Quick answer: below is a running glossary of core cheer terms. Where a term has a full article, the term links to it - otherwise, the definition here is the full explanation for now.
- Age Grid
- A chart mapping individual athletes' ages to an overall team age division.
- All-Girl
- A division for teams made up entirely of female athletes.
- Aerial
- A cartwheel performed with no hands touching the ground.
- All Star Cheer
- Competitive cheerleading performed by teams that belong to a private gym rather than a school.
- Arabesque
- A forward-leaning single-leg stunt position with the free leg extended up and back.
- Arabian
- An advanced tumbling skill combining a twist with a front-rotating flip, entered from a roundoff.
- Awards
- The part of a competition where placements are announced and teams are recognised.
- Back Handspring
- A backward tumbling skill in which the athlete springs onto the hands and blocks back up onto the feet.
- Back Spot
- The athlete positioned behind a stunt who supports the flyer and helps direct timing.
- Back Walkover
- A slow, controlled tumbling skill moving backward through a handstand-like split position.
- Backward Roll
- A basic tumbling skill rolling backward along the length of the body.
- Base
- An athlete who supports and lifts the flyer from below in a stunt.
- Basket Toss
- A toss skill in which bases fling the flyer into the air from a basket-shaped grip, and the flyer is caught in a cradle.
- Bid
- An earned qualifying spot toward a larger end-of-season championship event.
- Bow-and-Arrow
- A flexibility-based single-leg stunt in which the free leg is held out to the side with the opposite hand.
- Brace
- Extra support provided to a stunt by a neighbouring stunt group within a pyramid.
- Broken T
- A bent-elbow variation of the T motion.
- Buckets
- A motion with straight arms extended forward, parallel to the ground, fists facing down.
- Candlesticks
- A motion with straight arms extended forward, parallel to the ground, fists rotated thumb-up.
- Cartwheel
- A foundational tumbling skill moving sideways through a handstand-like position, hands touching down one at a time.
- Cheer Bag
- A large duffel-style bag used to carry a uniform, shoes and grooming items to the gym and competitions.
- Cheer Bow
- A large, team-coloured hair accessory worn during practice and competition.
- Cheer Shoes
- Lightweight athletic shoes designed for the mix of stunts, tumbling and jumps in a cheer routine.
- Choreography
- The full, planned design of a routine - every skill, formation and motion mapped against the music.
- Clasp
- A motion with the hands clasped together, typically at chest height.
- Clean
- The neutral reset motion, arms held straight down at the sides.
- Coach
- The qualified adult responsible for teaching skills, choreography, safety and team placement.
- Competition Provider
- The organisation that runs a specific competitive event, as distinct from a governing body.
- Competition Uniform
- The fitted, team-specific outfit worn to perform, distinct from everyday practice wear.
- Cradle
- A controlled catch in which the flyer is caught by the bases and back spot at the end of a stunt or toss.
- Cupie
- A two-leg stunt at full extension height with both feet held together in one hand.
- Daggers
- A motion with elbows pulled in and down, fists held near the chin.
- Deduction
- A points penalty applied by judges when a routine does not meet a requirement or a skill is not performed cleanly.
- Diagonal
- A motion with one arm high and one arm low, forming a diagonal line across the body.
- Difficulty
- The judged value of how technically demanding the skills in a routine are.
- Division
- A category teams are grouped into for competition, usually combining level, age and other factors.
- Double Full
- An airborne tumbling skill combining a layout flip with two full twists.
- 8-Count
- A block of eight musical beats, the basic unit of timing used to build a routine.
- Elite
- The highest competitive tier in a governing body's system, with the fewest skill restrictions.
- Execution
- How cleanly and correctly a skill is performed, regardless of its difficulty.
- Extension
- A stunt position in which the flyer is held with arms fully extended above the bases' heads.
- Flyer
- The athlete who is lifted, held or thrown at the top of a stunt.
- Formation
- The arrangement of athletes across the floor at a given point in a routine.
- Forward Roll
- A basic tumbling skill rolling forward along the length of the body.
- Front Handspring
- A forward tumbling skill in which the athlete springs off the hands, landing on both feet.
- Front Spot
- An athlete who supports a stunt from the front, used in larger stunt groups.
- Front Walkover
- A slow, controlled tumbling skill moving forward through a handstand-like split position.
- Full
- A layout flip with a full twist added.
- Full Out
- A complete run-through of a routine at full effort, from start to finish, without stopping.
- Full-Up
- A stunt transition where the flyer twists a full rotation while being loaded directly into a higher position.
- Governing Body
- The organisation that sets a sport's rules, levels and safety standards, as distinct from a competition provider.
- Half-Up
- A stunt position lower than a prep, roughly waist to chest height.
- Handstand
- The foundational inverted, straight-body position behind most tumbling skills.
- Heel Stretch
- A flexibility-based single-leg stunt with the free leg extended overhead and held by the hand.
- Herkie
- An asymmetrical cheer jump with one leg extended to the side and the other bent behind.
- High V
- A motion with both arms extended up and out, forming a V shape.
