Jumps

Cheerleading jumps are a way to show your spirit and enthusiasm on the sidelines.  They also show great athleticism and flexibility.  They are not something you can master overnight, but instead they are a skill you work on to improve daily.  Just like doing the splits, proper stretching and technique will help you get the results you’re looking for.

All good cheerleading jumps must have a prep.  The style of the cheerleading jump prep has changed over the years, but ultimately, the main goal is to use the prep to execute the jump with the most power, height, and form.  Before trying a cheerleading jump, practice the following cheer jump prep.  It will help you develop proper form and technique that you’ll need once you start including the actual jump with it.

Jump Prep: Don’t forget to do a proper warm-up and stretches before trying any of the jumps below.

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Once you have the timing of your jump prep down, try to add the following jumps.

Pencil/T-jump: This jump helps you get the rhythm of jumping and hitting that T motion while you’re in the air. Hitting your T-motion is a crucial component in executing a cheer jump. If you don't hit the T-motion, your arms may end up blocking your legs from hitting their desired motion or slow down your upward momentum. The second aspect the pencil/T-jump helps you develop is keeping your chest up.  Many times people tend to lean forward toward their legs while jumping. This actually causes your momentum to decrease and pushes your body down instead of allowing it to lift up into the air.  When you hit your pencil/T-jump, you should almost feel like you paused for a second in the air before gravity brings you back down.  Counting your jump out, you should hit your T motion on 4, and slowly come back down to the ground. It is very important to make sure you land correctly, so that you don’t cause major jolting to your knees or shins.  To do this, allow your body to absorb the momentum by landing toe and then heel with a slight bend to your knees.  Think about jumping into the air to rebound a basketball. When you’re coming down from that jump, you don’t land flat footed with straight legs.  If you did, you would feel that jarring pain in your knees right away.

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Toe Touch: The toe touch is the most common cheerleading jump.  It is also the jump most programs require you to perform at tryouts.  The simple way to explain a toe touch is that it’s your straddle stretch in the air. You use your jump prep, hit your T, keep your chest up, and make sure your toes are pointed.  Don’t be discouraged if you don’t see the height right away.  It will come with increased flexibility, proper technique, and of course, practice!  I think the hardest part people tend to have when trying to execute a toe touch is getting your legs in the proper position.  If you have your legs in front of you, you’re stopping your legs from extending any further.  You want your legs to rotate out to the side of your body, behind your T-motion.  Have your shoe laces either facing up to the sky or rotate outward.

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