Cheer How-To Series, Featured, Tips

Decoding Cheer Terminology: A Comprehensive Guide for Beginners and Parents

Posted on October 11, 2023January 14, 2024 by Steve Pawlyk

11
Oct

By Steve Pawlyk

Published October 11, 2023

The world of cheer can be somewhat challenging, especially for those new to the scene. From unique terms, moves, and phrases, cheerleading, as a sport and art form, is replete with its own specialized language. In this comprehensive guide, we aim to break down and demystify this jargon for parents, beginners, and the curious.

1. The Origins of Cheerleading and its Jargon

Cheerleading originated in the late 19th century as an all-male activity. Over the years, it evolved and incorporated more gymnastic elements, leading to the creation of specific terms to describe stunts, moves, and formations. As the sport grew in complexity and popularity, so did its lexicon.

2. Basics: Core Terms Every Cheer Enthusiast Should Know

Flyer: The essence of acrobatic elegance in cheerleading. Being a flyer requires not only physical strength but also immense trust in the team. Elevating or being tossed into the air demands a blend of balance, confidence, and precision. The flyer’s role, though breathtaking, requires hours of practice to ensure every move exudes grace and poise.

Base: Often unsung heroes of cheerleading, bases are the foundation of most stunts. These individuals, usually with exceptional strength and stability, are tasked with the crucial job of supporting or elevating the flyer. The synchronization between bases ensures fluidity in routines and, more importantly, the safety of the flyer.

Spotter: The guardians of the cheer world. Their primary role is to ensure that no harm comes to the flyer. By being vigilant and having a keen eye for potential hazards, spotters play an instrumental role in preventing injuries and ensuring that routines are executed safely.

Routine: More than just a series of moves, a routine is a story told through synchronized dance, tumbling, stunts, and jumps. Choreographing a routine requires understanding the strengths of each team member and ensuring every movement complements the next, creating a seamless visual spectacle.

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3. Deciphering Stunts and Moves

Liberty (Lib): A testament to balance and strength. This stunt demands that the flyer showcases their stability by maintaining a pose on one foot, elevated by the base. The aesthetics of the Lib are amplified by the free leg’s positioning, making it a favorite in many routines.

Basket Toss: A combination of trust and thrill. The bases use their collective strength to propel the flyer into the air. While airborne, the flyer has a brief moment to exhibit a series of tricks, spins, or poses before descending into the secure embrace of their team.

Full: An embodiment of rotational elegance. Executing a full requires the cheerleader to harness momentum and perform a complete 360-degree twist in the air. Mastery of this move is a testament to a cheerleader’s tumbling prowess.

Tick-Tock: A transition that requires impeccable timing. As the flyer switches their weight from one foot to the other, the bases and spotters must adjust in perfect harmony. The beauty of the Tick-Tock lies in its fluidity and synchronization.

4. Navigating the Competitive Arena

Zero Deductions: Every cheerleader’s dream. Achieving zero deductions signifies a routine executed to perfection. It’s a reflection of countless hours of practice, team synchronization, and flawless execution.

Full Out: The climax of preparation. In the final rehearsals leading up to a competition, athletes push their boundaries, performing routines with unmatched energy and intensity. This not only prepares them for the main event but also helps iron out any remaining imperfections.

Mat: More than just a surface. The mat is a testament to the evolution of cheerleading. Designed to aid athletes in maximizing their performance while ensuring safety, its spring-loaded mechanism is pivotal in enhancing jumps and cushioning falls.

5. Delving Deeper: Cheer Slang and Insider Lingo

Cupie: A picturesque pose that showcases the synergy between a flyer and their base. Achieving the Cupie requires the base to display immense strength and stability, allowing the flyer to strike a balanced pose on one foot high in the air.

Crisping: The art of refinement. As teams approach competition day, every gesture, move, and formation is reviewed and refined. This process ensures that routines are not just technically sound, but also aesthetically pleasing.

Choreo: The heart and soul of any routine. Choreography sessions are a blend of creativity and athleticism. It’s during these sessions that routines come to life, with every move meticulously planned to ensure visual appeal and team synchronization.

