How To Be a Great Flyer in Cheerleading

There are certain things you should know if you are going to be a flyer for your cheerleading squad. Being a great flyer does require some work but it does not require anything crazy, just dedication and some knowledge.

The first thing you can do to become a great flyer is to make sure your body is tight and as fit as possible. This will make it easier to be tossed and have structure to the stunts. This does not mean you have to be super skinny, just tight. Fit.

The second thing you need to do is not look down when being held up, this will only scare you and create instability in the stunt. What you do is focus on an object that and you will have a much easier time keeping your balance. So try to avoid being afraid when you are being held up.

The third thing you need to do is to make sure you hold your weight when being held up. Squeeze your muscles together and push yourself up a bit. Why? This makes it easier for the base people to hold you up and for you to remain balanced. Along with this, let you base help you remain balanced; this is part of their job, let them do it.

Avoid having feuds with the cheerleaders who hold you up.

Remember to try and evenly distribute your weight when you are falling and being cradled, do not fall to one side, fall to both.

2 Quick Cheerleading Tips

Cheerleading, just like any sport, requires that you take your time to learn skills and do it to the best of your abilities. If you do not practice your moves, then you will find that your skills either stay at the same level or they decline.

There are some things you can do to help you improve your cheer skills.

For cheer motions, you need to remember that your motions have to be sharp, snappy, and accurate. No matter what your motions are, whether they are high Vs or simple hands on your hips, your motions will make or break your cheers. For any cheer, there is a right way and a wrong way to get it done, consequently, take your time to do your motions the right way; don't learn them just because your coach said to, learn them because they will help your squad look good and help the team play better! After you have made the decision about what motions you will want to use, pair them up with the perfect words of the cheer and then get to practicing (if it helps to practice in front of a mirror, go for it!). Make sure your cheer and words flow together nicely and whether or not the cheer is awkward; if you feel it is awkward, think of ways to refine it or seek the help of your cheer coach. Don't be afraid to create something different, after all, you are a cheerleader!

When doing your cheers, your facial expressions and voice are key to making the cheer great and getting the crowd into. Think about it, if you have a great cheer but you are sounding sad and have lackluster motions, the crowd will not get into your cheer. This aspect of cheerleading can be easily overlooked. You want the crowd to hear you and see your facial expressions; your goal is to get the crowd excited and into the game or your cheer at competition. Now, while you don't want to whisper your cheers, you also don't want to scream your cheers. As far as your facial expressions, make sure to look cheerful and happy, that's how you want the crowd to be; don't be overly happy, that might scare people, just be naturally happy.

If you have any questions about cheerleading apparel, then visit Gear4Cheer. 

Cheerleading Tips- Tips for Spotters

Being on the cheerleading squad is a premium opportunity to show off your athletic and gymnastic prowess. There are so many duties on the cheer squad that you will likely have to wear many hats while wearing your cheerleading apparel. One very important job is the spotter. This duty is incredibly important because the success or failure of this job can mean safety or injury for another job on the team, the flyer.

So if you are a spotter, what are some things that you can do to make sure that you are on top of your game and your skills are sharp?

• Always keep your eyes on your flyers. Yes, this seems like a given but it is a necessary point to mention. When you are cheering at a game or competition, there are a lot of things that can distract your eyes from watching the flyer. There are fans in the stands applauding, yelling, holding signs, etc. If you are outside then there's nature, the sky, planes, cars, etc. The point is that you can be distracted and look somewhere else for only a second but that second can do some harm. Always watch your flyer. 
• When calling the stunt, make sure you can be heard by all the other cheerleaders on the squad; this is important because it keeps everyone on the same page. You want everyone on the same page for two reasons: 1) It makes you look prepared and not embarrassing. 2) It keeps people safe and functioning. So don't just say the stunt but yell it, it's better to be too loud than too soft. 
• Listen to your flyer, when (s)he says "Down" then act on it. Really listen for it. Remember, being on the same page and prepared keeps you all safe and the routines going strong. 
• Try not to laugh. Now, cheerleading is all about having a good time, in fact, your job is to create a good time for everyone else too. However, you should try to refrain from laughing during your routines because it can be distracting to the other cheer squad members and to yourself. You have to pay attention to what other people are doing and giving your attention to your flyers so they stay safe; if you are laughing, none of that is happening. 
• Do not let go of your flyer until you are sure they are stable on the ground. Safety for your flyer is your priority so make sure they are completely good to go before doing anything else. 
• Hold your flyer tight. Loose grips on your flyer can result in you losing your grip entirely and that means a hospital visit for your flyer. 

As a spotter, you have one of the most important jobs, if not the most important. Now go do it confidently and with spirit. 

If you have any questions about cheer gear, then contact Gear4Cheer - a Chicago cheerleading apparel company. 

This Might be Why You Didn't Make the Cheer Squad

Trying out for the cheerleading squad is a dream for a lot of males and females, especially when you get to collegiate and professional levels. However, you got to the cheer tryout only to hear your name be called when they're announcing the cuts. You thought you did everything right and you tried really hard. So what did you do wrong that caused you to not make the squad?

