CHEERLEADING.COM BLOG

Cheerleaders come in all shapes and sizes and it is important that we embrace all types of bodies and looks. Promoting positive body images and warning against the dangers of extreme dieting and eating disorders should be a priority for every coach. Becoming a cheerleader tends to come with a heavy burden to look a certain way and it is important that we teach our athletes how to deal with this pressure in a positive manner.

The first step to addressing positive body image is to let your team know that everyone is built differently and thankfully so… if everyone was exactly the same it would be rather difficult to effectively do many of the skills required of cheerleaders, such as stunting. Embrace the skin you are in! Do your best to ensure that your uniforms are not making any of your cheerleaders feel self-conscious. This is sometimes a challenge when a school utilizes the same uniforms each year and each year you have different squad members. If you are in this situation, there are several ways to order uniforms so that future squads are adequately accommodated. Uniform professionals such as the sales staff at the Cheerleading Company can guide you through this process with ease. Click here for contact information for the Cheerleading Company’s sales staff.

In addition to encouraging your team to embrace their body and image as is, educate your squad on health and wellness. Athletic activities such as cheerleading are a great way to develop healthy habits that can be carried on throughout a lifetime. The two main areas of health and wellness that should be stressed to your team are exercise and healthy eating habits.

Exercise should be an easy topic to tackle because there should be an adequate amount of exercise and conditioning occurring throughout your regularly scheduled practices. You can also provide your cheerleaders with at home exercise schedules to complete on the weekends or days when you do not have practice. The key to exercise is consistency.

The American Heart Association makes the following recommendations in regards to exercise:
• Get the equivalent of at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic physical activity (2 hours and 30 minutes) each week.
• You can incorporate your weekly physical activity with 30 minutes a day on at least 5 days a week.
• Physical activity should be performed in episodes of at least 10 minutes, and preferably, it should be spread throughout the week.
• Include flexibility and stretching exercises.
• Include muscle strengthening activity at least 2 days each week.

Share these tips with your team and remind them frequently of the benefits of exercise. Another way to help inspire a lifetime love of exercise is to introduce alternative exercise methods that your athletes enjoy. This task again should be easy. There are many ways to use stunting, tumbling, jumping and other aspects of cheerleading for exercises purposes. For instance, have your team break up into stunt groups and put up a prep or first floor (flyer is standing on two legs at chest level of bases). Then have the bases do ten deep squats with the flyer still in the stunt and finally cradle when finished. When the flyer comes out of the cradle immediately have an exercise ready for them and repeat. It is also smart to encourage exercises that are not related to cheerleading, so that during the off-season and post-cheerleading your team can stay in shape. Swimming is a great example of a full body exercise that can be fun and relaxing.

Encouraging healthy eating is equally important. Eating the right food is necessary to have the proper energy and strength to be at your best during practice and games, so ensuring that your team is eating right not only benefits them, but you as well. There are many theories on what healthy eating entails and there are often trends that come and go such as low carb diets, non-diary diets etc. Stray away from encouraging restrictive diets of any kind. You don’t want to restrict food from your athletes. It’s all about choosing better quality foods, eating a balanced diet and eating in moderation when indulging in “not so good” foods.

Here are a few tips for gaining healthy eating habits:
• Drink lots of water. There is no magic number of exactly how much water a person should drink. This is largely dependent on how active you are, your health and where you live. But keep in mind approximately 60% of your body weight is made up of water and every system in the body is dependent upon water. Lack of water can lead to dehydration and a number of other internal issues. In general, doctors recommend drinking 8 to 9 cups of water a day.
• Avoid foods and drinks with high sugar contents. Unlike most foods, fructose or sugar, doesn’t adequately communicate to your body how many calories you’ve taken in, thus there is no immediate message sent to the brain saying that you are full and need to stop eating. Pairing your sugar with fiber will prevent this from happening. A great example of a fiber and natural sugar combination is fruit.
• When you can avoid fast food, do so. Many times food on the go lacks adequate nutrients and is high in fat, sodium and/or sugar.
• Moderation is key. Avoid oversized portions. When fixing your dinner plate make sure that at least half of the plate is made up of fruits and/or vegetables.
• Remember that good old food pyramid? Go back to it and try to actively incorporate the appropriate portions into your daily meals. The United States Department of Agriculture offers a great web site to help you establish a balanced daily diet. Check it out at www.choosemyplate.gov.
Following these steps to establish a healthy diet and a positive body image are sure to make your team stronger both physically and mentally. Rest assured that by educating your athletes in these areas you are inspiring healthy habits that will forever impact their lives for the better.

