Cheerleading Cheers and Chants and Motions
From LoveToKnow Cheerleading
Learning cheerleading cheers and chants and motions is the complete package for a squad. It's a lot of work, and it could even be considered a fine art to get exactly the right motion with the right cheer, or know which chant to use when.
The Difference Between Cheerleading Cheers,Chants and Motions
Each of these items are like tools in a toolbox; they are a powerful means to get a job done, but using the right one at the right time is what makes things happen. Taking a look at the differences between them can help a cheerleader understand.
Cheers
Cheerleading cheers are like exclamation points; they draw attention to something for a moment such as a good scorer on a team:
Look at Number 44! (arms in high V position)
He gets the ball, he's gonna score! (shift into high-V lunge, coming up to daggers on the word score)
Ain't no crime, Ain't no sin! (shake poms to the left and to the right)
Just means that we're gonna WIN! (poms go to low touchdown, sweeping up on each side to high touchdown with a spirit jump on WIN!)
Notice how the number of the scorer was integrated into the cheer? This makes the cheer work not only for the fans, but it also gives the player a bit of an ego boost. The squad just needs to come up with a different rhyme for every number such as "five" and "alive", "seven" and "heaven", "eight" and "great." This makes the cheer available no matter who's scoring.
Chants
A chant is an incredibly powerful tool. Keep in mind chants have been used by armies and civil rights protesters to change the world! A cheerleading chant is used to get the fans not only fired up but also united, turning them into an unstoppable wave of winning spirit.
The key to a good chant is commitment. Your squad needs to be so intent and full of energy as you begin the chant that the people in the stands have no choice but to join in. There are many articles on how to create good chants, but the main idea is that the words need to be simple, clear and, most of all, repetitive. It may be as simple as repeating "De-fense, de-fense!" or more directed:
We say Go, you say Warriors, Go! (fans yell "Warriors") Go!
We say Fight, you say Warriors, Fight! (Warriors!) Fight!
We say Win, you say Warriors, Win! (Warriors!) Win!
This isn't the actual chant; the chant comes after the people in the stands have learned the rhythm. You can then lead them into a repeating Go-Warriors-Go! etc., building up in intensity. As the energy builds, you can switch to an even simpler Go-Fight-Win-Go-Fight-Win! and culminating in a roaring cheer.
Motions during a chant aren't generally as intricate as during cheers for a couple of reasons. One is that since chants are supposed to happen over and over, doing the same intense motions gets very tiring and hard to keep sharp. Secondly, since a chant is designed to get people involved, the cheerleaders will often move from place to place along the sidelines, personally urging people to get involved and shout louder. In the above example, the cheerleaders might point to themselves on the We say… sections, and then point to the fans – to specific fans, not just the stands – during the You say… part. If a fan thinks you are telling them personally to cheer, they'll do it all the louder.
Motions
Even with the less elaborate motions of a chant, the same principles of movement apply:
- Moves should be sharp and crisp, with military snap and precision.
- The only places that bend are shoulders and elbows at sharp angles. Wrists stay locked out like blades on the end of your arms.
- Keep the shoulders down, not hunched up. Intensity should still have a fluid relaxed movement at the ball socket.
- Most of the time, move the arms in the shortest distance from pose to pose.
There are a few standard positions for cheerleading motions, such as "Ready" (hands on hips) "High V" (arms at 45 degree angle up to each side) "Touchdown" (arms straight up overhead) and many more. Variations are fairly easy to figure out; a "Low V" is clearly the arms pointing down to each side at a 45 degree angle.
Using the motions to emphasize the words will both help them come out with more energy and help the fans see and hear what you're doing. This is especially so when a well-practiced squad executes the poses in perfect unison. Many websites such as Ms. Pineapple explain how to do moves. There are also products such as Cheer Secrets that teach them along with words, but the best way to learn is from a coach.
Putting it All Together
In the end, it is the way the cheerleading cheers and chants and motions are put together and executed that makes a squad great. Use the positions to choreograph your own routines to your own words, making it personal. This way your school gets a unique and powerful spirit to take with them to victory!
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This page has been accessed 5,135 times. This page was last modified 18:55, 3 April 2009.
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