Composition Requirements (CR) in Men's Artistic Gymnastics Explained

Composition Requirements (CR) are one of the most important components of the D-score (Difficulty Score) under the Code of Points in artistic gymnastics. Each apparatus has designated Element Groups, and gymnasts earn bonus points—known as group points—by performing at least one skill from each required group. Understanding Composition Requirements reveals the strategic logic behind how gymnasts select and arrange their skills, and why certain routines are constructed the way they are. This article breaks down the CR for each of the five scored apparatus (excluding vault) in men's artistic gymnastics, based on the FIG 2022–2024 Men's Artistic Gymnastics Code of Points.

The Role of Composition Requirements: What Are Group Points in the D-Score?

In men's artistic gymnastics, the D-score is built from three components: difficulty value (the sum of the ten hardest skills), composition requirement bonus (group points earned by fulfilling CR), and connection value (bonus points awarded for linking certain skills together). Composition Requirements contribute to the D-score as group points.

The purpose of CR is to ensure variety and technical completeness in a routine. Without this system, gymnasts could theoretically load their routines with a single type of skill—say, backward tumbling passes on floor—and still accumulate difficulty points. CR prevents that by establishing mandatory categories of movement that a well-rounded routine must include. According to an overview of the men's artistic gymnastics scoring system, CR is "a mechanism designed to ensure diversity in routines," creating a structural framework that discourages one-dimensional exercise construction.

Each apparatus (except vault) typically features four Element Groups (I through IV). Gymnasts earn group points for each group from which they successfully perform at least one skill. Vault is excluded from this system because it is a single-skill event with a different difficulty calculation method. For a broader explanation of how D-scores and E-scores interact within the Code of Points, see the Code of Points fundamentals guide.

How Group Points Are Calculated: The 0.3 and 0.5 Point Structure

Under the 2022–2024 Code of Points, the number of group points awarded for fulfilling a Composition Requirement depends on the difficulty level of the skill used to satisfy that group. This creates a built-in incentive for gymnasts to attempt harder skills within each category. According to a detailed breakdown of the men's scoring system, the rules are as follows:

• Element Group I: A flat 0.5 points is awarded regardless of the difficulty level of the skill performed.
• Element Groups II and III: Performing only A-, B-, or C-rated skills earns 0.3 points. Performing at least one D-rated skill or higher earns 0.5 points.
• Element Group IV (Dismount): Under the 2022–2024 rules, performing a dismount rated D or higher earns 0.5 points.

This difficulty-tiered structure directly motivates gymnasts to push higher in each element group. If a gymnast fulfills all four element groups and includes at least one D-rated or harder skill in each, they can earn a maximum of 2.0 points in group bonuses alone—before difficulty values or connection bonuses are even counted.

It is also worth noting a rule change that took effect with the 2025–2028 Code of Points: while the 2022–2024 rules allowed up to five skills from the same element group to count toward the D-score, the updated rules cap that number at four. This change is discussed further in the section on 2025 rule revisions below. For more on these updates, see this analysis of element group changes in the 2025 Code of Points (Japanese).

Floor Exercise Composition Requirements: The Four Element Groups

Floor exercise is the most athletically diverse apparatus in men's gymnastics, blending acrobatic power with dynamic movement. Its four element groups reflect this variety, each capturing a fundamentally different type of skill. According to a detailed review of the floor exercise Code of Points, the groups are structured as follows:

• Element Group I – Non-acrobatic skills: This group includes turns, jumps, leaps, balances, and gymnastic movements that do not involve a salto (somersault). Skills such as a pirouette turn, a straddle jump, or a scale fall into this category. Satisfying this group ensures the routine contains elements of artistry and body control beyond pure tumbling power.
• Element Group II – Forward acrobatic skills: This group covers front saltos and front tumbling passes, including front handsprings, front tucks, front pikes, front layouts, and front double somersaults. Because forward tumbling is naturally less common in elite routines than backward tumbling, this group requirement pushes gymnasts to include directional variety.
• Element Group III – Backward acrobatic skills: The backbone of most floor routines, this group includes back saltos, back handsprings, and backward double somersaults. Skills like the double-back tuck, double-back pike, and double-back layout in its various forms belong here. This is typically the easiest group for elite gymnasts to satisfy, given that backward tumbling is the natural foundation of floor exercise.
• Element Group IV – Saltos with twist: This group requires the gymnast to perform a salto—either forward or backward—combined with at least a full twist (360°). Skills like a full-twisting back layout, a double-twisting back layout, or more complex combinations with multiple twists satisfy this requirement.