Football cheerleaders have three main responsibilities on the sidelines… 1) Motivate the football team, 2) Keep the crowd entertained and 3) Lead the crowd in cheering on the football team. These tasks are accomplished much easier when there exists a basic grasp of core football concepts. Knowing what is happening on the field makes calling cheers and chants off the field a breeze. In football, things can change in an instant and as a cheerleader you need to be able to adapt quickly. Below you will find a list of core football terms and concepts that every cheerleader should know. Each term or concept is accompanied by an example of an appropriate chant for that specific situation.

Offense – When a football team is on offense they are in possession of the ball and are attempting to move down the field toward in the end zone in hopes of scoring.
Chant: We’ve got the ball so let’s go, let’s go.
We’ve got the ball, so let’s go! (Repeat 3X)

Defense – On defense the opposing team is in possession of the ball and it is now your goal to prevent the opposing team from moving down the field and scoring.
Chant: Take it away, Take it away
Defense, Take that ball away (Repeat 3X)

First and Ten – In football, you are given four attempts to go ten yards. Each attempt is called a “down”. Once you’ve moved ten yards, you are given four more attempts to move another ten yards. The first of the four attempts is called first and ten. If you’re team is unsuccessful in moving the ball ten yards during their four attempts the other team will gain possession of the ball.
Chant: First and Ten, Do It Again
First and Ten, Let’s Win! (Repeat 3X)

Fourth (any down) and inches – If you are on offense, this means your team only needs to advance the ball a few inches forward to either score or complete the down. If you are on defense this means if you can prevent the opposing team from moving forward a few inches you will gain possession of the ball. This is often called holding the line because you are attempting to prevent the team from passing a specific yard on the field.
Chant (Defense): Hold that line
You’ve got to hold that line. (REPEAT until play is finished… Get crowd involved)

Chant (Offense): Down, Down, Down the Field
Raise, Raise, Raise the Score
Down the field, Raise the score, Six points more! (Repeat 3x)

Pushing the Opposing Team Back – This phrase is used when a team is on defense and manages to tackle the other team behind the line of scrimmage. The line of scrimmage is where the play begins. When the offense is tackled behind the line of scrimmage it results in a loss of yards. This is called pushing the other team back.
Chant: Push em’ back, Push em’ back Yard by Yard
Push em’ back, Push em’ It won’t be hard. (Repeat 3x)

Interception – When an interception occurs the defense has just taken the ball away from the offense during a play. An interception is typically the result of a pass being thrown by an offensive player and caught by a defensive player.
Chant (Encouraging Interception): Steal It, Swipe It
That’s the way we like it! (Repeat 3x)

Chant (After your team has intercepted the ball): We’ve got the ball so let’s go, let’s go
We’ve got the ball, so LET’S GO! (Repeat 3X)

Touchdown – This is when a team has made it into the end zone and scored six points. Often referred to as a T.D.
Chant (Encouraging a Touchdown):
T-D, We want a Touchdown! (Repeat 3x)

Chant (After scoring): H-O-TT-O-G-O
The (mascot name) team is Hot to Go
Oh yes we’re hot to go! Oh yes, we’re hot to go! (Repeat 3x)

Chant (After the opposing team scores): That’s all right, That’s okay
We’re going to get them anyway! (Repeat 3x)

Fumble – If you are on offense and you lose the ball during a play, this is considered a fumble. The ball can be recovered by either team. If you are on offense, you want your team to recover the fumble.
Chant (if you are on defense and recover the fumbled ball): They dropped it,
We got it, Now let’s move that ball! (Repeat 3x).

There are many more terms and concepts involved in the game of football, but mastering these basic guidelines will help you’re team rule the sidelines.

