In cheerleading, the term tuck refers to a body position. When your body is in a tuck position, your knees are bent and pulled in toward your chest. Your abdominal muscles should be pulled in toward your spine. This body position is used in several cheerleading skills from basic to advanced. Regardless of the skill you are attempting, stay true to the form required for a tuck position.
Forward Roll
A basic tumbling skill that uses the tuck position is a forward roll. To do a forward roll, stand with your feet together. Bend your knees and place your hands on the ground in front of you. Bend your head forward, placing your chin on your chest. Push off the ground with your feet, tucking your head. First contact with the ground should be made by the back of your head, then your neck and shoulders. The top of your head should not touch the ground at all. Keep you body in a tight tuck position as your roll over and straight up onto your feet. Do not use your hands to push your body off the ground at the end.
Tuck Jump
A tuck jump is a beginner-level jump that uses the tuck position. Start on your toes with your hands in a high V position. Swing your arms down, crossing in front of your body as you bend your knees deeply. At the bottom of your arm swing, initiate your jump. Explode off the ground and lift your knees up toward your chest as your arms hit a high V position. Do not kick your rear with your heels. Keep your toes pointed and your chest lifted in this jump position. Land with your knees slightly bent and your arms alongside your calves. Pause for a second prior to popping out your feet out to shoulder-width apart with your fists on your hips.
Back Tuck
The back tuck is an advanced tumbling skill that uses a tuck position. A back tuck can be done standing or as a part of a tumbling pass. In a pass, it typically is preceded by a round-off back handspring. Start a standing back tuck with your feet together and your arms extended over your head or straight out in front of you. Swing your arms down, bending your knees deeply to gain power for the skill. Explode off the ground as you reach your arms up. Keep your body straight until you reach the height of your jump, then pull your knees in toward your chest, flipping yourself backward. You can grab your shins as you rotate. Do not throw your head back. Keep your neck neutral. Look for the ground as you rotate and open your body to a straight position when you see it. Land with your knees slightly bent and your hands on the sides of your calves. Pause for a second before snapping up to a standing position.
Basket Tosses
There are several basket tosses that use the tuck position. In high school, you can do a tuck jump basket toss, riding the toss up as high as you can before hitting a tuck position and then stretching out straight, descending to your bases to be caught. In college, you use a tuck in a back tuck basket toss or in an X-out basket toss. An X-out is a flip that starts with you performing a back tuck, then when you see the ground shoot both your arms and legs out so your body makes a X position before rotating around to a straight position to be caught.
Member Comments