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Complete guide
Level 8 Gymnastics
Everything you need to coach Level 8 — the USAG requirements, every skill broken down, the drills that build them, and a full season lesson plan.
Level 8 requirements
Minimum front handspring vault
Minimum 1 bar change · 1 skill min "B" with flight (mount OK) or turn (not mount/dismount) · 1 skill min "B" from: underswings, clear hip circles, stalder circles, circle swings, or hechts · Salto dismount minimum "A" value
Minimum 360° turn on one foot · Acro series 2 skills -- one must have flight (both start/finish on beam) · One jump or leap 180° split · Aerial or salto dismount minimum "A" value
Acro series with 2 saltos or 2 directly connected saltos · 3 different saltos total · Dance passage min 2 different leaps/jumps/hops -- one leap 180° split · Last salto minimum "A" value
Vault skills
Bars skills
Uprise to handstandStraddle backStraddle back to handstandClear hipcircle to handstand (also 1/2 turn)Shootover (from HS, not to HS)Front giant (also 1/2 turn)Stalder to handstand (also 1/2 turn)Underswing to handstand (also 1/2 turn)Underswing shoot to high barFlyaway 2/1Giant Swing ½ Turn / Front Giant / Front Giant ½ and 1/1
Beam skills
Floor skills
Drills for Level 8
Lesson plan
Don't just read it — coach it.
Get the full Level 8 lesson-plan season, printable drill sheets, and skill tracking. Level 1 is free; $4.99 unlocks every level.
Start free →Common Level 8 deductions
Judges take small deductions for form on almost every skill. These are the basics to clean up first — they apply across vault, bars, beam, and floor:
- Bent legs — keep the legs straight and squeezed together.
- Bent arms — lock the elbows on handstands, casts, swings, and supports.
- Toes not pointed — point the feet on every jump, leap, hold, and landing.
- Legs or feet apart — keep legs together unless the skill calls for a split.
- Loss of balance — wobbles, extra arm swings, or a foot coming off the beam.
- Steps or hops on landing — stick the landing — a step, hop, or lunge is a deduction.
- Low chest or poor posture — stay tall and lifted through the whole routine.
- Not enough height or extension — show full amplitude and finished, stretched shapes.
KINETIC breaks down the exact deductions and error-fixes for every Level 8 skill — with the drills to fix them.