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Complete guide
Xcel Sapphire Gymnastics
Everything you need to coach Xcel Sapphire — the USAG requirements, every skill broken down, the drills that build them, and a full season lesson plan.
Xcel Sapphire requirements
Minimum front handspring vault over the table -- see current Xcel vault chart for options and start values
3 "A" + 3 "B" + 1 "C" value skills · One "B" value 360° circling skill (not mount/dismount) · Minimum "B" skill finishing in clear support at vertical (handstand) · "B" turn OR second "B" 360° circling skill · "B" dismount OR a "C" connection into a salto dismount
3 "A" + 3 "B" + 1 "C" value skills · Minimum 360° turn on one foot · Dance series with two elements including a leap or jump showing 180° split · Acro series with at least one flight skill -- one must pass through/achieve vertical OR be salto/aerial · "B" dismount OR flight acro directly connected to salto/aerial dismount
3 "A" + 3 "B" + 1 "C" value skills · One acro pass with two saltos (same or different) · 3 different saltos total -- at least one "B" · Dance passage with two different elements including a leap with 180° split · Minimum "B" turn on one foot (e.g., 540°)
Vault skills
Lesson plan
Don't just read it — coach it.
Get the full Xcel Sapphire lesson-plan season, printable drill sheets, and skill tracking. Level 1 is free; $4.99 unlocks every level.
Start free →Common Xcel Sapphire 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 Sapphire skill — with the drills to fix them.