Cheerleading Explained is an independent reference guide to competitive cheerleading. We exist to give parents, athletes, coaches, judges and fans plain-English explanations of the roles, levels, stunts, tumbling, scoring and history that make up the sport.
Why We Built This
Competitive cheer has a large, specific vocabulary - flyers and bases, preps and extensions, hit zero and deductions - that isn't always explained clearly anywhere in one place. Parents in particular are often dropped into this world with no glossary and no map. This site is that map.
What We Are Not
We are not a coaching resource, and we do not publish stunt or tumbling instruction. See our safety policy for more on why.
We are also not affiliated with any governing body, gym, competition provider or event. Our explanations are independent and general; always confirm rules-sensitive details against your team's official governing body documents.
How We Work
See our editorial policy for how articles are written and reviewed, and our sources page for where our reference information comes from.