The strategic challenge on floor exercise lies in balancing the four groups within a routine that flows naturally and accumulates maximum difficulty. Since backward acrobatic skills (Group III) are the most natural to include, the compositional work involves deliberately building in forward tumbling (Group II), twisting saltos (Group IV), and non-acrobatic dance/gymnastics elements (Group I) without sacrificing difficulty or connection value. For a detailed breakdown of how the D-score is calculated on floor exercise, see the floor exercise D-score calculation guide.

Pommel Horse and Still Rings: Composition Requirements

Pommel horse is arguably the most unique apparatus in men's gymnastics, demanding a technical skill set that shares almost nothing with the other five events. While most apparatus reward explosive power and aerial awareness, pommel horse is built entirely on continuous circular motion, rhythmic leg separation, and precise weight transfer—all performed without any pause or stop in movement.

The element groups on pommel horse reflect the movement vocabulary of the apparatus, which centers on circular swinging, travel across the horse, and transitions between body positions. As outlined by the Japan Olympic Committee's artistic gymnastics overview, pommel horse routines must incorporate "swinging skills, travel skills, circular skills, and turning skills," with each category of movement classified into distinct element groups. In practical terms, satisfying the CR on pommel horse requires gymnasts to demonstrate circular swings across the full length of the horse (including the pommels and both ends), single-leg swings and scissors, and directional changes—ensuring that no section of the apparatus is neglected during the routine.

The JOC's gymnastics event description notes that pommel horse is "an event in which covering all positions and all travel paths on the apparatus is especially emphasized"—a description that aligns directly with the CR philosophy of ensuring comprehensive use of the apparatus.

Still rings, by contrast, tests a combination of dynamic swinging and pure static strength in a way no other apparatus does. The four element groups on rings are structured to ensure this balance is maintained:

• Element Group I – Swing skills in hang: Dynamic swinging movements performed while hanging from the rings, including swings to handstand and giant swings.
• Element Group II – Strength and hold skills: The defining characteristic of rings, this group includes static strength positions that must be held for a minimum of two seconds. The cross (iron cross), the inverted cross, the back lever, the front lever, and the maltese are all strength hold skills that satisfy Group II requirements. These are among the most physically demanding elements in all of gymnastics.
• Element Group III – Swing to strength transitions: Skills that connect dynamic swinging movement with a static strength position, such as swinging into a cross or pressing through a strength hold from a swing.
• Element Group IV – Dismount: The final element of the routine, in which the gymnast releases the rings and lands on the mat.

As The Gymnastics Authority's guide to still rings explains, an exceptional rings routine contains "roughly equal portions of swing, strength, and hold elements"—a description that maps directly onto the CR structure. Consistently fulfilling the strength hold group (Group II) with high-difficulty skills is one of the clearest paths to maximizing the D-score on rings. For more on the specific strength skills and their scoring criteria, see the still rings strength skills guide covering the cross and horizontal support.

Parallel Bars and Horizontal Bar: Composition Requirements

Parallel bars is an apparatus that rewards gymnasts who can move fluidly through three distinct positional states: upper arm support (resting on the forearms/upper arms between the bars), support (holding the body above the bars on straight arms), and hang (swinging below the bars). The four element groups under the 2022–2024 Code of Points, as detailed in a comprehensive review of the MAG Code of Points, are as follows:

• Element Group I – Skills from upper arm support: Movements initiated from a position in which the gymnast rests on their upper arms or elbows between the bars. This position is unique to parallel bars and the skills emerging from it—such as swings through to handstand from upper arm hang, or kips from upper arm support—are fundamental to the apparatus's character.
• Element Group II – Support or through-support skills: Skills performed from or through a position of straight-arm support above the bars. This includes swings to handstand, free forward and backward saltos above the bars, and skills that pass through the support position during execution.
• Element Group III – Swings in hang and peach halves: Large swinging movements performed in a hanging position from one or both bars, and reverse swings that bring the gymnast from below to above the bars. These add dynamic, pendulum-like momentum to the routine.
• Element Group IV – Dismount: The final skill of the routine, releasing the bars and landing on the mat.

