In cheerleading, jumps are a way to add excitement and variety to your cheers, dances and routines. You do not have to be a veteran cheerleader with a lot of flexibility to add jumps to your performances. Start at the bottom, mastering a few easy jumps, before moving on to more difficulty. Make sure your entire squad can safely perform a jump prior to using it in your choreography. Cheerleaders should perform all jumps with pointed toes.
Jump Prep and Finishing
Start your jump with your arms above your head in a high V motion, and rise up on the balls of your feet to prepare for your jump. Swing your arms down, crossing them in front of your body and bending deeply with your knees to get power for your jump. Once your arms point straight down to the ground, begin the upswing of your arms and push off the ground, launching your body into the air. Hit your jump with the desired arm motion and then land with your feet together, knees slightly bent, and fists alongside your calves. Pause in this position before popping up and landing with your feet shoulder-width apart and your fists on your hips. In every jump, make eye contact with the crowd when you hit your jump position and when you hit your finished position.
Beginner Jumps
The tuck, spread eagle and herkie are all beginner jumps. In a tuck, lift your knees up toward your chest. Do not kick your feet toward your butt. Keep your chest elevated. A spread eagle involves straddling the legs at 45-degree angles from your hips. Put your arms in a high V or a touchdown. Make sure your knees stay pointing forward in this jump. In a herkie, you bend one leg and extend the other. Your arms are in a punch motion, with the arm above the bent leg punching and the other fist on your hip. The knee of your bent leg should point down to the ground and the knee of your straight leg should point up. Try to get your straight leg to horizontal or higher.
Advanced Jumps
When you have mastered all of the beginner jumps, you are ready to move on to attempting a toe touch, side hurdler and front hurdler. In a toe touch, your legs straddle with your knees pointing up. It is as if you were sitting on the ground in a straddle position. Your arms should hit a T motion. Never reach for your legs or feet. Instead, bring your legs up to your arms and keep your chest elevated. A side hurdler is similar to a herkie. The biggest difference is in your bent leg. Instead of pointing the knee down, you flatten that leg, pointing the knee to the front. Your arms are in a T motion for a side hurdler. Finally, a front hurdler involves one leg lifting straight up to the front as the other leg bends behind you. The knee of your bent leg should point down to the ground. Put your arms in a touchdown motion, again lifting your leg up to your arms instead of reaching for your leg.
Elite Jumps
The pike and double nine are elite-level jumps. Do not attempt them until you have mastered all other jumps. In a pike, both legs extend straight out in front of you with your arms punching forward and parallel to your legs, which are parallel to the ground. A double-nine is similar to a pike but you bend one arm and one leg, forming the shape of a nine with each. Practice the position sitting on the ground. Extend one leg straight and bend the other leg, placing the foot of your bent leg on the knee of your straight leg. Make the same shape with your arms, keeping your straight arm directly above your straight leg and your bent arm above your bent leg.
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