Question by sk8erchicklovely: How do I become cheerleader material over the summer?
For middle school cheer-leading, What do I need to be able to do? I can not do a split yet, but I would be willing to learn.
Best answer:
Answer by CheerLeader
i am a cheerleader and you just need a possitive aditude and smile alot . your additude to cheer is an important part esspicaly for tryoutsâș
What do you think? Answer below!
First of all, nothing that anybody says on this board will guarantee you a spot on the squad because we haven’t seen you in action and have no idea exactly what strengths and weaknesses you possess.
I would work on becoming more flexible. You do need a positive attitude and an outgoing personality. Work on motions (you can find out more about these at the website posted below) and making them firm and sharp and at the right angles. Keep your wrists straight instead of bent (that’s a huge thing that I can’t stand to see!).
Practice jumps, particularly the toe touch (the main jump that is used the most in cheerleading). Other jumps include herkies, front hurdlers, side hurdlers, and pike jumps. You can strengthen your legs for jumps by doing this exercise:
Sit with your legs straddled. Lean back on your hands (keep your back straight), and lift your legs, pumping them up and down several times. What you are striving for is a wider straddle and quickness of the legs flexing and coming back down. This will help your jumps become bigger and better.
And run, lift weights, and anything else to get into shape. Oh, and practice yelling with your gut, not your throat. Throaty yells are not loud enough and you need to be LOUD.
Good luck!
. Everything you do needs to be crisp and pop, you need to be stiff. stretch out whenever you can to get your jumps higher. stretch,stretch and stretch. work on perfecting any gymnastics abilities you have At try-outs smile and make eye contact with the judges {if you can’t make eye contact because it makes you nervous look directly above their head} do facials and if you mess up do not worry or let it show just keep smiling until you get to a part you remember and pick it up. work on your splits. Also judges look for how you present yourself. have your hair in a high ponytail with no flyaways, the only make-up you should wear it foundation to keep your skin from getting oily, wear a white shirt and black shorts, tuck in your shirt. and wear clean white shoes. no jewelery, make-up, or nail polish. When the coaches teach you the cheer and routine, don’t be afraid to ask questions. because if it comes down to a tie for the last spot and your part of that tie the coaches normally pick and they will choose the girl who seemed most dedicated, questions make you seem interested. Write down the steps they teach you so you don’t forget. Ask if you can get a copy of the music to practice at home. On the day of try-outs make sure your eat a good meal and stretch run through it once in your head and breath. take something with you like a coloring book to entertain you while you are waiting and no matter what if you don’t make it or if you do remember the experiences and you can always try out next year. I have been a cheerleader since I was 8 and I’m now a competitive cheerleader and I didn’t make it my first year. Also make sure you are loud… don’t scream but shout. Use a deep voice deep voices travel further.
Don’t be scared… the less scared you are the better you will do. and just because there are girls with a cheerleading background doesn’t mean your couldn’t be better then them trust me. I have seen many girls who have cheered before not make it and girls that hadn’t cheer before make that very same squad.
Take some tumbling classes and keep stretching, look up cheers online and practice them over and over inn the mirror until you get them right