As the summer winds down and choreography season spirals into overdrive we’d like to supply you with a helpful list of routine pointers. We’ve consulted several judges from major national cheer and dance competition companies and this is what we’ve found.

Things that excite and wow judges… also known as The “must have” list for competition routines:

1. Cleanliness – Keep in mind when choreographing, a clean skill always beats a sloppy more advanced skill. So, with that in mind if you have an individual struggling with a double down cradle, make it a clean single. Don’t hesitate to bring difficulty down a notch when the skill can not be completed safely and cleanly. Cleanliness makes it easier for a judge to see what is happening in front of them. Often times, when a routine is not clean it appears to be chaotic and a judge can’t award points appropriately for the skills completed because they can’t determine what the skills they actually saw.

2. Energy and Spirit – This can make or break a routine. Cheerleading was created with spirit and excitement as core principles and that has not changed. A routine should get the crowd and judges excited. There is nothing better than contagious energy. Be sure that your routine isn’t so draining that by the end the squad has no energy left. Our panel of judges commented that they often see teams who have crammed an incredible amount of skills into a routine, but lack the ability to maintain the energy throughout the routine. In many cases, a routine with far less difficulty can beat the jammed packed routine simply because of the spirit and energy. Another tip is to practice like you’d perform it. Many cheerleaders feel silly giving facials during practice, but it develops muscle memory. So even when the adrenaline kicks in and the routine is moving a mile a minute the performance aspect has become automatic through practice.

3. Follow the Rules – This tip seems like a no-brainer, but our judges agreed that they almost always have at least one great team lose significant points because they have not followed all of the guidelines. There are general safety rules that every competition company provides, in addition to skill level specific rules. The penalty for not following these rules can be fractions of a point to several points per occurrence. It is simply not worth the risk, so be sure to read and adhere to the up to date version of the rules and regulations for each competition you plan to attend.

4. Sportsmanship – Judging simply put is a biased job. There are guidelines in place to keep the scoring as impartial as possible, but in reality a judge is being asked to render their opinion of the skills your team has produced. All this to say, a judge can take all that they have seen of your team and subconsciously factor that in when scoring in categories like overall performance. So be conscious of your team’s attitude and behavior on and off the competition mat. Sportsmanship is important. The last thing a judge wants to see are cheerleaders boo’ing or taunting other cheerleaders. So simply remind your team that they are being judged all day. The beauty of this is that it works both ways. Good sportsmanship can often yield rewards!
Things that make judges cringe… also known as the No-No’s for competition season:
1. Inappropriate uniforms – In today’s society children are being forced to grow up way too fast in many aspect of life. Well there has recently been an overwhelming push by competition judges and competition companies to take that power back by enforcing appropriate dress rules and guidelines. Be sure to carefully review the uniform guidelines for every competition company you plan to use throughout the year. Many have updated their policies recently. When asked, our panel of judges overwhelming replied that uniforms need to be age appropriate, as well as appropriate for the body of every girl on the squad. So when deciding whether or not to put your peewee team in crop tops keep that pointer in mind. There are hundreds of great uniform options that will wow the crowd and judges without baring it all. Check out the incredible options within the Cheerleading Company’s uniform collection here. Also if your team does use crop top uniforms or shorter skirts make sure that everyone is comfortable in the uniform. It is far more distracting to see a girl pulling at her uniform throughout the routine than to see one member with a full length top or longer skirt.

2. Inappropriate Movements & Gestures – Again, judges aren’t interested in watching young cheerleaders engaging in inappropriate dance. Our panel of judges specifically mentioned hip thrusts and make provocative gestures and movements as things that make them cringe. This is not to say senior level routines should be made up of these types of movements either, but simply keep age appropriateness in mind at all levels. Secondly, judges don’t want to see bad sportsmanship or gestures made directly to other teams within your routine. That sends the message loud and clear that the coach of this squad has little regard for other competitors and/or sportsmanship.