6. Essential Tips for Parents and Newbies

a. Immerse Yourself: The world of cheerleading is vast and vibrant. To truly understand its intricacies, one must dive deep. Engaging with dedicated platforms, such as this blog, provides insights, stories, and experiences that will help you understand the cheer world.

b. Active Observation: There’s a difference between watching and observing. By actively analyzing routines, newbies can begin to understand the technicalities of moves, the importance of synchronization, and the sheer effort that goes into every performance.

c. Network: The cheer community is vast and usually very supportive. By connecting with seasoned parents, experienced cheerleaders, and dedicated coaches, newcomers can gain invaluable insights, tips, and advice that can help navigate the initial stages of their cheer journey. Look for facebook groups centered around the gym you or your child is in or groups that are just cheer focused. You can glean a lot from just viewing discussions between seasoned cheer people who know what they’re talking about.

Understanding the language is the first step in appreciating the dedication and passion of cheer. Every jump, tumble, and stunt is a story waiting to be told. So, immerse yourself, observe, learn, and above all, keep reaching for zero!

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Cheer How-To Series, Featured, Safety, Tips, Workouts

Mastering Toss Hands

Posted on August 14, 2023August 14, 2023 by Steve Pawlyk

14
Aug

By Steve Pawlyk

Published August 14, 2023

Male cheerleaders around the world may face unique challenges, particularly when it comes to performing toss hands. If you are in your early years of cheerleading and struggling with getting the right height on your toss, but seem to have no problem with shoulder sits, you are not alone.

Understand the Role of Strength Training

Lift More Weights: Building strength is key. Focus on the big 3 lifts – deadlifts, squats, and cleans.

Deadlifts and Squats: These exercises target the muscles needed for tosses and can significantly enhance your power.
Cleans: This is useful for developing explosive strength, but it requires proper technique to be effective.

While coaches often emphasize technique over strength, having more strength to tap into will never be detrimental. It can, in fact, provide an edge in your performance.

Deadlifts

Deadlifts are great for building overall strength, targeting muscles in your legs, back, and core. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Starting Position:

Stand with feet hip-width apart.
Place the barbell over the middle of your feet.
Bend at the hips and knees to lower your body to the bar.
Grip the bar with both hands, either overhand or mixed grip.
Keep your back flat, chest up, and shoulders slightly in front of the bar.

2. Lifting Phase:

Engage your core and push through your heels.
Extend your hips and knees simultaneously to lift the bar.
Keep the bar close to your body, traveling in a straight line.
Fully extend your hips at the top, standing tall.

3. Lowering Phase:

Reverse the movement, pushing hips back first.
Lower the bar by bending the hips and knees.
Return to the starting position with control.

4. Key Tips:

Maintain a neutral spine throughout the movement.
Focus on engaging your glutes and hamstrings.
Avoid rounding your back.

Squats

Squats are a cornerstone exercise for building leg and core strength. Follow these steps:

1. Starting Position:

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart.
Hold a barbell across your upper back or place hands on hips for bodyweight squats.
Keep your chest up, shoulders back, and eyes forward.

2. Descending Phase:

Begin by pushing your hips back.
Bend your knees while keeping them in line with your feet.
Lower your body until thighs are at least parallel to the ground.
Keep your chest up and back straight throughout the movement.

3. Ascending Phase:

Push through your heels to stand back up.
Extend hips and knees simultaneously.
Return to the starting position, maintaining good posture.

4. Key Tips:

Keep your knees from caving in or going past your toes.
Engage your core throughout the movement.
Focus on controlled, smooth motions.

5. Variations:

Goblet Squat with a dumbbell or kettlebell.
Front Squat with the barbell in front of your shoulders.

Both Deadlifts and Squats are powerful exercises that require attention to form and technique. It may be wise to consult with a fitness professional or coach to ensure proper execution, especially if you are new to these movements.

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Cleans:

The Clean is a complex and powerful exercise often used by athletes to develop explosive strength. It can be particularly beneficial for cheerleaders who need to enhance their toss ability. Here’s a detailed, step-by-step guide to performing the Clean exercise:

1. Starting Position:

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart.
Grip the barbell with a hook grip, hands slightly wider than shoulder-width.
Position the bar over the mid-foot.
Lower yourself by bending at the knees and hips, keeping the chest up.
Engage your core and ensure that your back is straight.

