What Is Technique in Cheer Scoring?

Quick answer: technique is the correct form a skill should be performed with - locked arms in a motion, a straight body in a layout, a tight, upright flyer in a liberty. It's judged skill by skill and is one of the main parts of a team's execution score. Many score sheets use "technique" as the name for the execution score in each category.

How Technique Differs From Execution

The terms overlap and are sometimes used interchangeably. Broadly:

• Technique is about each individual skill: does it look the way that skill is supposed to look?
• Execution is the wider judgement of how well the routine is performed: technique, plus synchronisation, control, spacing and confidence.

So a perfectly formed jump done late would show good technique but poor synchronisation - and both feed into execution.

Technique Markers by Category

• Stunts - the flyer tight and upright with weight centred; bases' arms locked at matching heights; smooth loads; secure, controlled cradles.
• Tumbling - straight body lines, correct shapes (a true layout rather than a bent one), height, and landings that stick.
• Jumps - height, straight legs, pointed toes, correct leg and arm positions, controlled landings.
• Motions - locked arms, tight fists, straight wrists and exact angles - see the motion chart.
• Dance - sharp, clean movements with full extension and energy.

Each skill page on this site has a section describing what judges look for in that particular skill.

How Technique Affects a Score

Poor technique lowers the execution (or technique) score for that category even when the skill is completed. If a technique problem turns into an actual error - a stunt that bobbles or falls, or a tumbler who falls on landing - it also triggers a deduction.

Why Technique Matters for Safety Too

Good technique isn't just about looks. In stunts and tumbling, correct technique is what keeps athletes safe - a flyer who stays tight is easier to hold and catch, and a tumbler with correct form is less likely to land badly. That's one reason coaches insist on technique before difficulty, and why the USASF rules require coaches to make sure athletes are proficient before progressing to harder skills. See our safety policy.

Related Terms

See Execution, Synchronisation and the scoring overview.