3. Music – There are several “no-no’s” when it comes to selecting the music for your routine whether it be for spirit or competition purposes. As stressed in the last two points, keep age appropriateness in mind. No, your pee-wee team doesn’t have to dance to Hannah Montana, but try to avoid suggestive lyrics. Additionally, avoid songs that provide your choreography for you. Songs such as the cha-cha slide, the cupid shuffle and the hokey pokey all give verbal cues for movement. The judges want know if you can be creative and innovative, not if you can follow directions. The same goes for trendy songs that have dances associated with them such as the dougie, the stanky leg, whip my hair etc. It is almost impossible to have an entire squad do a dance of that nature and look like one cohesive unit. Remember cleanliness is always a main goal.

This list isn’t fail proof, but it will certainly help you to create a routine that is sure to wow the crowd and reap rewards on the score sheets! Good luck and happy choreographing!

Conquering a Double Twisting Cradle

A standard level five dismount from a stunt is the double down cradle. In this skill, a flyer rotates twice in the air before reaching the awaiting arms of his or her bases. Below you will find three tips that will help you perfect your double down and three cautionary reminders of mistakes frequently made during this skill.

Keep These Tips in Mind

You must be adding onto a solid foundation. Pushing a flyer who is not comfortable with their single twist or who has not mastered all of the technique involved with the single twist can result in the creation of bad habits.

Tip #1 – Lift, lift, lift! Use your arms to help you lift to the peak of the cradle before beginning your twist. It is critical that you do not bend your legs and try to jump to increase the height of the cradle. Jumping out of your bases hands will eliminate any pop provided by your bases. Allow your bases the opportunity to do their job. It is also important that you do not spin directly out of their hands. Doing repeated ride drills, where you simply ride the pop of the cradle to its peak should help condition your body to ride before beginning your twist.

Tip #2 – Put your hand in your pocket. There are many ways to go about completing a double down. If you have been instructed to do differently with your arms, definitely listen to your coach. This strategy is a well-accepted method that is thought to be the easiest to learn and the cleanest and safest method. Begin with your arms in a high V motion. Keep tip #1 in mind and after your bases pop, ride the cradle to its peak. At the peak of the cradle aggressively slice your right arm across your body to your left hip (ie: similar to placing your hand in your pocket). Simultaneously, your left arm should quickly drop straight down to your left side. Your eyes should follow your right fist essentially taking your chin down to your left shoulder. It is important that your head turns to effectively complete the rotations. Your arms should remain down until you land in your bases arms. This method is thought to be one of the safest because as opposed to other methods your arms and more specifically your elbows are not rotating in a position that can hit your bases on the way down. Spinning with your elbows out can not only injure a base, but can also make it much more difficult for bases to catch a flyer correctly.

Tip #3 – Be aggressive… B-E-A-G-G-R-E-S-S-I-V-E! This chant has never been more applicable. Double downs usually take time to perfect, so it is important to be aggressive and confident. For most, this skill is not learned on the first time. At some point, you will probably land on your stomach, or in an even worse position. Regroup and try it again. Remember the technique and be more aggressive. This is a skill that you must attack. You have to ride aggressively and spin aggressively. Timing is also very important. Again, you can’t do the job of your bases. Conquer the motions that you are assigned and allow the other members of your stunt group to be accountable for their own responsibilities.

Bonus Tip: Allow the back spot to control this stunt. He or she will be able to help the flyer lift and begin the rotation at the ankles. This allows the flyer to better understand the correct timing necessary for this skill.
Avoid the Following Mistakes

Mistake #1 – Spinning in sections. Your body must remain straight, tight and aligned. Often times when beginning to learn this skill, flyers have a tendency to rotate in sections. Your hips and shoulders should always be facing the same direction. Seeing a flyer spin in sections looks similar to seeing a fish out of water. It is easy to ensure you remain straight and aligned by contracting all of your muscles while you spin, especially your core muscles.

Mistake #2 – Do not dive. It is not necessary to do any extra leaning or diving. You should keep in mind the natural position that you would assume during a straight ride cradle. Diving can result in two negative situations 1) Flying backwards head first. This is extremely bad because all of your weight is then directed at your back spot. Your bases will not be able to fully assist in the catching process. 2) Diving forward. On occasion because of the speed at which you will be dropping your arms to spin a diving flyer will end up going forward instead of backwards. This is not only a scary experience, but it makes it difficult for anyone to catch appropriately. The back spot and flyer should work together to prevent this from happening.

