Question by Gymnast Candybird: What else should i get to be a Cheerleader?
Well, I am in lv.4 gymnastics. i want to be a cheerleader somneday. here is what i have:
roundoff backhandspring
back/front handspring
back/front walkover
right leg split
working on back tuck ( just need to tuck more and i have it)
and everything else a lv 4 gymnast should have. i plan to start cheering in 2-3 years.
what else should i get? btw i can almost do a scorpion 🙂
Best answer:
Answer by k❽e the Y!A freak 🙂
Know your jumps and practice keeping movements stiff. Know how to be a flyer for stunting and how to count for dances and stuff.
Add your own answer in the comments!
Just connect all of the skills in a pass. Some tryouts do standing and running tumbling. That’s a really good list though. To be safe, you may want to work on layouts or maybe even fulls. That would probably make a stronger bet for a spot. You could also work on more front skills and connect them in a pass. Even if you don’t learn ANY of those things (which you probably will learn all those things in about 1 year anyway) those are great skills for cheer. You seem like a great gymnast and I’m sure you’ll be fine!! Good luck sweetie!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🙂
for tumbling you should be fine for level 2 or 3. which is more than enough for a beginner to aim for. since your a gymnast the strength and flexibility shouldn’t be a problem. having centre splits really helps, so work on that. things like scorpion, bow and arrow, heel stretch and y scale are really good if you want to be a flyer – in that case you will need very good inner thigh and core muscles. also work on dance and jumps because they are also a big part of cheerleading. maybe start a dance class or cheer class.
You’re off to a good start! Here are some good tumbling passes to work towards:
Running tumbling passes:
> roundoff – multiple back handsprings
> roundoff – back handspring – back tuck
> roundoff – multiple back handsprings – back tuck
> roundoff – back handspring – layout
> front handspring – roundoff – back handspring – back tuck (etc)
Standing tumbling:
> standing back handspring
> standing back handspring series
> standing back tuck
> standing back handspring – back tuck
> standing 2 or 3 back handsprings – back tuck
Besides tumbling, you’ll also need to work on your jumps! There are four main jumps in cheerleading – the toe touch, pike jump, herkie and front hurdler. You can search the web to see what they look like, but it’s important to learn them correctly. (The technique for cheer jumps is a bit different than gymnastics jumps!) Sign up for a cheer class or clinic, or take a couple private lessons, so you can learn the proper technique from an expert.
Jumps are often combined with tumbling skills, so you can also work on:
> toe touch – back handspring
> toe touch – back tuck
> 2 or 3 toe touches – back tuck
Hope this helps some!