Please note that if your rules question is for a particular event, it is always best to contact the event rules person first. There may be different interpretations or implementations of these rules in your state or at a particular event.
See if your rules question is addressed in the “Q&A” on this site. If the Q&A exists but the question is not addressed, ask it in the comments there. If there is not a Q&A for the section or individual rule, please ask it in the section comments area. If possible, please include a link to a video with your question
If you have a question about a rule or video you do not want posted, please email jimlord@aacca.org and specify that you do not want the question or video posted publicly. Be sure to clarify if it is for NFHS, AACCA, high school or college.
Are non-tumbling teams restricted from any of the new rules regarding inversions? Also, can a tumbling team perform a front/back walkover, etc in or out of a stunt?
Front walkovers, etc. into stunts should not be viewed as tumbling, and should be allowed in “non-tumbling” divisions. However, it is always prudent to check with the organization conducting the competition to confirm rules specific to their divisions.
Is it still legal for the flyer to front flip from a prep landing with both feet on the ground? It’s the stunt where the group is in a prep and the bases grab the flyers hands and pop them up into a front flip and the flyer lands with both feet on the ground with the bases holding her hands and under her arm pits. I guess it would be considered a dismount. I think we learned it at camp one year.
Yes, that is a double based suspended forward roll and it is legal for school teams. See:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXRWQa9tQLw
Is the stunt @ 0:15 (Where the fliers walk across the girls backs) legal?
Yes.
In a pyramid, where a top girl is braced on both sides by hand in hand/arm, and the bracers are at prep level (spotted), is it legal to perform a yo-yo going from an extended position to the ground?
Chris, that would be legal if it goes to the pike position in the catch, then continues to the walk-over part. It cannot land in an inverted position. If you get a video of this, please send it in. Thank you.
I know you cant do a pancake from prep, but can you start one from squish? Also, can you flip from one foot like an extended lib, or do you have to flip from two feet? And what about from a hitch can you flip into a cradle on your own bases?
If by “pankcake” you mean folding over at the waist, I don’t think there would be someone in position to protect the head neck and shoulders during the downward part of the inversion.
For the braced flip, it can go from one foot.
You will need to give more detail on the hitch flip question. Are you talking about a braced flip? It would have to meet all of the rules of the braced flip, linked above.
In high school rules is assisted tumbling allowed for example two people standing on the ground holding the arms of a flyer in a t motion with one leg out in front get leg pitched bu another base to a backtuck and land on the ground?
In high school we would not consider that to be assisted tumbling. We would consider it to be a stunt. That particular stunt is now allowed as long as the two posts on the ground holding the top person have her hands. We’ll get some video of that up soon.
If landing in a prone position from a rewind does there have to be two catching the head and shoulder or just one?
When landing in a prone position, there must be two people who catch the upper body. When you say “from a rewind”, do you have a video of this, because that could be a twisting “rewind” or a braced flip “rewind”. Thank you.
Do switch liberties have to land in a “liberty” position or can they land other body positions?
Also are they allowed to twist? (ex. 1/2 turn up switch liberty)
For AACCA rules, they could land in other positions. For NFHS rules, they can only land in a liberty.
For both sets of rules, it can 1/2 twist on the way up.
Hi,
May i know which rule in NFHS states that we cannot do switch liberties to a body position, say to a heel stretch?
Thanks!
I’m sorry. To clarify, the NFHS rules specify that a Switch Liberty is the only exception to the rule that a toss to a stunt cannot start with bases under the foot/feet. However, the definition of “Liberty” in the NFHS rule book is a one-leg stunt (usually extended) that may include variations such as a hitch, a torch, a heel stretch, an arabesque, a scorpion, etc.”. So, a Switch Liberty can land in a Liberty Heel Stretch for example. It cannot land in anything other than a Liberty (and variations) such as a two-foot extension, flatback, etc.
Is this stunt legal now? THanks
No, it is not. As it goes to the inversion, it’s being supported at the shoulder level. The base of support must be below shoulder level during the inversion unless it’s a full suspended backward roll.
I am gonna sound like a dinosaur but… is a backflip with two spotters allowed off the backs of two bent over bases?
It was in the Mesozoic, but not any longer.
Is a tick tock partner stunt legal as long as the spotter remains in contact with the top?
Yes, because it is not a release stunt. I assume you’re talking about a low-to-high tic toc, since the spotter wouldn’t be able to remain in contact with the top person on a high-to-high tic toc.