Your attitude: The coaches look at your attitude and can tell whether or not you are being genuine. If you had a bad attitude and it showed or you were trying to hide it, then this would be a red flag for the cheer coaches. This goes along with your spirit; if your enthusiasm was not there, then the coaches will not choose you because they want that good enthusiasm.
Your personality: Were you hiding your personality or were you being you? Sure, you might have a great personality but if the coaches didn't get a chance to see it, then they didn't know it existed and that's a problem.
Your leadership skills: Taking control of situations or helping guide the pack is not something only the coaches do or the assigned captain, it's something everyone can contribute a bit to when the situation calls for it. Each cheerleader has a little captain duties, not just the one with the C on their cheerleader uniform. 
Your team work skills: Did you have conflict with another person at the tryouts? Were you showing that it's either your way or the highway? That's a problem. This also includes if you are helpful to the team or just let things become someone else's responsibility.
You ability to adapt and change: If you are someone who has a really hard time adjusting to different duties that may not be your own, then that sticks out to the coaches.

Don't worry, there is the next year's tryouts for you to go for. Consider these things and practice your moves!

How To Choose the Best Shoes for Cheerleading - 6 Tips

Cheerleading can be quite tough on the body, especially when you have a competition on top of a couple games that week; maybe those games even went into overtime. Bottom line is that you need shoes that look good but also have good support and keep your feet feeling good.

Here are some tips for finding the right kind of shoe for you. Bonus points for finding one that matches your cheerleading apparel and cheer uniform. 

• Grips. You want to find a shoe that has good finger grips in it, especially if you are a flyer. When your fellow cheer squad members hold you up and toss you, you want them to have the best grip on your shoes as they can get. Look for shoes that have finger grips that can fit almost all finger sizes so you don't have to worry about who can grip your shoe and who can't. 
• Insoles. You will want shoes that have a good amount of padding inside the shoe to cushion your foot from the stunts, especially for landing. If you can, try to find shoes that have interchangeable insoles or at least find a good pair of insoles that you can place inside the shoe in addition to what is built in. 
• Comfort. Consider the comfort of the shoe; this is perhaps the most important aspect of finding the right shoe because if it is not comfortable, no amount of padding will make you want to wear them. Find shoes that are flexible and even breathable. The lighter the shoe, the more comfortable it will likely be; heavier shoes tend to make your feet tired and then they will start to hurt. 
• Arch support. You will want shoes that have good arch support. The better the arch support, the more comfortable they will be because you won't develop flat feet, landing will be easier on the feet, stunts will feel better, and your feet will just feel better overall. 
• Color: The color is entirely up to you/your squad. Most cheerleading squads prefer a white shoe because the color is neutral and compliments any uniform color scheme. 
• Lining. Finding a shoe that has a good lining is important as well. With many athletic shoes, you can find ones that have anti-microbial linings to prevent stink from sweat and bacteria. The strength of the lining matters since you are doing a lot of work on your shoes and a weak lining can make your shoes difficult to wear. 

If you are looking for good cheer apparel and cheer accessories then check us out! 

How to Get Guys on Your Cheerleading Squad

So cheerleading is predominantly a women's sport in the current times however did you know that cheerleading started out as a man's deal? Not only that but if you look at college cheerleading squads, there are a fair amount of guys on the cheer squads and they are not ashamed of it. So what are some ways you can get your squad to have a few more guys?

1. Let the females do the selling. A guy is always intrigued when a few cheerleaders come talk to them and ask them to come to their practice and try it out. Also, the cheerleaders know the sport the best so what better representatives than them? The cheerleaders will be able to answer any questions the prospective members have about the sport, the squad, the stunts and cheers, etc. 
2. Look for the guys who seem interested. At almost every sporting event, there are guys who are very into the cheers for the team and go wild in rooting for the team. Try to target these guys as they are already open to the idea of cheering for a sports team. Some people will be harder to recruit than others so look for people who give you at least a little bit of an opening. 
3. Let them know how athletic it is. A lot of guys believe that cheerleading is just a hobby and not a real sport because there is no ball, field, court, rink, etc. The truth is, you have to be pretty strong to be able to lift people up and you have to be coordinated. Let them know it is a workout, lifting weight, each time they do a practice, competition, or game. No, there are not as many components o cheerleading as there are for other sports but that does not mean it is not a sport, let them know this. Chances are, they will be pleasantly surprised. 
4. They will be celebrities... sort of. In most levels of cheerleading, there are more girls than they are guys, even at the collegiate level where there are a lot of male cheerleaders, they are out numbered by their female counterparts. Thus, if they were to join the squad, they would be noticed for sure and complimented for their bravery and courage. It could even get them more noticed by the ladies. 
5. Remind them it is a sport. This was hinted at before that it is indeed a sport despite not having a ball or object that needs to be scored into a net or part of the field. However, it is tough, requires strength, coordination, mental toughness, and it makes you sweat. So bam! It's a sport. 

New Cheerleading Accessories in the Market

Cheerleading accessories are great to use in addition for cheerleaders to use in addition to their cheer uniforms since they can give your overall look a nice twist but also can make things easier in some ways. Cheerleaders wear makeup sometimes, it is no secret. However, just like any makeup, it can become a nuisance when you're on the court or field sidelines doing cheers because it starts to run.

So what can be done to fix this predicament? Waterproof makeup for cheerleading.

When you're on stage during a cheer competition or on the sidelines during a basketball or football game, your performance is also measured by your stage presence. Having makeup that gets runny and becomes a distraction can be a real problem for cheer squads.

You need a high quality makeup that has the ability to stand up to your demands. The quality, cost, and delivery of the makeup have to be things to consider when choosing the right makeup. Having waterproof makeup is not only a possibility, it is a must for cheerleaders. To keep up with demands and trends in the cheerleading world, Gear4Cheer has released waterproof makeup, such as waterproof mascara.

For more, checkout Gear4Cheer or contact us and see what we have to offer!