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Complete guide
Xcel Diamond Gymnastics
Everything you need to coach Xcel Diamond — the USAG requirements, every skill broken down, the drills that build them, and a full season lesson plan.
Xcel Diamond requirements
Minimum front handspring vault over the table -- see current Xcel vault chart for options and start values
5 "A" + 2 "B" value skills · A clear support skill finishing minimum 45° from vertical (near-handstand) · One circling skill minimum "B" value (not mount/dismount) · A release, pirouette, or second circling skill minimum "B" value · Salto or hecht dismount from the high bar
5 "A" + 2 "B" value skills · Minimum 360° turn on one foot · Dance series with two elements (same or different) · One jump or leap reaching 155° split (may be in dance series) · One acro skill with flight (isolated or in series) AND an acro series with/without flight -- both required · Salto or aerial dismount
5 "A" + 2 "B" value skills · Two separate acro connections each with 2 directly connected flight elements, OR one flight pass + one "C" salto · Two different saltos -- one must be minimum "B" value · Dance passage with two elements -- one a leap showing 155° split · Minimum "B" turn on one foot (e.g., 540°)
Beam skills
Floor skills
Lesson plan
Don't just read it — coach it.
Get the full Xcel Diamond lesson-plan season, printable drill sheets, and skill tracking. Level 1 is free; $4.99 unlocks every level.
Start free →Common Xcel Diamond 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 Xcel Diamond skill — with the drills to fix them.