Mistake #3 – Opening up mid spin. It is important to hold your position until you’ve been caught by your bases. Opening up your position by releasing your contracted arms or legs will stop your rotation immediately. Thus, the only point at which you should ever open your spin is when two full rotations have been completed. Opening your spin can also be dangerous as it often causes limbs to get tangled when bases are trying to catch.

Cheerleading requires whole body fitness. It is not a sport where you can solely condition one part of the body and be successful. There is one section of body in particular which connects nearly all aspects of cheerleading, from stunting to tumbling to jumping, the core. The core area of your body is also known as your midsection and the muscles within this section all work together to stabilize your spine and pelvis. Balance is a skill incorporated heavily throughout cheerleading and is reflective of your level of core strength. As a result, it is equally important for flyers to be flexible as it is for them to have good core strength.

Core strength can be tested in many ways, but a simple way to gauge your core strength is to time a plank hold. In a plank, you hold an adapted push up position (everything is the same as a traditional push-up, but you rest on your elbows with your forearms against the ground). Be sure that you have created a straight plane with your body. Avoid allowing your hips to sag or elevating your butt. These mistakes will not give you a true result. Being able to hold this position comfortably while resting on your toes and forearms for one minute is the sign of a good foundation. Planks can be used as conditioning exercises as well.

Not only will having good core strength improve your cheer skills, but it will also drastically decrease your chances of injury, especially to the back area. Now that the importance of core conditioning has been established, check out the great exercises below to help you strengthen your core muscles and count down the days until you see improvement in your tumbling, jumps and stunting!

As stated above plank holds are great as exercises too! Try this version of the plank hold to elevate the difficulty of the original version.

Elevated Push Up
Find a structure about one to two feet off the ground (a bed or an exercise ball work great). Assume a push up position with top of your feet resting on that structure and your hands on the ground. Similar to the plank, you want to ensure that your back is straight and that you are contracting your stomach muscles to truly benefit from this exercise. Hold this position for as long as you can, rest and repeat.

Hollow Body Hold
Lie on your back and elevate your feet about six to eight inches off the ground. Avoid going any higher because it will diminish the gain of this exercise. Your arms should be placed straight above you (elbows near your ears). Lift your arms and shoulders off the ground. At this point all that should be touching the ground is your butt and back. Tuck your chin into your chest so that you are looking at your toes. Hold this position for as long as you can, rest and repeat. If you need to take this exercise down a notch, begin by placing your arms down by your side. This will reduce the strain on your midsection. If you would like to elevate this exercise, try a steady rock while in this position. Remember, even if rocking, your feet and shoulders should not hit the ground and the focus should still be on contracting the muscles in your midsection.

Ball Ups
Begin sitting on the ground with your knees bent and feet planted in front of you. Extend your arms straight out in front of you. Your elbows and knees should almost align. Lift your feet off the ground and slightly rotate backwards. Extend your legs out parallel to the ground. Hold this position for one second and bring your legs back in bent toward your chest. Do not allow your feet to touch the ground. Repeat this motion for 8-10 reps. Rest and repeat.

Superman
Get your cape ready because in this exercise you will look like Superman in flight. Begin lying face down on the floor with your feet shoulder width apart and your arms extended straight up (elbows by your ears). Simultaneously, lift your arms, head, shoulders, and legs off the ground as high as possible. This is a slow and controlled lift. Do not jerk your body into this position. Hold for one second and return to the beginning position. Repeat for about 8 – 10 reps, rest and repeat.

Flutter Kicks
In this exercise you will begin on lying flat your back with your legs extended straight out. Your hands should be positioned at your sides. Next lift your head, shoulders and feet off the ground. You should elevate both ends about six inches above the ground and look toward your toes. Once in the elevated position begin fluttering your feet (lift one up while pushing the other down and alternate). During the fluttering motion focus on contracting your stomach muscles. Try to push your stomach muscles into the ground. This is a timed exercise. Set one minute as a beginning goal and decrease or increase as necessary.

Also remember there are many common exercises that will also work your core muscles such as sit ups, crunches and v-ups. The most important thing about doing these exercises is consistency. Create a daily schedule that allows you to commit at least thirty minutes a day to conditioning and you will see results soon.