Can You Use Music With Lyrics in Women's Floor? FIG vs NCAA

Can you use music with lyrics in women's gymnastics floor exercise? It is one of the first questions gymnasts face when choosing floor music. The short answer: under the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) and Japanese domestic rules, songs

with words are not permitted and the music must be instrumental, while U.S. college gymnastics (NCAA) does allow lyrics. This article breaks down the floor music rules for women by organization — FIG, Japan and the United States — and covers the 90-second rule and the 2026 debate over vocals.

The Basic Rules of Women's Floor Music

Only women perform to music, within 90 seconds

Floor exercise differs sharply between men and women. According to the Japanese Olympic Committee overview, women perform on a 12-meter square floor, combining acrobatic elements with jumps and turns set to musical accompaniment, all within 90 seconds. Men's floor has no music and runs roughly 70 seconds (floor exercise overview). Because women's floor is set to music, song choice heavily shapes the impression of a routine.

For the broader differences between men's and women's rules, see our comparison of women's and men's gymnastics. Start from the premise that women's floor is a 90-second routine performed to music.

Song selection and 90-second structure can also be handled through a competition floor music production service that combines the perspective of a former gymnast and an artist — a useful entry point if you want to start from "what music actually fits the routine."

Music must be instrumental in principle

Under the FIG Code of Points, women's floor music must be instrumental. As this ner">floor music guide

explains, songs containing words are prohibited, while wordless vocalizations such as humming or scatting are allowed. The dividing line is not whether a human voice is present, but whether it forms actual words (lyrics).