Level 1 Gymnastics Requirements

In the United States, there are 10 levels of gymnastics. The first 3 are for beginners, and gradually, you move to the advanced and professional levels. All these levels are aimed to improve your flexibility, endurance, sense of balance, etc.

You require all these skills to be a good gymnast. In the beginning, there are usually jumping, stretching, and other basics. Without any further ado, here are the requirements for level 1 gymnastics as per the USA Gym Junior Olympic Compulsory Programme Book.

Contents

Level 1 Vault Requirements

Not much time is spent on the vault requirement. But it is important to have the correct stretch and basic gymnastics position.

Your landings should also be clean. You require upper body strength for acing the vault requirement!

All you need to do is:- Stretch jump onto mat then kick to handstand and fall to flat back.

Level 1 Bars Requirements

If you are going to a gymnastic gym, you'll find the uneven bars there. However, if you want to practice at home in the beginning, you can get gymnastic bars for home and practice till you get the requirements right. The bars are said to be the artistic gymnastic apparatus. The requirements are:

Pullover - Make sure you look at your legs when you rotate on the bar.
Cast - Do keep your core tight.
Back hip circle - This is performed with the cast, in combination. Keep the position right and rest on the bar in front support.
Underswing dismount, also known as sole-circle dismount - Keep your arms straight and strong to get the swing right.

Level 1 Floor Requirements

These are floor exercises. You need to do the following:

Cartwheel - For this sideways rotatory movement, do keep your core tight and back straight.
3/4 handstand - Make sure the arms are straight, and the pressure is not on your palm but the finger area.
Backward Roll and Forward Roll - For the rolls, keep your legs straight and then roll forward or backward. You have to bend in a squat or sitting position.
Split Jump with 30-degree leg separation - Jump upwards and make sure to extend your legs through hips, knees, ankles, and toes.

Level 1 Beam Requirements

This improves your balancing skills. The requirements are:

Stretch Jump
Lever - Keep your back straight.
Jump to Front support mount - Again, your arms and legs should be straight.
Split Jump with 30-degree leg separation - Jump upwards and make sure to extend your legs through hips, knees, ankles, and toes.
Arabesque to 30 degrees - Make sure you raise the extended back leg right and keep your spine long. The toes should be well pointed, and the position should look like a triangle.
Cartwheel to 3/4 handstand dismount - Keep your grip strong.

Level 1 is not a compulsory level. Some gyms do not focus on levels 1-3 because these are considered recreational gymnastic exercises.

However, it can be an added advantage to the gymnast as they will be more familiar with the basics. People usually start level 1 at a young age. The level is quite easy, and you can do well even with 1 hour of training practice per week. Of course, the more training the better as your acrobatic maneuverability will improve.

So, when you meet these requirements, congratulations! You are good to go to level 2.