Quick answer: a pike jump is a symmetrical cheer jump in which both legs lift straight out in front of the body, together and locked, with the toes pointed and the arms reaching forward towards the toes - folding the body into a "pike" shape in the air.
What Does It Look Like?
At the peak of the jump, both legs are straight out in front, pressed together, ideally lifted to hip height or higher. The arms reach forward - often in a touchdown shape brought out in front - so the body folds at the hips. The name comes from the "pike" position used in gymnastics and diving: body bent at the hips with the legs straight.
Why It's Considered Difficult
The pike is often described as one of the hardest of the basic jumps, because it needs strong hamstring flexibility and core strength to lift both straight legs in front at the same time - there's no hip rotation to help, as there is in a toe touch. Because of this, a high, clean pike stands out to judges.
Common Mistakes Judges Notice
- Bent knees, the most common problem, as athletes try to get the legs higher.
- Legs apart instead of pressed together.
- Low legs that don't reach hip height.
- Flexed feet instead of pointed toes.
- Leaning back to lift the legs, rather than folding forward over them.
- Unmatched timing across the team.
Pike vs Other Jumps
- Toe touch - legs straddled out to the sides rather than together in front.
- Front hurdler - one leg straight in front, but the other bent.
- Tuck in tumbling - the "pike" and "tuck" names describe body shapes used in jumps, tumbling and diving alike, so the same words appear in other parts of cheer.
Where It Fits in a Routine
Pikes appear in jump sequences, often connected with other jumps for added difficulty. A well-known combination is the "around the world" (also called a pike-out), in which the athlete hits a pike and then whips the legs around into a toe touch in the same jump.
Level Context
Jumps aren't restricted by level in USASF All Star rules. Connecting a jump directly into a back handspring counts as tumbling and is first allowed at Level 3.
Related Jumps
See the toe touch, hurdler, double nine, or the full jumps overview.