2. First Pull:

Begin by driving through your heels to lift the bar off the floor.
Maintain a flat back and keep the bar close to your body.
Extend your legs while keeping your shoulders over the bar.

3. Second Pull (Explosive Phase):

As the bar reaches knee height, explosively extend your hips and knees.
Shrug your shoulders and pull the bar upward with your arms.
Think of “jumping” the bar upwards rather than just lifting it.

4. Catch Phase:

Quickly drop under the bar by pulling yourself into a squat position.
Rotate your elbows forward to catch the bar on your front shoulders.
The bar should rest on your fingertips or the heel of your hand, not the palm.
Your thighs should be at least parallel to the ground in the catch position.

5. Recovery Phase:

Stand up by pushing through your heels, fully extending your hips and knees.
Maintain a straight back and keep the bar in front of your shoulders.

6. Return:

Safely lower the barbell back to the starting position or drop it to the floor if using bumper plates.

7. Key Tips:

Focus on powerful hip extension rather than pulling with the arms.
Keep the bar close to your body throughout the movement.
Ensure a smooth transition from the pull to the catch.
Practice with lighter weights or a PVC pipe to master the technique before adding weight

Safety Considerations

Given the complexity of the Clean, it may be beneficial to break down the movement into its constituent parts and practice them individually. Working with a certified coach or trainer who understands the biomechanics of the exercise can also help you develop proper form and technique.

Cleans are an advanced lifting technique that requires coordination, timing, and power. They can be a valuable addition to a cheerleader’s training program, helping develop the explosive strength needed for various cheer maneuvers.

Repetition and Understanding Your Flyer

The Reddit user also highlighted the importance of repetition and knowing your flyer’s timing.

Repetition: Practicing your toss hands again and again will eventually lead to mastery. Don’t shy away from dedicating time to consistent practice.
Understanding Your Flyer: Building synergy with your flyer can make a world of difference. If you understand each other’s timing and movements, you’ll find that executing toss hands becomes much more fluid.

If you’re grappling with toss hands, the combination of targeted weight lifting, repetitive practice, and cultivating a strong understanding with your flyer could be the solution you need.

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but these tried and tested methods have proven to be effective for many. With dedication and focus, you too can overcome this challenge and take your skills to new heights.

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Cheer How-To Series, Featured, Practice Tips, Safety, Tips

The Art of Balance in Cheerleading: A Closer Look at the Flyer Position

Posted on July 19, 2023July 19, 2023 by Steve Pawlyk

19
Jul

By Steve Pawlyk

Published July 19, 2023

Balance, a fundamental concept in cheerleading, is often misunderstood, particularly in the role of the Flyer. The position’s nuances are vast, and while balance is indeed an integral part of it, the way flyers approach balance may surprise you. Today we’re gonna debunk some common misconceptions about flyers and their role in the balancing act that makes up an eye-catching stunt.

Redefining Balance

Let’s start by redefining balance in the context of cheerleading, particularly when it comes to flyers. While walking a tightrope or riding a bike, balance is primarily about the person’s ability to maintain their center of gravity. They can move their arms, legs, bend their hips, and do just about anything to keep themselves from falling. But for a flyer, it’s a different story.

The Flyer’s Role

A flyer’s job isn’t to perform 100% of the balancing act. They have bases beneath them to support their balance. So, if a flyer focuses solely on keeping themselves upright, it can result in too much movement, disrupting the base’s stability and potentially leading to a fall.

Instead, flyers should concentrate on drawing up to the center, contracting muscles in the right areas, and maintaining correct body lines. By doing so, the bases can more effectively perform their balancing tasks. Therefore, although a flyer’s role involves balance, it is a different kind of balance – a cooperative balance.

Balancing Practice for Flyers

A useful drill for developing this kind of cooperative balance involves body position holds with eyes closed. The goal is to keep the body still, maintaining perfect alignment. If the arms move away from the body or the line is broken, the exercise fails. With this practice, flyers focus on feeling the right muscle engagement and learn to move less to balance more effectively. The closed-eye aspect of the drill adds extra focus on bodily awareness, as the usual visual cues used for balancing are taken away.

This method helps flyers develop a more intuitive understanding of their body positioning and how it affects their balance in the air. It also facilitates communication and trust between the flyer and the bases.

