What Is Technique in Cheer Scoring?

Quick answer: technique refers to the specific, correct form a skill should be performed with - straight arms in a motion, a fully extended body line in a layout, a stable single-leg base in a liberty - and is one of the underlying qualities that makes up a team's overall execution score.

How Technique Differs From Execution

Execution is the broader judged quality of how well a routine is performed overall. Technique is more specific - it's the correct, detailed form of an individual skill, judged against what that skill is supposed to look like when done correctly, independent of whether the team hit it in time with everyone else.

Why Technique Matters Skill by Skill

Every skill category on this site - from stunts to tumbling to jumps and motions - has its own specific technique markers, which is why each skill page on this site includes a "What Judges Look For" section describing that skill's particular technical standard.

Common Technique Markers

While specifics vary by skill, judges commonly look for straight, locked limbs where a motion calls for them, correct body shapes (such as a fully extended layout versus a tucked one), stable landings, and clean, correct hand and foot placement throughout.

How Technique Affects a Score

Poor technique on an individual skill generally lowers execution scores even if the skill is otherwise completed, and can also contribute to specific deductions if the technique issue is severe enough to be treated as an error rather than just a quality difference.

Related Terms

See Execution for the broader category technique feeds into, and Synchronisation for how technique is also judged across the whole team at once, not just individually.