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Want better Cheerleading Jumps?
The Tips, Techniques, and Drills for Improving your Toe Touches, Pikes, Hurdlers, and others.

AKA... "The Big 5 to Cheer Jump Training"

Ryan Jensen - Cheerleading Stunt Academy; ACSM-HFS.
December 07, 2009

Quick Reference

If you’d like more information, please send us a comment via our website, where we will continue to post more Tips and Techniques for Stunts, Jumps, and Tumbling.

There are Five aspects to Cheer Jumps which one must understand for jump analysis or jump training (in order of importance):

  1. Jumping Power
  2. Core / Hip / Groin / Leg Flexibility
  3. Core and Hip Power
  4. Recruitment of Shoulders / Arms
  5. Aesthetics and Fine Tuning

There are many articles which cover one or a few of these topics, but it is necessary to understand all of them in order to critique and improve upon your current jump.

Of the 5 aspects, two can immediately be implemented by focusing on body awareness and simple technique work:
4) Recruitment of Shoulders/Arms, and
5) Aesthetics and Fine Tuning.


Recruiting the Shoulders and Arms in your Cheer Jumps

One may immediately feel and see results after focusing on the wind up, without weeks of training. Great news, right?

To illustrate what I am going to explain, picture yourself driving in a car without a seatbelt (for some of you, this is already natural - bad habit, and I suggest you start wearing it!). Upon impact, what happens to your body? It continues in the same direction it had been going. Even though the car stopped, the momentum continued for your body. The same will happen if you powerfully swing your arms and abruptly stop them in the “T” motion / position; your body will continue its momentum upward.

I usually demonstrate the effectiveness of this technique by locking my knees and placing all my weight on my heels with my toes flexed (making it impossible for me to use my legs to jump). Using my shoulders and arms, I am able to lift myself off of the ground about 1 cm. People who have stronger shoulders than I may be able to gain a few extra inches. Those with less power will not feel themselves lifting off of the ground, but will notice that their body feels lighter. This equates to slightly more hang time and a higher jump, although minimal.

Note: it is important to warm up before trying this maneuver. Your shoulder girdle may not be ready for the “rude awakening.” If you do not warm-up... Best-case scenario: feeling the pin-prickling sensation throughout your arm. Worst-case scenario: surgery, and months of recuperating and physical therapy. Not fun.


Achieving that extra “something” when hitting your Toe Touch

Aesthetics & Fine tuning is slightly more difficult compared to the shoulder recruitment. It takes diligent practice in front of a mirror, friend, coach, or preferably a video camera. Body awareness and a sharp eye are your friends at this moment. I suggest you start working on individual parts of your body by adjusting them (with your eyes closed) until you feel the proper placement. A simple example of what I mean:
Close your eyes and put both arms down at your sides, then flex both arms (bicep curl) until your elbow is at a 90 degree angle (think "robot"). Open your eyes and see how close you are. Continue this with other parts of your body--Especially your feet (pointed) and your “T” (same arm levels).

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Getting the height you need to hit that beautiful Pike

Now it’s down to the Nitty Gritty. By far, the number one tool to help you with your Cheerleading Jumps (Toe Touch, Pike, Hurdlers) is working on your jumping power, makes sense right? It should! In order to become better at jumping, you must do what? JUMP! Squat jumps, jump rope, Switch-Split Lunge jumps, Leap Frogs, Vertical Jumps, Long Jumps, Jumping on one leg, Jumping with straddled legs, Cheer jumps with a partner, everything you can think of that sounds fun, DO IT (not off bridges, that’s falling, not jumping).

!! IMPORTANT: Do a couple sets of lunges and body squats before jumping with cold muscles !! Also, make sure your landing is soft and ninja-cat-ish before doing repeated jumps. And as always, before you begin any training program, it is best to check with your physician first and receive an approval from them. After you are cleared to jump away, test yourself to see how high you can jump now. Every week, test yourself to see how much you are improving. If you improve and then plateau, try adding weight by holding dumbbells at your sides, or using a weighted vest, etc. There are many exercises that can be done to help your jumps, and you may ask me (Ryan, at the Cheerleading Stunt Academy) anytime.


Stretching the Truth?

The Four main types of stretching used:

  • Static = holding (do during or after a workout as a cool-down)
  • Dynamic = working (do before a workout)
  • Ballistic = bouncing (don't do)
  • PNF = holding and working (do during or after a workout)

There is one myth circulating with stretching and it's time to put this habit into the False drawer: "static stretching before a workout helps your jump." Wrong! "Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a sec... That doesn't seem right," you might say to me.

Here's why: Static stretching before a powerful movement decreases your power by a substantial amount! Do not static stretch (stretch and hold) before jumps. "So, what should I do then?" you might ask me.

You're very responsive, I like that. Use dynamic stretching (working the same muscle that's being stretched, like a squat or lunge). This will help your muscles to warm up.

... Do the True Stretch

With this main myth busted, we can move on to improving and gaining more flexibility. The tool to use for this is PNF Stretching (or partner stretching). It works like this:

  1. Have one person stretch you until you are slightly uncomfortable (not in pain), hold for 15-30 seconds.
  2. Once the time is up, it is your turn to push against them using the same muscle that was just stretched! Push against them for 15-20 seconds.
  3. Relax and allow your partner to stretch you again for another 15-30 seconds and hold.
  4. This pattern may be repeated 3-5 times or until you are finished.

It is important to take deep breaths and relax your body's muscles during any stretch (it will help you, trust me). There are many variances on this type of stretching which are also beneficial and are worth researching (e.g. partner stretches you, you push back, partner stretches you, you pull against, you push back, partner stretches you, etc.). You may contact me for more suggestions about variations as well. It may take one stretching session, or it might take awhile before you see the gains you are looking for, but keep doing them week after week (3 times/wk) until you reach the level you desire.


