Not Originally Designed for Competition

Level 4 is the first official level of compulsory competition in
the USA Gymnastics competitive system. The Level 4 vault and
bars, beam and floor routines are substantially similar to the
routines in the previous 8-year compulsory cycle, which ended in
2005. During that cycle, Level 4 was upgraded to official
competition status and gymnasts were allowed to enter official
USAG competitions up to the State Championships. But the
routines and especially the vault were originally designed
simply as training devices, not for competition.

The Level 4 Vault Mat

This is most obvious with the Level 4 vault - a handspring onto
big stack of mats. In order to add this “vault” into regular
competitions, a new piece equipment had to be designed and
provided at competitions completely separate from the normal
vault horse/table. And unlike any vault at any other level,
gymnasts do not land on their feet in the Level 4 vault
requiring a whole new approach to judging the vault.

You Don’t Have to Compete Level 4

Another common misconception is that gymnasts are required to
compete Level 4 before they can compete in Level 5. There is no
Level 4 competitive requirement before you compete in Level 5.
The only requirement for Level 5 is that gymnasts must pass a
skill evaluation from a skill evaluator with a score of at least
75%. You don’t have to compete Level 4! It is not required!

Level 4 Skills are Almost Never Used at Higher Levels of
Competition

Level 4 skills, especially the bar skills are almost never used
at the higher optional levels of competition. There are 12
skills in the Level 4 bar routine and none of them are ever used
in optional bar routines, except for the casts. On beam and
floor, the situation is somewhat better. About half of the
skills are direct progressions to more difficult skills that may
be used later, but that also means that half of them are not.

The Majority of Level 4 Skills Lead Nowhere

Since the vault, all of the bars skills and about half of the
beam and floor skills are not used later at the higher levels of
competition, it is obvious that most Level 4 skills are not used
ever again in competition.

Level 4 Has Been Watered Down

During the previous 8-year compulsory cycle, Level 4 gymnasts
were allowed to attempt to compete a kip on bars. Starting this
year, you must be a Level 5 gymnast to do a kip in competition.
Level 4 gymnasts no longer need to hit a real cross handstand in
the beam routine, only a handstand. The handstand hold time
requirement on the beam dismount is also less than in the last
compulsory cycle. In short, USA Gymnastics has made the Level 4
routines easier.

Why?

By now, you must wonder why USA Gymnastics has made all these
Level 4 changes. The answer is quite simple and even
justifiable. They are trying to make the sport more available to
more gymnasts. By lowering the entrance level to competition,
more gymnasts may participate in the USA Gymnastics competitive
system. This is not necessarily a bad thing for the sport. It
increases the financial base of USA Gymnastics and the number of
gymnasts competing by a very significant percentage. Some of
those gymnasts may eventually rise to the top of the sport.

What Does It All Mean?

But parents and gymnasts should know that there are other paths
to becoming a high level gymnast other than competing at Level
4. In fact, most of the gymnasts you see on TV were probably not
ever Level 4 gymnasts. If it is your goal to become a high level
optional or Elite gymnast, then you should be aware of the other
paths that are more likely to make that happen.

Count Out the Years

Really good gyms and training programs create high level
optional and Elite gymnasts in 3 - 5 years of daily training.
That is fewer years than it would take to move from Level 4 to
Level 10 (at one level per year) and they are working on harder
skills sooner in their career (which is usually a good thing).
For gymnasts on the Level 10/Elite track competing at Level 4
may be a waste of a year of their gymnastics career.

Special Elite Strength and Skill Development Programs Available

Elite and level 10 gymnasts often use programs like the USA
Gymnastics TOP program and the USAIGC (United States Association
of Independent Gymnastic Clubs) STEP program and competitions or
their own version of these types of programs. The TOP and STEP
programs both concentrate first on building strength and
flexibility and then the teaching of high level optional skill
progressions.

TOP and STEP Programs Work for All Gymnasts

The truth is that these type programs that build gymnastics
strength and flexibility and work on high level skills and their
progressions are really the best training system for all types
and levels of gymnasts. It is, however, possible to participate
in these programs and compete at a compulsory level to gain
competition experience. But by far, it is more important for a
gymnast’s career to develop strength, flexibility and begin to
train on the appropriate higher-level skill progressions.