What Is a Whip in Cheerleading?

Quick answer: a whip is a fast, low-flipping tumbling skill performed with no hands touching the ground - similar in shape to a back handspring, but a genuine aerial rotation rather than a hand-supported spring, used to connect other elements within a pass without losing speed.

What Does It Look Like?

Rather than rising high into the air, a whip stays low and fast, rotating quickly backward close to the ground with no hands touching down, before immediately continuing into the next connected skill. It looks similar to a back handspring at a glance, but a back handspring pushes off the hands, while a whip clears the ground entirely - which is what makes a whip the harder of the two skills despite its low profile.

Who Is Involved?

Tumbling is performed individually, though multiple athletes typically perform whips together, in unison, as part of a connected tumbling pass.

Where It Fits in a Routine

Whips are almost always used as a connector within a longer tumbling pass - for example between two back handsprings, or setting up into a higher skill like a tuck - rather than as a stand-alone or finishing skill.

How the Term Is Used

"Whip" describes this specific low, fast connecting style of flip, valued for how it maintains and builds speed through a multi-skill pass rather than slowing it down.

Related Skills

A whip is often used alongside back handsprings within a pass, and shares some technical foundation with the entry used for skills like an Arabian.

Level / Division Context

Under the USASF All Star rules (2026–27), a whip is a non-twisting flip, and Level 3 allows only tucks - so whips are first allowed at Level 4, which permits any single flip with no twisting. Athletes usually learn them once they have a solid, consistent back handspring and tuck.

What Judges Look For Conceptually

Judges are generally looking for speed and momentum maintained through the skill, correct low-flip technique, and a smooth, controlled connection into whatever skill follows.