The structural logic of parallel bars CR is to ensure that gymnasts do not simply stay in one positional state for the entire routine. By requiring skills from upper arm support, from straight-arm support, and from hang, the rules compel gymnasts to transition between all three positions—making full use of the apparatus's unique possibilities. For an in-depth look at how routine construction on parallel bars relates to the E-score, see the parallel bars routine construction and E-score guide.

On horizontal bar, the element group structure centers on the apparatus's defining feature: release and regrasp. Elite horizontal bar routines are built around flight elements—skills in which the gymnast releases the bar, travels through the air, and catches the bar again—and the CR system reflects this by grouping skills in ways that require gymnasts to include multiple types of release skills and swinging elements.

The element groups on horizontal bar include categories for giant swings with turns and release skills, skills involving a release and regrasp of the same bar (Tkachevs, Kolmans, and similar elements), backward release and regrasp skills (Kovacs, Rybalko, and related skills), and dismounts. Including multiple flight elements and connecting them for connection value is the central strategy for maximizing the horizontal bar D-score.

The Japan Gymnastics Association's official rules page provides access to both the 2022–2024 and 2025–2028 versions of the Code of Points for reference. For a deeper dive into the specific release skills that form the backbone of horizontal bar routines, see the horizontal bar flight elements guide covering Tkachev, Kovacs, and Rybalko.

How the 2025 Code of Points Changed Composition Requirements

Following the 2024 Paris Olympics, the FIG introduced a new four-year scoring cycle with the 2025–2028 Code of Points, which came into effect in 2025. Several significant changes were made to how Composition Requirements function and how D-scores are calculated more broadly. Based on an analysis of the 2025 Code of Points element group revisions (Japanese) and additional reporting from a detailed update on the 2025–2028 MAG Code of Points, the key changes are as follows:

• Reduction in the number of counting skills: The number of skills that count toward the D-score has been reduced from ten (including dismount) to eight. This compression of the counting window significantly raises the cost of including lower-difficulty skills, as each of the eight slots now carries greater relative weight in the overall D-score.
• Cap on skills from the same element group: Under the 2022–2024 rules, up to five skills from the same element group could count toward the D-score. The 2025–2028 rules reduce this cap to four. This change limits the degree to which gymnasts can stack one element group with high-difficulty skills while neglecting others.
• Overhaul of the dismount group bonus: One of the most structurally significant changes involves Element Group IV (the dismount). Under the new rules, the group bonus for the dismount is no longer a flat rate—instead, it equals the difficulty value of the dismount itself. This means that a gymnast who performs a G-rated dismount earns both the 0.7-point difficulty value and an additional 0.7-point group bonus, for a combined contribution of 1.4 points from the dismount alone. This dramatically increases the incentive to perform the highest-difficulty dismount possible, as the group bonus now scales directly with ambition.
• Introduction of a landing bonus: A new 0.1-point bonus has been added for gymnasts who stick their dismount landing completely (no movement of the feet after landing). This bonus applies to dismounts rated C or higher and is available on all apparatus except pommel horse. While 0.1 points may seem modest, in the context of closely contested competitions it represents a meaningful margin.

Taken together, these changes reshape the strategic calculus of routine construction in several important ways. The reduction to eight counting skills means every technical decision—which skills to include, which element groups to prioritize, how to sequence connection bonuses—carries higher stakes. The scaling dismount group bonus turns the final element of a routine into one of its most D-score-critical moments, rewarding gymnasts who can reliably execute high-difficulty landings under pressure. And the four-skill-per-group cap ensures that even the strongest specialists cannot simply dominate one element group at the expense of compositional variety.

In short, the 2025–2028 rules push gymnasts toward routines that are simultaneously denser in difficulty, more compositionally balanced, and more decisive in their dismount execution. For a comprehensive overview of all the changes introduced in the new cycle, the 2025–2028 MAG Code of Points update summary provides detailed context on the reasoning behind each revision and its expected competitive impact.