ARM MOTION EXPLANATION

1 High V For the High V, both arms extend up at about

a 45-degree angle. Hands should be in tight
fists, wrists straight, with big circles facing
the front. The motion should be slightly in
front of the body, so that the hands can be
seen from the corner of the eyes.

2 Low V For the Low V, both arms extend down at

about a 45-degree angle. Hands should be in
tight fists, wrists straight, with big circles
facing the front. The motion should be slightly
in front of the body.

3 Punch In a punch, one arm extends straight up, while

the other sits on the hip. Both hands should be
in fists. The arm in the air should stay close to
the ear, little circle facing forward, with fist
flat across the top. The arm in the air
determines whether it is a “right” or “left”
punch. This is sometimes called a “Go”
motion.

4 T-Position In a T, both arms extend straight out to

the sides parallel to the ground. Big circles
should face the front and the arms should be
slightly in front.

5 Broken T Take the T and simply bend the elbows all the
way in. Fists should hit right in front of the
armpits with little circles facing out.

6 Touchdown Just like the hand signal referees do when

there is a score, a touch down motion consists
of both arms extending straight overhead
parallel to each other. Fists should be flat on
the top with little circles facing the front, and
the arms should stay tucked in close to the
ears. Take care to not shrug the shoulders too
high.

JUMPS
1 Spread Eagle This is often the first jump that cheerleaders
learn, or that younger squads use. Arms are in
a high V and legs go out, but knees face
forward and not toward the sky.

2 Toe Touch Probably one of the most common jumps, the

toe touch is fairly easy to perform. Arms are
in a "T" position and legs are in a V, with
 knees pointing toward the sky or even
backward a bit. Your hands will not touch
your toes, despite the name.

3 Tuck This jump is seen sometimes in competitions.

Legs are in front and the knees are tucked into
the chest. Hands are to the sides in a "T".

4 Right or Left Hurdler The Hurdler is a really nice-looking jump that

creates the appearance of a stunt. One leg will
be in toe touch position, with knee pointing
toward the sky, while the other leg is bent and
the knee pointing down.

5 Pike-out This jump is a bit difficult to perform. The

jumper does a pike, but then quickly moves
the legs into a toe touch position before
landing.

6 Herkie This cheerleading jump can be performed as a

left of right Herkie. This jump is named after
the founder of the National Cheerleading
Association, Lawrence Herkimer. One leg is
in toe touch formation and the other bent with
the knee facing downward. Arms do the
opposite of what the legs are doing in a "T".
So, if the right leg is bent, the right arm is
straight and vice versa.

TUMBLINGS
1 Cartwheel A cartwheel is a sideways rotary movement of
the body. It is performed by bringing the
hands to the floor one at a time while the body
inverts. The legs travel over the body trunk
while one or both hands are on the floor, and
then the feet return to the floor one at a time,
ending with the athlete standing upright.

2 Roundoff A roundoff is a move in gymnastics similar to

a cartwheel, except the gymnast lands with
two feet placed together on the ground instead
of one foot at a time, facing the direction of
arrival.

3 Forward Roll A forward roll is basic gymnastics move that

looks like a graceful somersault. To perform
one correctly, you should be able to move
from the starting position into a roll and get
back on your feet all in one motion. It takes
 practice to do a forward roll without using
your hands to support you as you stand up.

4 Front Walkover A front walkover is an acrobatic movement

sequence. It begins with the performer
standing up straight with arms raised and
positioned near to the ears. The performer
then lunges forward and quickly raises one
leg, with the other leg following as if
transitioning to a handstand.

5 Bridge Kickover A bridge kick-over is a type of back bend

performed in gymnastics and cheerleading. It
involves getting into a back bend and then
using momentum to kick your legs over your
body and land on your feet.

6 Somersault A somersault is an acrobatic exercise in which

a person's body rotates 360° around a
horizontal axis with the feet passing over the
head. A somersault can be performed
forwards, backwards or sideways and can be
executed in the air or on the ground. When
performed on the ground, it is typically called
a roll.