Beginning at :40. Is this pyramid legal from start to finish?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=JSLRKk37QCI#t=37s
It does not appear from this video that either bracer has a spotter, which would make the entire part during the release illegal. The last part, where the top person goes to a swedish fall position is questionable because she stalls at the top and appears to have her weight on top of the bracer instead of just being balanced by the bracer, which could be called illegal as well. However, if there were spotters on the bracers and the top person didn’t stall, the pyramid sequence would be legal.
First, when you say “entire part during release” are you referring to the part where the top person drops to her back, the tic tock or the swedish falls part? Second, with a small squad (10 girls), what could be changed to make the pyramid legal? I just want to make sure I’m understanding 100% before attempting it.
Any time the top person is released from their bases and braced, the bracers have to have a spotter. The only exception is that shoulder sits and thigh level stunts used as bracers do not require a spotter. They don’t have the same risk of the bracer being pulled down off balance and falling toward their head.
So on all three of those occasions where the middle bases and top release, it’s illegal. When they do not release, the spotter is not required on the bracers. For example, if they went from a braced extension, brought it down to shoulders and popped it up to a braced liberty – holding the top person’s foot the entire time – they wouldn’t need spotters on the bracers.
The only way to do this with 10 people is to have the sides be single base shoulder stands. As you can see from this, they would need to be very solid shoulder stands as they are helping to control a good deal of balance during the release transitions.
Can Junior High and JV teams perform basket tosses under NFHS rules?
NFHS rules do not address anything other than high school teams. NFHS stands for “National Federation of High Schools”. AACCA rules do not allow teams under high school level to do basket tosses. So Junior High cannot, and JV can. We strongly recommend that states that follow NFHS rules specify the additional AACCA restriction for middle school and junior high schools as several already have.
Is it legal for a flyer starting in a squish with one group behind another group to front flip over a base of the group in front of her. While holding that bases hands and landing in a cradle of the new group while her original group releases her. Thanks
Melissa, it’s always hard to be sure when having something described instead of seen. However, I believe what you’ve described is illegal. A single person cannot be the base/post of a suspended forward roll. They can do a suspended forward roll from a squish, using two posts in front where the top is holding a hand of each post, and she flips over/between them to a new cradle group in the front.
Why are 2 1/2 high pyramids, inverted basket tosses, and rewinds illegal at the high school level as well as college basketball games? Thanks!
The simple answer is because the rules committees have determined that those should not be allowed at the high school level or ag college basketball games. The rules committees use their expertise and available data to determine what the upper level restrictions will be.
Hi, when using poms and signs, do they need to be on or off mats, or does it matter? Thanks
Ursula, that is usually a competition-specific rule. In most cases, they can be off of the mat, but the cheerleader can’t step off of the mat in order to pick them up. Check with the competition to make sure of what they require.
I have a question about getting signs to flyers. Can a secondary or back leave the stunt momentarily to pick up a sign and give to the flyer? If so, can they be extended?
Thanks!
Great question! A spotter who is required to be in position by rule may not hold any objects in their hands. They can look away temporarily to be aware of potential hazards, but they cannot “leave” the stunt temporarily to do anything.
Be aware that there is a difference between a required spotter doing this and any “spotter”. For example, in an elevator prep, a spotter is not required by rule. Therefore a spotter for an elevator prep could hand up a sign. During that time, she would not be considered to be a spotter, since a spotter cannot hold a sign. However, no rule is being broken, as the prep is legal without the spotter.
You can have a spotter hand up a sign while the stunt is at shoulder level, then the stunt can legally extend.
So to answer your last question, no, a spotter cannot leave an extended stunt.
What are the guidelines as far as what mats can be used when stunting on a cement track?
There are no specific guidelines on that. Standard cheer mats are appropriate, but the track could tear up the bottom of the mat over time.
After a cradle, can a flyer do a braced backflip from a cradle to the ground? If not, can the bases bring her forward to touch the ground with one foot then backflip to the ground?
They have to land in a loading position, so a one-foot load with a tap on the ground would be legal. Landing on both feet would not.
Could you elaborate on this? I was wondering about something similar. I’ve seen teams from a cradle position have the girl flip backwards in a pike position onto the ground (as a dismount from the cradle). The back spot moves to the side and supports the head/shoulders, but both sides also have their back arms supporting the flyer’s shoulders as the flip occurs. So is that legal?
A chorus line flip is now legal, and a cradle that flips over between two bases to the ground would be a lower version of that, so it would also be legal. A flip in a pyramid with bracers that goes directly to the ground (as described in the initial question) is not legal.
