Quick answer: a touchdown is a motion in which both arms extend straight up, parallel to each other, like the referee's signal for a touchdown in American football - the likely source of the name.
What Does It Look Like?
Both arms reach straight up overhead, parallel to each other and roughly shoulder-width apart, with the arms close to the ears. Unlike a high V, the arms don't angle outward - they point straight at the ceiling.
Hands and Arms
The fists are tight and the elbows locked, so the arms look like two straight lines. The fists usually face each other. A good touchdown reaches up fully from the shoulders without the shoulders hunching up to the ears.
Common Mistakes Judges Notice
- Arms angled out, so the touchdown starts to look like a narrow high V.
- Arms angled in or crossed over the head.
- Bent elbows, which make the arms look short and soft.
- Arms in front of the face instead of beside the ears.
- Mismatched width across the team - some athletes with arms close together, others wide.
Where It Fits in a Routine
The touchdown is a strong, high-energy position, used in chants and dances as a big accent - for example on the last word of a chant, or to emphasise a beat in the music. It's also a common position for the crowd-facing "hit" at the end of a sequence.
Variations
- Low touchdown - the same parallel arms, pointing straight down.
- Punch - one arm in a touchdown position, the other fist on the hip.
Easily Confused With
- High V - also overhead, but with the arms angled out into a V.
- Candlesticks - also parallel arms, but reaching forward at shoulder height rather than straight up.
Parent Questions
Is a touchdown the same as "hands up"? In everyday terms, yes - but in cheer it's a precise position: fully straight, parallel arms, fists tight and matched across the team.
Related Motions
See the high V, low touchdown and punch, or browse the full motion chart.