Q&A for How to Become a Cheerleader in Middle School

A toe-touch is a jump that you will definitely use in cheerleading. Other jumps in cheerleading are pikes, hurdlers, and tucks.

You can, but know that it takes hard work and you need to be able to do some stunts. Start by stretching.

Don't focus on touching your toes; bring your legs up to you. Also, doing toe touches (or any jump) on a trampoline will help.

Ask other cheerleaders for advice and contact the coach of the squad for tips before trying out.

Try stretching daily when you get up in the morning and right before you go to sleep. It loosens and relaxes your muscles, and you will have an easier time moving around and doing things like cartwheels. Also, figure out what is holding you back from your full range of motion. If you target that area, you will become flexible in a jiffy.

Yes, Cheerleading is both hard and fun. It is extremely fun because you get to do many different tricks and combine them all into a high-energy routine. However, cheerleading is also definitely hard, but if you practice and keep a positive attitude, you can overcome any challenges.

Tuck your knees close to your chest and place your palms on the ground. Move your body forward. You will then complete a tumble. Make sure to stay in the same position from the beginning.

Most likely, depending on what type of coach you have. But you should still stretch a lot and try to get closer to doing a split.

It probably depends on the school you go to and the type of coach you have. Of course, it is always good to have good grades because you will have a better shot at getting a spot, but, you don't necessarily have to have them to prove that you have talent and can do it. Ask your coach her opinion on the subject, and I'm sure she will help you work something out.

You most likely can, but I would recommend getting contacts because you don't want to risk breaking your glasses or injuring your eyes.

Absolutely not. As long as you're healthy and fit, you can definitely stunt. Height does not matter!

Check out this article on How to Do a Back Handspring and watch some instructional videos on YouTube to get an idea of how to do one. You could also ask a friend or a coach to help you learn.

Try going to a cheerleading gym's open gym, or get a private lesson with a tumbling coach to see if they can help get rid of the mental block.

They choose your position by body weight, muscle and endurance. What you present to them at tryouts is what they see and what they will use to determine your position.

No, you don't have to be pretty to be a cheerleader. (That being said, everyone is beautiful in their own way!)

It depends on your school or program. Spirit squad might mean people who organize for events and show school spirit, and might not do all sorts of jumps and things like that. Generally, cheerleading involves lots of cartwheels, handsprings, and jumps.

You can look on YouTube for videos and tutorials! It helped me with my splits and round off. After you've watched the videos, just keep practicing until you get it.

That's okay! Just work hard and practice! Also do a little research on cheerleading, and if you have any friends with cheer experience, don't be afraid to ask them!

Stretch every day. Stretching is crucial to splits. If you do leg stretches like lunges, straddles, etc you'll get there soon. There are many articles with more information, check out Do a Split and Stretch for the Splits .

You can get your back walkover by beginning with a backbend from the ground and kicking over, consistently. When you feel full confident, have a "spotter" or trained adult/coach spot you on a standing back bend. Practice doing those, and then when you feel comfortable, add a kick over. If you want to be on a gymnastics/cheer team, try beginning with one leg up (be careful!). If you don't want to hurt yourself, just simply do a back bend and barely let your hands touch the ground before you kick.

Eat healthy, stretch, and exercise a little bit every day. With time, patience, and effort, you'll see results.

It helps but it's not absolutely necessary. You should work on your flexibility, though.

If there are no requirements to make the team, then you will make the team no matter what.

First, you should start by improving your flexibility. Try working your way up to being able to do the splits both ways, if you cannot already do this. Secondly, work on your height when you jump. If you can't jump high enough to touch your toes and get back on the ground in time, this is what you need to work on. Try jumping up the stairs starting with one step, then two, etc. Make sure you have adult supervision. Thirdly, you can also try using a trampoline to practice this, as it will give you more height and eventually you can try it on the ground. Lastly, practice! The more you practice, the easier it will get.

If you are a more soft spoken person, cheer might be harder to get used to for you. Even if you are, to make your voice louder, you need to yell from your stomach not your throat.

You don't have to, but it would be a big plus for the team. Any kind of tricks or tumbling you can learn will help you stand out at tryouts.

Most middle school teams stunt, usually with a back spot, front spot, flyer, and two bases, but it depends on your school and safety regulations.

If your doing competitive cheer, it depends on the level. But if this is a recreational team, you don’t need to have a tuck.

It depends on your school. Almost all all-star teams have tumbling as a requirement, but school cheer is different. I'm on the varsity team at my high school and we only have a few tumblers. Definitely reach out to the coach ahead of time to find out what's required.

If you make the team the team, you will most likely take tumbling classes and the coach will help you get over your mental blocks.