- Hit Zero
- Performing a routine with no deductions - no drops, falls, out-of-syncs or missed elements.
- Hurdler
- An asymmetrical cheer jump with one leg extended forward and the other bent behind.
- Inversion
- A stunt or pyramid skill in which the flyer's body passes upside-down.
- Judge
- A trained evaluator who scores a routine live against an official score sheet.
- Kick Full
- A basket toss variation combining a kick shape with a full twist.
- Level
- A classification system that limits which skills a team may perform, based on athlete experience and ability.
- Liberty
- A one-legged stunt position in which the flyer stands on one foot with the other leg bent, foot at the knee.
- Load-In
- The technique used to lift a flyer from the ground into a stunt.
- Low Touchdown
- The mirror opposite of touchdown - both arms extended straight down at the sides.
- Low V
- A motion with both arms extended down and out, forming an inverted V shape.
- Lunge
- A lower-body position, one leg bent forward and one extended back, often paired with an arm motion.
- Nationals
- A major national-level championship event in competitive cheer.
- Non-Tumble
- A division for teams that compete without tumbling passes.
- Novice
- A division for teams that are new to competitive cheer, regardless of individual athlete ages.
- Pike Jump
- A symmetrical cheer jump with both legs extended straight out in front of the body.
- Punch
- A sharp motion in which the arm drives straight out from the body, fist leading.
- Pom-Pom
- A handheld prop made of thin plastic strips, used to add visual sharpness to motions and dance.
- Practice Wear
- The clothing athletes train in day-to-day, distinct from a fitted competition uniform.
- Prep (Division)
- A developing-team competitive division, similar to Novice - not the stunt position of the same name.
- Prep
- A stunt position in which the flyer is held at shoulder height by the bases.
- Pyramid
- A formation in which multiple stunt groups connect - for example by holding hands or bracing - to form one larger structure.
- Qualifier
- A competition at which teams can earn a bid toward a larger championship event.
- Release Move
- A stunt or pyramid skill in which the flyer is fully released and re-caught mid-skill.
- Rewind
- A ground-level entrance skill in which the flyer is thrown into a backward flip and lands directly in a stunt.
- Roundoff
- A cartwheel-like skill that finishes with both feet landing together, used to enter running tumbling.
- Routine
- The full performance a team competes with, combining stunts, tumbling, jumps, dance and motions.
- Running Back Handspring
- A back handspring connected after a roundoff, using run-up momentum.
- Running Tumbling
- Tumbling performed with a run-up, typically starting with a roundoff.
- Safety Deduction
- A stricter category of deduction tied to genuine safety risk, such as an illegal skill for the team's level.
- Scale
- A forward-leaning single-leg stunt position, closely related to an arabesque.
- Score Sheet
- The official document judges use to score a routine, broken into categories like difficulty and deductions.
- Scorpion
- A flexibility-based single-leg stunt with the free leg pulled up and behind the head.
- Sideline Cheer
- Cheerleading performed to support another sport, as distinct from competitive cheer.
- Sponge
- A braced loading position used to move a flyer into a stunt or toss.
- Spotter
- Whoever is responsible for a stunt's safe landing - usually the back spot, sometimes a separate required role.
- Spread Eagle
- A symmetrical cheer jump with both legs extended to the sides, turned outward.
- Standing Back Handspring
- A back handspring performed from a stationary start, with no run-up.
- Standing Tumbling
- Tumbling performed from a stationary start, with no run-up.
- Straight Ride
- A fully released toss in which the flyer holds a straight body line instead of a trick.
- Stunt Group
- The small group of athletes - flyer, bases and back spot - who build a stunt together.
- Summit
- A major end-of-season championship event, generally open to a wider range of levels than Worlds.
- Switch-Up
- A ground-level release skill in which the flyer is tossed from one foot and lands on the other in a stunt.
- Synchronisation
- How precisely a team performs skills together - matching timing, shape and technique.
- Team Placement
- The decision of which team and level an athlete joins, usually made after tryouts.
- Technique
- The specific, correct form a skill should be performed with.
- Time Deduction
- A penalty applied when a routine runs longer than the competition's time limit.
- T Motion
- A motion with both arms extended straight out to the sides at shoulder height.
- Tic-Tock
- A stunt transition in which the flyer switches standing legs while staying at height.
- Toe Touch
- A symmetrical cheer jump with both legs extended out to the sides, toes pointed toward the hands.
- Toe-Touch Basket
- A basket toss in which the flyer performs a toe-touch shape at the peak of the toss.
- Touchdown
- A motion with both arms extended straight up, parallel to each other.
- Tuck
- An airborne backward flip performed with the knees drawn tightly to the chest.
- Tuck Jump
- A symmetrical cheer jump with both knees drawn up to the chest.
- Layout
- An airborne backward flip performed with the body kept straight and extended.
- Tryout
- An evaluation process, usually before the season, used to decide team placement.
- Warm-Up
- The period before a team's performance spent preparing in a designated practice area at the venue.
- Whip
- A fast, low-flipping tumbling skill used to connect other elements within a pass.
- Worlds
- A major international end-of-season championship event in competitive cheer.