Cheerleading Tips

For someone considering cheerleading, it may be hard to know where to start... and even experienced cheerleaders can benefit from a few good cheerleading tips! Sometimes we forget simple, basic things that can make our routines sharp. So, whatever level you’re at in cheerleading, it doesn’t hurt to back up and review cheerleading basics once in a while! We hope these cheerleading tips help you to keep your performances top notch.

Cheerleading Tip #1: Sound off!

It’s hard to convince the crowd and your team to get excited, when it doesn’t even look like you’re excited. You worked hard to ‘make the cut’ when you tried out for cheerleading, so don’t slow down now that you’ve made it! One of the best ways you can impress your audience is to ‘sound off’ nice and loud with your cheerleading cheers, instead of looking like you’re just ‘going through the motions,’ and barely yelling your cheers. Show the crowd some real enthusiasm...and they’ll return some to you!

Cheerleading Tip #2: Show them that smile!

Just like Tip #1, much of what you get back from your audience has to do with the pace you set. So number two on our list of Cheerleading Tips reminds you to keep smiling! It makes you look more confident, and it helps build enthusiasm in your audience!

Cheerleading Tip #3: Give your motions a snap!

Being quick and snappy in your motions not only makes you as an individual cheerleader look sharper in your routines – it ends up making your entire squad look better! How? Because when you’re quick, precise, and snappy in your motions, it looks more like everyone is moving at the same time – which makes you all look better as a group. It’s not so much that you’re trying to perform each motion as fast as humanly possible – just make them quick, smooth, and precise!

Cheerleading Tip #4: Flex to hold those positions!

When you’re holding a position, such as a ‘goal post,’ don’t hold your arms loosely above your head. Instead, flex those arm muscles to hold good, sharp form. A good way to think about this: while you’re holding your arms out, imagine that someone is trying to move your arms out of position. If you flex those arm muscles, they could push against your arms, but not move them, if you kept those arms stiffly in place.

Cheerleading Tip #5: Keep your head in the game!

Naturally, a big part of being a cheerleader is being able to pump up the crowd, regardless of what’s happening on the playing field. But regardless, you should stay ‘in the know’ of where your team stands in the game. Knowing whether your team is winning or losing, whether they’re on offense or defense, etc., will not only help you to plan which cheer fits best next, it’ll show the crowd –and your team – that you’re not ‘lost in space,’ and that you care about what’s going on in the game.

Cheerleading Tip #6: Shape up!

Those who don’t think cheerleading is a sport have never spent much time studying cheerleading. Cheerleading is very much an athletic activity, and, as such, requires a lot from your body. You’ll never be able to perform your best when you’re not in shape to give your best. As a matter of fact, not only can being out of shape affect your routines, it can literally increase the possibility of your being injured, such as through pulled muscles or falling accidents when you’re too tired to get that landing right. To be at their best, cheerleaders need to eat right, exercise, get the proper rest, and warm up properly before performing with stretching exercises, etc. Being prepared physically for events will not only help you perform better and keep you safe, it will also make you look more competent when you’re not panting for breath with every move.

Cheerleading Tip #7: Practice, practice, practice!

Game day is not rehearsal time. If you want to pull off a real performance on the field, you’ve got to put real time into practicing. If you dedicate enough time to it, you’ll find that your routines become second nature to you. Then you’ll spend less time on the field thinking about every move, and you’ll look more confident in what you’re doing. Have another cheerleader watch your moves. That one-on-one time will help you both, because your partner is having to think about every move while they are critiquing you. When you’re alone, practicing in front of a mirror can be a huge help, because even though you may feel like you’ve got a move down, the reflection you see won’t lie to you.

Cheerleading Tip #8: Leave your jewelry at home!

Jewelry is a great way to make an individual statement. But when you're on the field with your cheerleading squad, everyone needs to look uniform. So number eight on our list of cheerleading tips reminds you to leave your jewelry at home when performing. Jewelry can also be a safety issue, since you or your teammates could be cut by jewelry when performing stunts. Your cheerleading coach may or may not allow a small amount of jewelry, such as small stud earrings. But at any rate, remember when it comes to jewelry on the field, less is more.

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Cheerleading Tryouts

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If you've got other cheerleading tips that could be of help, please send them to us at cheercaptain@topcheers.com . We'd love to hear from you!