There are lots of things you can start working on to prepare yourself for tryouts. But don’t wait! Cheerleading skills take time and practice to master - so the sooner you begin, and the harder you work at it, the better off you’ll be! Here are some things to work on:
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 judges will be looking at your form, not just how high you can jump. Sign up for a cheer class or clinic, or take a couple private lessons, so you can learn the proper technique from an expert. Then go home and practice, practice, practice!
Tumbling: Most schools don’t require tumbling skills, but the girls who can tumble will score higher. So start RIGHT NOW with some tumbling classes (not gymnastics), and keep them up until tryouts. A back handspring – and better yet, a back tuck – will help your score a lot; but even a roundoff will get you some points for tumbling. The more often you go, the faster you’ll progress... so go more than once a week if you can! You can also get some extra practice by attending open gyms, and taking private lessons.
Motions: You’ll probably be taught a cheer to perform at tryouts, and you’ll be judged on how sharp and tight your motions are. See if you can learn a cheer ahead of time - any cheer, it doesn’t matter - and practice at home in front of a mirror. Watch to make sure you’re hitting each position precisely, with straight arms and quick, sharp motions. Taking a dance class can also help a lot!
Voice Projection: Cheerleaders need to be loud - but not screechy. When you shout your cheer, yell from your diaphram and make your voice deep, sharp and clear. This sounds easy, but it takes some practice to get it right. And when you’re jumping around in a cheer and yelling at the same time, it’s easy to become breathless and lose your voice! So start “training” your voice by yelling a chant or cheer while you’re doing something active - jumping jacks, jogging in place, etc.
Spiriting: You’ll probably be expected to do some spiriting when you try out. That’s when you jump around and yell things like “Alright! Let’s go Eagles! Fire it up!” while doing some simple arm motions. If you’re not used to doing that, it can feel pretty weird and it can be hard to come up with random things to say. Like everything else, it requires practice! If possible, watch some cheerleaders at a game and take note of what they say and do. Then go home and practice in front of your mirror. Make up a little “spiriting routine” that you can practice, so you can do it without thinking.
Smile: The number one tip people give for cheer tryouts is to SMILE! Sounds simple enough, but it’s easy to forget when you’re out there concentrating on your jumps or cheer. So start working on it now. Whenever you practice anything - jumps, cheers, etc - do it with a smile. That way it will become a habit, and you won’t have to concentrate on smiling when you’re out there in front of the judges.
To get an idea of what the judges are looking for, here’s a typical score sheet that many schools use:
Entrance/Smile - 5 pts
Crowd appeal (neat, pleasant appearance) - 5 pts
Spirit (being peppy) - 5 pts
Voice Projection (being loud but not screechy) - 5 pts
Motions (being sharp) - 10 pts
Memory/Recall (ability to learn the cheer) - 10 pts
Jumps (height and technique) - 15 pts
Tumbling (difficulty and form) - 10-15 pts
Dance ability - 5-10 pts
Grades - 10 pts
Citizenship - 20 pts
Total Possible points - 100 pts
I hope this helps some! Good luck!
If you look up gyms near your area you will be able to see what tumbling classes are available near you. You technically don't "need" to know anything but I would recommend you get a roundoff or a walkover(: those will help you a bunch! Good luck(:
Handstands, cartwheels, if you can do those then youll be fine. Tumbling lesson will help.
Aw geez, pretty much everything. Molecular engineering, nuclear physics, advanced dolphin biology...you name it.
omg. cartwheels, roundoffs, jumps, maybe even flyer stretches. theres so much.
What type of skills do I new to know. Are there any classes I could take during the summer. And any tips I could use for cheer thanks
