Cheer rules for beginners

Two kinds of cheer

Most people use the word cheerleading for two related activities, and many teams do both.

• Sideline cheer supports another team. Cheerleaders lead the crowd with chants, signs, short stunts and routines at games, usually football or basketball, and often perform at halftime or during timeouts.
• Competition cheer is the sport itself. A team prepares one routine, set to music, and performs it for judges against other teams. The routine is the whole event.

School teams often do sideline cheer and competition cheer in the same season. All-star or club teams usually focus on competition. Ask a program which it offers before you sign up. Cheer is open to all genders, and many programs have all-girl, all-boy or coed teams, depending on the organization and division.

What happens in a competition routine

A competition routine is a planned performance, choreographed to a count so every athlete moves together. Exactly what is required depends on the organization running the event and the division, but routines are usually built from the same ingredients.

• Stunting: small groups lift and hold athletes in the air. See cheer roles explained for who does what.
• Tumbling: gymnastics-style skills such as rolls, cartwheels, handsprings and more advanced passes, depending on level.
• Jumps: sharp, controlled jumps such as the toe touch.
• Cheer and dance: chants, motions, crowd-leading and choreographed dance sections, with style and voice often part of the picture.
• Pyramids and transitions: connected stunt formations, and the movement from one skill to the next.

Routines have a time limit, and the limit varies by organization and division. Your coach will have the details for your events.

How a routine is judged

Judges score the routine using a scoresheet published by the organization hosting the event. Scoresheets differ from one organization to another, so there is no single universal formula. In general, judges look at:

• How difficult the skills are and whether they match the team's level.
• How cleanly and precisely the skills are performed.
• How well the team stays together, in timing, motion and formations.
• Showmanship, energy and overall presentation.

Teams can also lose points for rule violations, such as performing a skill that is not allowed at that level or a safety-related infraction. Rules and deductions vary by organization. The team with the best overall result in its division wins. Teams compete against others in the same division, not against everyone at the event.

Divisions and skill levels

Cheer groups teams by age and by skill level, and often by team size and type. Levels are numbered in many programs, with lower levels using simpler skills and higher levels allowing more advanced ones. The exact rules for each level, including which stunts and tumbling skills are permitted, are set by the governing organization and vary between organizations. A beginner should expect to start at a level that matches their current skills, not their age. A good coach moves athletes up only when skills are solid.

Why safety rules are so strict

Cheer includes lifting athletes into the air and tumbling, which is why rules exist about what is allowed at each level and in each setting. Rules are set by governing organizations and vary by level, age and organization, and they only help when coaches and programs apply them consistently.

• Look for coaches who have completed recognized cheer safety training and who know the current rules for your organization.
• Athletes should learn skills in order, with spotting and proper surfaces, and should not be pushed to try a skill before they are ready.
• Do not let your child practice stunts or tumbling on their own or on hard surfaces. Skills should be practiced with qualified supervision.

If you are unsure about anything, ask the coach. Our season preparation guide lists good questions to ask, and the terms guide covers the vocabulary.

Watching your first competition

Expect a loud, busy venue. Each team performs its routine once or twice, then waits for scores. Results may be announced later in the day. You do not need to understand every skill: watch for teams that look together, confident and in control.

For more on the sport's hub, see our cheer page.