Key Takeaways
- Proper cheerleading stances are essential for clean motions, strong performances, and earning higher scores from judges.
- Many cheer motions and stunts build directly off basic stances, making it important to learn them correctly and in progression.
- This guide focuses on leg positioning in foundational cheer stances that are used both on the ground and in stunts.
- Building leg strength and maintaining proper posture helps cheerleaders perform stances with control, balance, and confidence.
Being a cheerleader is more than just looking pretty and being loud. Part of a cheerleader’s skill set includes being able to hit very precise motions and stances, and knowing when to use each one. Each member of a cheerleading team must perfect their stances so that their team operates as a unit and receives the maximum number of cheers from the audience and points from the judges. While a cheerleader’s basic motions are the backbone of her ability, her stances are the support system.
A motion will miss the mark completely without the body being in a tight, formatted stance. Most moves and stunt forms in cheerleading are an extension of a basic stance, so it is always good to learn through progression, starting with the basics. This is a general overview of some basic cheer stances, with the focus being on the position of the legs. You may perform them, or see them performed, slightly differently. These stances can be used while a cheerleader is on the ground or when she is up in a stunt, and the position of the feet will vary from being shoulder-width apart to being together, depending on when and how the stance is being used.
Front Lunge
Step forward with one foot and place that foot flat on the ground. Bend your forward leg slightly at the knee, while keeping your back leg straight. You can angle the back foot slightly away from your body to help keep your balance. Your body will respond to its position by dipping down slightly. Make sure that you move with that dip, but continue to stand straight with your shoulders back, your head up, and your face forward. Your arms can hit many motions while in the lunge stance, including hands on hips or a high V (both shown here). The front lunge can be done with either leg forward.
Side Lunge
Your legs should be just further than shoulder width apart, with your feet facing forward. Bend one leg at the knee, while at the same time turning that foot out and away from your body. You can angle the straight foot slightly away from your body on your other side to help keep your balance. Your body will respond to its position by dipping down slightly. Make sure that you move with that dip, but continue to stand straight with your shoulders back, your head up, and your face forward. Your arms can hit many motions while in the lunge stance, including hands on hips or a high V (both shown here). The side lunge can be done either to the left or right side.
High #1
Stand up straight with your shoulders back, keep your head up, and face forward. Turn one foot out and away from your body, bend that knee, and come up on those toes while at the same time putting that same hand on your hip. Your other arm (opposite arm of the bent leg) should go straight up into the air, in the touchdown motion, with all but the pointer finger in a fist. You can do a right or left High #1, just always make sure that the leg and arm that go up are opposites.
Low #1
Stand up straight with your feet together and shoulders back. Keep your head up and face forward. Pull one foot up onto your toes by bending your knee while at the same time putting that same hand on your hip. Keep the other foot flat on the ground and bring that arm into a dagger with all but the pointer finger in a fist. You can do a right or left Low #1, just always make sure that the leg and arm that go up are opposites.
Build strong, ready legs for perfect cheerleading stances by adding leg-strengthening exercises to your fitness routine.
Review our How to Do Basic Cheerleading Stances: Part 1 article to make sure you know all the right moves to ‘WOW!’ at tryouts or your next performance.
