Cheer 101

TUMBLING

Tumbling is a very important part of cheerleading especially in the competitive arena. It adds an exciting element to the sport.

Question is "How do I learn to do back handsprings?"

The best way is at a gymnastic center. If that is not an option then you need to start from basics and progress. NEVER practice advanced tumbling without a knowledgeable spotter. SAFETY is always your primary concern. Always warm-up before you began.

EXERCISES TO STRENGTHEN YOUR ARMS
1. Handstands
2. Handstand pops
3. Handstand against wall with push ups
4. Push ups
5. Weight lifting
EXERCISES TO STRENGTHEN YOUR LEGS
1. Squats or plies
2. Power jumps
3. Weight training for legs
4. Power round-offs

BACK HANDSPRINGS*
1. Start in a standing position.
2. Arms move behind the body prior to sit phase.
3. Jump backward into arched position simultaneously throwing arms behind head.
      (a) Land on hands as body passes through handstand.
       (b) Legs stay together
4. Snap down phase occurs by contracting abdominals & pushing off arms.
5. Finish with arms overhead, landing on both feet with legs together occurring at same time.
                          SPOTTING TIPS*

1. Requires strength of both the cheerleader and spotter
2. Spotter must be able to support the cheerleader's body weight throughout the entire skill.
3. Follow the skill through with spot until it's completely finished.
4. Strongly recommend the use of 2 spotters in the beginning stages.

* Material from NCA Coaches' Manual
Page by Pam Headridge, Oak Harbor, WA

Advanced tumbling tips

There is certain skill set needed in order to be a member of an advanced cheerleading squad. In order to participate on squads that are highly-ranked and competitive, you must be able to do gymnastics. Practice advanced tumbling if you would like to cheer for high school, competitive or college squads.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Step 1

Perfect a back handspring. A back handspring, sometimes incorrectly called a backflip, is one of the first intermediate tumbling tricks learned. From a standing position, spring backwards, land on two hands and continue to flip until you land back on your feet.
Step 2

Practice a backtuck, or backflip without hands. Start from a standing position, bend the knees and jump up to the necessary height to do the tuck. Keep the arms and legs tucked close to the body, flip backwards and land on two feet. A backtuck can also be performed after a running round-off to create more momentum.
Step 3

Learn a layout. Keep the body straight while flipping back. Spring back with arms extended above the head. Once the head is back and the body is upside-down and vertical, swing the arms down to the body to create the momentum to bring the entire body over. The idea of a layout is to have no bending at the hips or knees. Gain momentum for a layout by running and doing a round-off prior to the layout.
Step 4

Develop the layout into a half twist. Once the head is back, look to one side, turn the body 180 degrees in mid-air, and land facing the opposite direction that you started. Gain momentum for this skill with a running round-off.
Step 5

Advance to a full twist. A full twist is done in the same way as the half twist, only there is only a 360-degree turn and you land facing the same direction as you started. This is the most challenging of the flips listed, and takes an enormous amount of height to accomplish.

Cheerleading tumbling tips

Every competitive cheerleading routine has a floor segment full of flying bodies doing handsprings, aerials, layouts, and other cheerleading stunts in coordinated chaos. Sometimes you can't help but wonder how they avoid running into each other.

This seemingly organized chaos is executed to perfection through long hours of practice and coordinating the routine. That said, one of the most important exercises to master and practice properly in order to avoid injury is tumbling. For this reason, it is important to practice tumbling at a safe and reputable gym. Make sure your gym has qualified cheerleading coaches and that all cheerleading spotters know what they are doing. In addition to having certified spotters, training cheerleaders how to properly spot one another on easy cheerleading stunts should be part of any tumbling program. Lastly, make sure there is someone in the gym at all times who is trained in first aid.

For youth cheerleaders, practice is the key to gaining tumbling proficiency. Besides checking out the tumbling tips below, you can also learn the fundamentals from free cheerleading video tutorials on sites like Weplay.com, where top coaches and pros like Debbie Bracewell answer questions and show the proper way to practice drills.

Stretching for Tumbling
Before starting practice, gymnasts and cheerleaders should always do at least 10 to 15 minutes of stretches that work on flexibility. In addition to warm up stretches, you should work on splits, straddles, lunges, backbends or bridges, and other stretches to build strength and flexibility in your arms, legs and core.
Handstands
Handstands are part of most tumbling stunts so make sure you do plenty of these at every practice as well. You don't want to lose your strength in the middle of a handspring and land on your head. As mentioned above, strength is critical to improving your tumbling so you'll need to strengthen your core, legs, arms, wrists, and ankles as much as possible to perform the more advanced cheerleading stunts. To increase arm strength for cheerleading, do lots of push-ups and pull-ups.
Proper Protection While Tumbling
Most cheerleading and dance gyms have spring floors that give you lots of bounce and help protect your knees, back, and arms while tumbling. If your gym doesn't have a spring floor to practice tumbling, they should have good mats designed specifically for tumbling. That said, it is important to check out the cheer and dance equipment before joining a cheerleading program.
Tumbling Technique
It may seem small, but crisp arm positions, strong takeoffs, and precise landings make all the difference in how you look and how well your team does in cheerleading competitions. Work on making your cheer and dance motions sharp and clean. Keep your back straight and bend both your knees when launching and landing a cheer jump. The bend creates some "bounce" and protects your knees, hips, and legs from injury or wear & tear. Learning how to properly practice and land each cheerleading stunt is important, not only for appearance, but for safety.

From the very beginning of learning how to tumble, you should be working on keeping your toes pointed, your knees straight, and your feet together. This may seem hard when you're first practicing cheer and dance moves, but if you discipline yourself and focus on practicing these cheer tips right from the start, you'll be very surprised how quickly it becomes second nature and you improve as a cheerleader.

Read more: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Youth-Cheerleading-Tumbling-Tips/675294#ixzz0sSQ2TwEQ
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Now here are some video tutorials.