Putting the “Snap” into your Front and Side Hurdlers

Lastly, training the muscles surrounding your pelvic girdle are a must for any cheerleading jump. The main muscles to focus on are:

  • Hip Flexors (the muscles that pull your legs to your chest)
  • Glutes/butt and Hamstrings (the muscles that pull your legs toward your back)
  • Inner/Outer hips (the muscles that snap your legs outward and snap your legs back together before landing)

There are, like usual, numerous exercises to specifically condition these muscle groups. The most notorious—famous or well known, typically for some bad quality or deed—exercise is the seated straddle leg lifts. In order for your jumps to have that beautiful SNAP, you need to train for cheer jumps using sport specificity. In other words... do the exact motion you will be doing in the jumps.

I do not recommend seated straddle leg lifts because they are not sport specific to cheer jumps. They would be a great exercise if your goal was to have a solid straddle in the beginning of a "Press Handstand" in gymnastics.

Another, more useful, exercise is the chorus-line kick (a powerful movement which mirrors the movements found in your jumps, hooray!). The exercise that I personally used to improve my ‘snap’ was hanging from a pull-up bar and snapping my legs to the bar (in a pike or straddle style). The best suggestion: Think about how you use your legs in the jump you are trying to improve, then find a safe and effective exercise that mimics that very same movement. This is how Sport Acceleration programs function! Genius, right? It is, because it makes complete sense.

While kicking does help you get to that picture-perfect jump, returning to a tight position when you land is just as important. Don't forget to work your inner thighs (kick down or inward) and your lower back/butt muscles (back extensions or donkey kicks).


Last words of advice

To finish this article up, there are some things I’d like for you to understand before embarking on your new mission:

First, Always consult your physician, coach, parent, personal trainer, strength and conditioning specialist beforehand. They may find that you are lacking in certain fundamental and critical elements which need to have primary focus before beginning a plyometric (jump training) routine (e.g. weak stabilizers, damaged joints, etc.). A lifetime of pain and regret could become reality if you do not take this primary step.

Second, make sure you are performing proper technique. This can be done by recruiting a personal trainer or strength coach with a nationally accredited certification to critique your movements. Or, like I did, take baby steps until you are comfortable with your technique.

Last, there are many ways to do the wind-up, swing through, follow through, cleans, transitions between jumps, etc. If you’d like more information, please leave a comment at our website, where we will continue to post more Tips and Techniques for Stunts, Jumps, and Tumbling.

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Happy Jumping.

Quick Reference:

  1. Jumping Power: Jump, Jump, Jump - at least two days / week.
    1. One session is hard, the next session is easy.
    2. Squat Jumps work your whole leg.
    3. Jumping Rope works your calves.
    4. Try “X-Jacks” to work your inner and outer thighs.
  2. Flexibility: Find a buddy to stretch with - immediately following a workout.
    1. Use PNF Stretching Techniques for immediate Flexibility gains
      1. Let someone stretch you for 15-30 sec.
      2. Push against them for 15-30 sec. (it helps if your partner slowly allows you to push back to resting position, i.e. push against throughout the whole range of motion).
      3. Relax and allow your partner to stretch you again for 15-30 sec.
      4. Push against them for 15-30 sec.
    2. Do dynamic stretches prior to practice, not static
    3. Do static or partner stretches during or after practice.
    4. Deep Breathe and relax your muscles while stretching
  3. Core/Hip Power: Everything from your Chest down to your knees should be conditioned
    1. work on powerful movements when using your hip and butt muscles
      1. Leg kicks, fast leg lifts, hanging leg lifts, etc.
      2. To work your backward kicking muscles (butt), try putting one foot on a raised platform or step and kick down to jump up. Land back on the same foot softly while the other foot touches down to the ground.
      3. Using Resistance tubes or bands / ankle weights (properly) can also help these areas.
      4. Strong Kicking motions in a pool
      5. Do not perform seated straddle leg lifts and other slow moving exercises
    2. Crunches, Crunches, Crunches (powerful)
      1. Fast crunches
      2. Side crunches
      3. Twisting crunches
  4. Recruit Arms/Shoulders: Use your shoulders and Arms to carry you higher.
    1. Arms at your sides, swing them fast up to a “T,” Stopping abruptly
    2. Using Medicine Balls: push the ball powerfully above your head into the air
      1. Elbows in front for a set (Like “raising the roof”)
      2. Elbows out for a set (like an “O”)
    3. Use Medicine Balls or Resistance Bands to swing your arms upward in front of you (like doing the “wave”)
    4. Use Medicine Balls or Resistance Bands to swing your arms upward from your sides (Clean up to a “T”).
  5. Aesthetics and Fine Tuning: Check your toes, head, back position, knees, etc. (the Pretty stuff)
    1. Work on body awareness and where it is positioned before seeing it
      1. close your eyes and use a mirror/ask a friend/use a camera, then open your eyes/view the footage.

Ryan Jensen has been the Program Director and a Lead Instructor for the Cheerleading Stunt Academy (a cheerleading instruction company that offers Private Cheerleading Camps and Competitions) and has been a Cheerleader for High School, College, and All-star teams since 1999. He has three degrees, all from the University of Northern Iowa. Two of which are related to Fitness & Sports. He is currently certified through the American College of Sports Medicine and has been certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association in the past.

Cheerleading Stunt Academy
Address:
1107 Garfield Court
Davenport, IA 52804

Web Site: http://www.cheercsa.com/
Toll Free: 888-383-5520
Local: 563-528-4530
Email: csa@cheercsa.com

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