As far as jewelry at practice and performance is concerned, I understand the rule states, “5.Jewelry of any kind is prohibited (e.g., navel jewelry, tongue jewelry, earrings, necklaces, etc.).” What does this mean for the clear plastic holders that can be put in the ear or navel to hold open a piercing during the healing process? Is this prohibited as well?
Spacers and other plastic inserts such as fishing line are considered to be illegal. For this reason, any new piercings should be done far enough ahead of the season that they have sufficiently healed enough to have them out for the 2 or 3 hours of practices or games.
is there a number you can have on a team
That is all determined at the local level in accordance with their own school rules or the rules of competitions they may attend.
This question is not specific to NFHS because NFHS does not address it.
My question is concerning the number of strips of mats used with ratio to the number of athletes on the mats. ie. at professional cheerleading associaiton type competitions, it seems the rule of thumb is that with 9 strips of mats they allow 36 athletes on a team…. would this correspond to with 7 strips of mats … up to 28 athletes? So, 4 athletes per strip of mat? Is that reasonable and prudent if comparing to national trends regardless of the age/level of participant?
There is no hard and fast rule on the number of mats per athlete. In most cases, the formations can be adjusted to accommodate stunt groups or tumbling formations. The key is that the coaches know how many mats to expect so that they can choreograph their routines accordingly. For example, 7 stunt groups (usually 28 participants) lined up in one straight across the mat with one group on each mat would be pretty tight. But if you staggered those into two lines with 4 in the back and 3 in the front, it’s no longer a safety issue.
I might have missed this but I couldn’t find the rules for Tick Tocks? or high knees?
Example: being in an extended liberty and the bases dipping and giving a pop and releasing then switching to the other foot liberty
Please let me know as soon as possible, Thanks!
A free standing Tic Toc is not legal for high school and below. A released stunt basically must either be braced by someone else or has to go to a cradle.
Are 3 person liberties legal? There would be no back spot for this. Let me know!
A backspot is required for a Liberty.
My daughter is in High School. Are they allowed to do a back tuck basket?
No, they are not, unless it is braced on both sides like in a pyramid. This flyer should help.
http://aacca.org/media/resources/hs_illegal_skills.pdf
Feel free to send it to the coach and/or administrator they report to. If there is no change, please let me know at jimlord@aacca.org.
At the high school level, is it legal for the flyer to do a standing backhandspring and rebound into a cradle position?
Yes. Rebounding into a cradle is not considered tumbling into a cradle or stunt.
hi i was wondering where i could find the rules for noncompetitive cheerleading. We just started a new charter school and for the first 2 years we cant compete. please help.
We do not have specific rules for non-competitive cheerleading. Our rules are for sideline/traditional and competitive cheer. Your state association might have something in place, so make sure you check with them.
Is it illegal to do a rewind without braces
For a high school team, yes. The top person would be inverted, which is illegal unless it fits one of the allowed inversions. There are no allowed inversions that would make a rewind legal unless she’s braced on both sides, etc.
Is this stunt legal – ring of fire with regard to landing and release to forward roll?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IoXTil7VLM
I’m assuming you mean for high school.
That entire sequence is legal with one issue at the end. The bases need to remain in contact and guide her down during the downward inversion until her hands are on the ground, and the base on her right side (our left) steps out just a bit early.
Can a parter stunt in hands move to liberty with a new backspot holding ankles assist to move the stunt to liberty with no other spotter
I’m not quite sure what you’re asking. A partner stunt in hands at shoulder level can go to a liberty with one spotter holding the ankles.
Are Allstar level 5 teams allowed to do a back tuck basket toss?
No, they are not. See http://usasfrules.com/level-rules/level-5/ under “Tosses”:
“Flipping, inverted or traveling tosses are not allowed. “
What happens if a team does an illegal stunt and it gets reported to aacca? Will they be suspended from stunting? I’ve never heard of any one getting in trouble, all though over the years I’ve seen illegal stunts.
It depends, but AACCA does not have the ability to stop someone from stunting. We can remove a coach’s certification, which may have further implications at their school or at the state level. Most high school teams are governed by their state association, which would be the one to take any action. At the college level, we can and have made contact with coaches to address the issue, and if it continues, can remove their certification. If a team is performing illegal skills, report them. If they continue to do so, report them again so that it can be addressed in whatever way is available.
Thank you so much for providing this Jim. I have taken several of the video examples here and forwarded them to my tech judges so they can get some practice interpreting rules!!
Is it legal at IHSA competition to move someone up from JV to varsity just for one competition. This person has been on JV for a majority of the competition season and we need him for our sectionals as all of our alternates are in and he is the best one to move up safely at the next level.
Sierra, you’ll need to check directly with the IHSA on something like this.