How to Improve Cheerleading Skills

As a sport, cheerleading demands an optimal level of athleticism and fitness. Skills such as stunting, tumbling, jumping and arm motions require hours of repetitive drills and practice to perfect. While muscular strength and flexibility enhance these skills, endurance is also required to meet the demands of hours of training. While packing all of these elements into a routine, cheerleaders smile and make it look effortless. Training and conditioning, along with presentation skills, create champion cheerleaders who bring home team trophies.

Things You'll Need

• Weight training equipment
• Mirrors
• Video taping equipment

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Instructions

• 1

  Become stronger and more powerful. Weight training to strengthen arms and legs will enhance stunting and tumbling skills. Use dumbbells or weight machines to perform chest presses, shoulder presses, push downs and squats for increased muscular strength and endurance. (See Reference 2.) Add plyometric exercises such as squat jumps and medicine ball throws for power, the ability to exert force quickly. With increased strength and power, you can perform stunts repeatedly to perfect technique and advance to higher level stunts.

  With power, you can tumble faster. Stronger arms will help you to master back handsprings. Stronger, more powerful legs will help you to tumble higher to add back tucks to your tumbling passes. Increased speed and strength will help you to perform longer tumbling passes. (See Reference 3.)

• 2

  Stretch to increase jump height and kick height. Move up to the front line for jumps with elevated toe touches, pikes and herkies. Inner thigh and hamstring stretches will lengthen and lift your legs. Use dynamic stretches, or stretches with movement, before workouts and add static, or slow, sustained stretches, toward the end of your workouts. Dynamic stretches include controlled leg swings forward and to the side. Static stretches include sit and reaches with your legs together and apart. (See References 4)

• 3

  Increase core strength and rise to the top. High achieving flyers are not always the lightest team members, but they are among the most fit. Your core muscles -- your abdomen and lower back muscles -- are the powerhouse muscles of your body. They transfer your strength and power and enable you to pull up your own body weight to lighten your load on your bases. Increase core strength through abdominal crunches, knee lifts on an ab chair and bicycles to improve balance, posture and alignment and to help you hold your hips stable while airborne. (See Reference 5.)

• 4

  Smile, smile and smile more. A common comment on many competition score sheets is "sell it." This means to show your enthusiasm and spirit. Videotape yourself performing to evaluate how well you smile and present yourself and your skills. While performing cheer motions, work on proper arm placement and sharpness, hitting each motion forcefully and with proper timing. Use a natural smile, not forced facials that are unappealing to look at. Elevate your energy and enthusiasm throughout the routine for improved tryout and competition scores.