdown of different gymnastics terminologies used in this piece. Don't hesitate to reach out to us for any questions you might have on competitive gymnastics.