The Coach’s Perspective

Coaches often overlook the unique balance demands of the flyer position. They may encourage flyers to maintain their balance independently, much like one would balance a broomstick on one’s hand. But the real challenge lies in harnessing the flyer’s potential to aid the balancing process.

Consider this analogy: a broomstick that maintains its straightness but adds a pull towards the center would be far easier to balance than a broomstick moving randomly. Flyers can be thought of similarly; they should participate in the balancing process but without causing unnecessary movements.

So, when we talk about balance in the context of a flyer in cheerleading, it’s not just about the flyer’s ability to stay upright. It’s about the flyer’s capability to hold their body lines, engage the right muscles, and contribute to a cooperative balance that allows their bases to support them effectively.

Understanding this distinction can make a world of difference in the execution of stunts and the overall safety of the team. It’s an art, a subtle dance of pulling, squeezing, and holding that, when done right, creates the breathtaking spectacle that is cheerleading.

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Cheer How-To Series, Featured, Music, Tips

The Perfect BPM for Cheer Music: A Comprehensive Guide

Posted on May 15, 2023June 22, 2023 by Steve Pawlyk

15
May

By Steve Pawlyk

Published May 15, 2023

Are you a cheerleader or cheer coach looking to perfect your routine with the right music tempo? Understanding the beats per minute (BPM) of cheer music is critical to synchronizing your team’s movements and timing. The majority of cheer industry professionals consider the ideal BPM for most cheer music to be around 146 BPM.

Understanding BPM in Cheer Music

BPM, or beats per minute, is a unit used to measure the pace of music. It tells you how many beats there are in a minute of a particular song or musical piece. In cheerleading, the BPM of the music plays a crucial role as it forms the backbone of the cheer routine’s timing and synchronization.

When it comes to cheer music, the consensus in the cheer community is that 146 BPM is the sweet spot. This tempo is fast enough to keep the energy high and the routine exciting, but not so fast that the cheerleaders can’t keep up.

The Magic of 146 BPM in Cheer Music

Why 146 BPM, you might ask? This BPM strikes the perfect balance between energy and control. At this pace, cheer routines can have a high-impact, dynamic performance without losing synchronization or risking safety. The tempo allows cheerleaders to perform their stunts, tumbling, and dance movements in time with the music, creating a seamless, rhythmic routine that is a pleasure to watch.

Using IPP Music to Understand Cheer Music BPM

IPP Music has become a go-to resource for cheerleaders and cheer coaches trying to understand the relationship between music counts and BPM. Their comprehensive guides and informative graphs provide valuable insights into how BPM affects the execution of cheer routines. By studying IPP Music’s resources, you can better comprehend why 146 BPM is often the chosen tempo for cheer music.

Within every premade mix page on the IPP Music site, you’ll find helpful guides that show how to count music and match these counts with your cheer routine. These guides can be particularly helpful when choreographing routines to music with a BPM of 146, ensuring every beat is met with precision and enthusiasm.

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Conclusion

In the high-energy world of cheerleading, music is not merely a backdrop; it’s an integral part of the performance. Choosing cheer music with a BPM of 146 can provide the right tempo to enhance the excitement of the performance while ensuring the safety and synchronization of your team.

Whether you’re a cheerleader, a coach, or someone interested in the mechanics of cheerleading, understanding the BPM of cheer music is essential. Resources like IPP Music can provide you with the tools and knowledge you need to navigate the world of cheer music BPM confidently. Remember, the next time you’re selecting or choreographing to cheer music, aim for that magic number: 146 BPM.

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PREMADE MIXES

1. The Origins of Cheerleading and its Jargon

2. Basics: Core Terms Every Cheer Enthusiast Should Know

3. Deciphering Stunts and Moves

4. Navigating the Competitive Arena

5. Delving Deeper: Cheer Slang and Insider Lingo

6. Essential Tips for Parents and Newbies

Understand the Role of Strength Training

Deadlifts

Squats

Cleans:

Safety Considerations

Repetition and Understanding Your Flyer

Redefining Balance

The Flyer’s Role

Balancing Practice for Flyers

The Coach’s Perspective

Understanding BPM in Cheer Music

The Magic of 146 BPM in Cheer Music

Using IPP Music to Understand Cheer Music BPM

Conclusion