Key Takeaways
- A toe touch starts with a strong basic jump entry, including clean arms, bent knees, and a controlled landing.
- Core strength, flexibility, and proper arm placement all help improve toe touch form.
- Warming up, stretching, and practicing the steps in order can help the jump look like one smooth motion.
So you want to learn how to do a toe touch? It’s very important to learn the basics of entering a jump like it’s second nature. You’ll be using this every time you are in uniform and want to pump up the crowd, end a cheer, or even in the middle of a dance routine. Before you focus on height or flexibility, make sure the entry and landing feel consistent.
Basic Jump Entry
- Step 1: Start your jump entry with your feet together, your arms straight down by your side, and your hands in fists.
- Step 2: Clap your hands and then put your arms into a high V position.
- Step 3: At the same time, bend your knees and cross your arms downward into an “X” position in front of your knees.
- Step 4: As you are continuing to swing your arm motion back out and up into a “T” or a “V,” depending on the final position you are executing, jump!
- Step 5: Upon landing from your jump, bend your knees slightly to absorb any shock and put your arms straight and down by your side with your hands in fists, much like step one.
- Step 6: Straighten your knees and clap for the finishing touch.
*While executing each of these steps, make sure they are done quickly and consecutively to each other. It is supposed to look like one continual motion. Practicing the entry slowly first can help you understand the sequence before speeding it up for performance.
How to Do a Toe Touch
Toe touches are one of the most popular and often executed jumps in cheerleading. From behind the scenes at tryouts to in front of the cameras at national and worldwide competitions, chances are you’ll see this jump at least once in any of these scenarios. Toe touches are easy to perform as long as you are flexible and have great core strength. From step 4 in the above jump entry instructions, swing your arms into a “T” while bringing your legs parallel to the ground in a “V” position.
For a cheerleading toe touch, think about lifting your legs toward your hands rather than dropping your chest toward your legs. This helps keep the jump taller, cleaner, and more controlled.
Toe Touch Tips
A couple of tips to remember while performing toe touches are to use your stomach muscles and pull your legs up towards your chest. Leaning forward toward your toes can limit the height of your jump, so focus on keeping your chest lifted. Also, remember to thoroughly warm up and stretch before executing this jump.
It also helps to practice toe touches in small parts: review your arm motion, work on flexibility, strengthen your core, and finish every attempt with a controlled landing. If you are practicing regularly, supportive cheer shoes can also help you stay prepared for jump drills, sideline cheers, and routine work.