Level 4 gymnastics Requirements are compulsory and usually level 4 gymnastics skills are the first competitive skills a gymnasts will compete with at a gymnastics meet. In most US states level 4 is the most competitive level in gymnastics with the most competitors at each gymnastics meet.
A lot of gymnasts find level 4 tough, especially if they’ve already worked through the much easier levels 1-3.
Let’s take a look at all the Level 4 gymnastics skills, find out about points deductions and how old you need to be to compete at level 4.
Gymnastics level 4 skill list
I am going to list all the gymnastics level 4 skills below. Level 4 gymnastics requires gymnasts to learn the following skills on the beam, bars, floor and vault.
Level 4 skills include the challenging round-off back handspring and 120 degree straddle jump along with more easy skills gymnastics will have already learnt at levels 1-3.
Gymnastics level 4 beam requirements
Level 4 beam includes the tricky cartwheel, split leap and side handstand with a 1/4 turn dismount. The beam gets much more challenging at this level, so be patient and take your time to learn all these skills with good form.
Level 4 beam skill 1 – Handstand
Beam skill 2 – Cartwheel
Beam skill 3 – Split jump 120 degrees
Beam skill 4 – Split leap 120 degrees
Beam skill 5 – Cartwheel -> Side handstand with a 1/4 turn dismount
Gymnastics level 4 floor requirements
Gymnasts level 4 floor skills include the important round-off back handspring and the first introduction of a front handspring.
Gymnastics Level 4 floor skill 1 – Back Walkover.
Floor skill 2 – Back Extension Roll.
Floor Skill 3 – Straddle Jump ( 120 degrees split )
Floor Skill 4 – Front handspring ( 2 feet )
Floor skill 5 – Round-off back handspring.
Gymnastics level 4 bar requirements
At level 4 on the bars it’s time to really make your kip strong with the long hang kip and pike or straddle glide kip.
Gymnastics level 4 Bar skill 1 – Squat on
Bar skill 2 – Long hang kip
Bar skill 3 – Back hip circle
Bar skill 4 – Cast to Horizontal
Bar skill 5 – Pike or straddle glide kip
Gymnastics level 4 vault requirements
The front handspring on the vault is an intimidating skill to learn but very rewarding when you master it.
Gymnastics level 4 Vault skill 1 – Front Handspring
Can you skip level 4 in gymnastics?
No, you can’t skip level 4 in gymnastics if you are working through the USAG Junior Olympic program. However, I have heard of gymnasts starting at higher levels in some situations, so it may be possible depending on your age and skill level.
Younger gymnasts will usually begin competing at gymnastics level 4 and coaches usually won’t want you to skip it because the skills you learn in level 4 are developed up through into level 5.
What age should a level 4 gymnast be?
A level 4 gymnast must be at least 7 years old to compete at this level. In gymnastics there are a number of different age divisions at local and invitational level. The official age of your gymnast for competing competitively is based on how old they are before December the 31st of the year when the competition takes place.
Gymnastics level 4 floor routine
Your level 4 floor routine in the USAG gymnastics program must include the skills listed above. Your coach will help you develop a level 4 routine that meets the requirements we listed above.
With your level 4 floor routine you need to pay attention to the detail because angles, shapes, posture, timing, how well the routine flows and the position of your hands, feet, toes and arms are becoming much more important. If you look at the level 4 deductions for floor routines below, you’ll see that not placing your body parts in the right positions can lose you up to 0.50 points.
Postural mistakes, footwork and forgetting to use the high releve when it’s necessary are all common mistakes that can cost you up to 0.30 points in your level 4 floor routine.
Gymnastics level 4 floor music
USAG provide gymnasts with the compulsory floor music for level 4. The floor music can be found and downloaded from the following web page: Compulsory floor music
Gymnastics level 4 bar routine
Your gymnastics level 4 bar routine includes the following skills: Long Hang Kip, back hip circle, squat on, cast to horizontal and the pike or straddle glide kip.
The most important parts of the bar routine are the landing and making sure you don’t fall off, because if you fall off the bar or land too heavily on both feet you will lose 0.50 points for each error.
Level 4 deductions
Here are some tables showing some of the level 4 deductions and the maximum number of points you can lose for each incorrectly performed part of a gymnastics skill.
Deductions at level 4 are much less strict than when you compete at the higher levels.
Level 4 vault deductions table
| What is the Deduction for | Maximum number of points to be deducted |
| Not maintaining a straight body position when doing the Pike or Arch | Arch 0.30 Pike 0.50 |
| Bent legs | 0.30 |
| Incorrect foot form | 0.10 |
| Legs separated | 0.20 |
| Incorrect head alignment | 0.10 |
| Deviation from a straight direction | 0.30 |
| Not enough dynamics – speed or power | 0.30 |
| Using the aid of a coach during the first flight, support or second phase flight | 2.00 |
| Performing the wrong vault | Void |
| Help of coach on landing | 0.50 |
Level 4 bar deductions table
| What is the bar deduction for | Maximum Number of points deducted |
| Incorrect foot form | 0.05 |
| Separating legs | 0.20 |
| Incorrect posture or body alignment | 0.20 |
| Bending arms or legs | 0.30 |
| Falling | 0.50 |
| Error in balancing | 0.30 |
| All of your weight placed on the mat with your feet on landing | 0.50 |
Level 4 floor deductions
| What the floor deduction is for | Maximum number of points to be deducted |
| Incorrect position of your arms, legs, head or feet | 0.40 |
| Artistry | 0.15 |
| Rhythm not good – Not performing your routine in time with the music | 0.20 |
| Postural mistakes | 0.30 |
| Footwork | 0.30 |
| Not using high releve when indicated to use it. | 0.20 |
Level 4 gymnastics requirements summary
Level 4 is an exciting level in gymnastics. Level 4 skills aren’t easy to master and it’s easy to get deductions for small mistakes. The round-off back handspring is one of my favourite floor skills and if you are working towards the level 4 requirements you are going to have a lot of fun learning this skill. The back hip circle isn’t the most exciting skill on the bars but being able to master it and compete on the bars with these more advanced skills is an exciting experience. When you have completed level 4 it’s time to move onto level 5 skills.
