What Is an Arabian in Cheerleading?

Quick answer: an Arabian is an advanced tumbling skill typically entered from a roundoff into a back handspring, in which the athlete takes off as if continuing backward tumbling but immediately half-twists to reorient the body, then completes a front-rotating flip - the twist happens first, at takeoff, with the flip following rather than the two rotations happening together throughout.

What Does It Look Like?

An Arabian is typically entered from a roundoff into a back handspring, building the same backward-tumbling momentum used for other connected passes. But instead of continuing to rotate backward off that handspring, the athlete snaps a half-twist right off the ground to reorient the body, then rotates through a front flip - a technically demanding sequence that requires precise timing between the initial twist and the flip that follows it.

Who Is Involved?

Tumbling is performed individually, though multiple athletes typically perform this skill together, in unison, as part of an advanced tumbling pass.

Where It Fits in a Routine

An Arabian is typically used as the final skill in a top-level tumbling pass, reserved for the most advanced teams given how technically demanding the combined twist-and-flip rotation is.

How the Term Is Used

"Arabian" refers to this specific takeoff-twist-then-front-flip sequence entered from a backward-tumbling setup; it's considered one of the more advanced named skills in the competitive cheer tumbling vocabulary.

Related Skills

An Arabian shares some technical foundation with fast, low connecting skills like a whip, and with twisting skills like a full, combining elements of both a flipping-direction change and a twist.

Level / Division Context

Under the USASF All Star rules (2026–27), an Arabian combines one flip with a half twist, and twisting is not allowed in running tumbling until Level 5 or in standing tumbling until Level 6. Given its technical demands, it is mainly seen on advanced teams.

What Judges Look For Conceptually

Judges are generally looking for a sharp, complete twist right at takeoff, a clean front-flip rotation following it, and a stable, controlled landing.