2026–2030 Optional Code of Points: Requirements and Scoring
The new quad is official and effective August 2026. What's changing, the key requirements for every level, and how scoring works — plus a full guide and a printable cheat sheet.
The 2026–2030 Optional Code of Points is the current cycle — the rulebook that governs USA Gymnastics Development Program Optional Levels 6 through 10 for the next four years. If you coach or compete optionals, this is the document behind every Start Value and every tenth.
What's changing in the 2026–2030 Optional Code?
Every quad resets the rulebook. The through-line this cycle is the same message judges have reinforced for years: clean, well-composed routines beat cluttered ones. Connection value and amplitude keep rewarding athletes who do fewer skills beautifully — so the fundamentals you already drill are exactly what the Code pays for.
Key requirements for athletes & coaches
Each event carries four Special Requirements, and every one you miss is −0.50 off the Start Value. Levels 6 and 7 still start from a 10.0, so clean, requirement-complete routines are everything; from Level 8 up, difficulty and connection bonus start to decide meets. Vault keeps its own structure — a fixed Start Value per vault, judged across four phases.
How scoring will be calculated
The math is simple to say and hard to master: Start Value + Bonus − Execution − Penalties = Final Score. Start Value comes from the gymnast's best Value Parts plus hitting the Special Requirements; bonus comes from connecting difficulty; then execution and neutral deductions come off.
Want the details? Read our easy guide to the 2026–2030 Optional Code of Points, or download the free one-page cheat sheet. This is a coaching summary — the official USA Gymnastics Code is always the source of truth.
Coach smarter with KINETIC
Lesson plans, a full skill library, and drills for every level — built for gymnastics.
Try the free demo →