Jumps and How To Do Them

There is nothing as spectacular as a Cheerleader doing jumps with proper technique. She seems to defy gravity and just hang in mid air. To achieve the "lift" and hang time required for an audience pleasing jump requires the cheerleader to practice long and hard doing repetition after repetition. However even a lot of repetitions will not get you those awesome jumps if you do not get the body in the condition it needs to be in and you do not follow the proper techniques. Just follow the instructions below and you will be doing jumps that will amaze your home crowd.

A straddle jump begins with the cheerleader standing one foot forward and the arms in a high "V" position as shown in Picture 1. The cheerleader starts the jump by bringing the back foot forward closing with the front foot and at the same time circling the arms together and crossing, continuing to circle down till they cross again in front of the body and bending the legs as shown in Picture 2. As the arms continue to circle up and out to the sides of the body stopping at shoulder level there is a simultaneous push with the legs as shown in Picture 3. As the legs push hard and the arms lift up at shoulder level there is a strong push down with the feet. These are the last muscles to contract as the body leaves the ground. The cheerleader has now attained "lift" as shown in Picture 4. Once the body has attained "lift" the legs are pulled up, back and out to the sides of the body. The cheerleader should be sitting up and not leaning over. The feet should be coming up and touching the hands which are at shoulder level as shown in Picture 5. The legs should be brought back together while the body is still rising so that as the body descends and returns to the ground the cheerleader will be landing with the feet under the hips, the arms still out to the sides of the body and the head up as shown in Picture 6.

A herkie jump begins in the exact same way as a straddle jump. The same motions are taken as in Pictures 1 through 4 to attain "lift". Once the feet have left the ground the jump becomes a little more complicated. One leg is pulled up and out to the side of the body while the opposite leg is pulled back and down to the rear of the body with the knee pointing down. While the legs are moving to their respective positions the arm on the straight leg side is placed fist on the hip and the arm on the bent leg side is lifted up and out finishing in a high "V" position next to the head. The body will wind up looking as shown below in Picture 5 when in the jump position. You should still land the jump with both feet coming together at the same time under the hips, arms out, and the head up. A good cheerleader should be able to do this jump on either side.

Remember to practice under controlled, safe conditions. It is not how many jumps you do but rather how safely you practice them that helps you improve. If you feel pain or soreness, pay attention to that. It is your body telling you that you are overdoing it. Good luck at your next tryouts.