Tumbling and cheerleading go hand in hand, and have grown together in popularity in recent years. Olympics gymnastics coverage, ESPN coverage of competitive cheerleading, and the movie series Bring It On have brought these activities more spectators and more participants than ever before. Read on to learn more about tumbling and cheerleading and how to get started in these exciting activities.

Tumbling

Tumbling is actually a branch of gymnastics, and is sometimes called floor gymnastics, referring to the part of gymnastics that is done without equipment. It consists of movements such as rolls, handstands, cartwheels, handsprings, somersaults, and balancing and acrobatic stunts involving two or more people.

Tumbling and the related sports of gymnastics and trampolining are documented as far back as ancient Egypt, Persia, Greece, India, and China. Ancient Greek warriors practiced hand balancing exercises before going into battle. In India, hand balancing exercises were incorporated into Yoga postures. Chinese acrobats today preserve ancient tumbling practices that are an integral part of Chinese opera and are often featured in martial arts movies.

In modern times, ancient gymnastics was revived by 18th-century German physical education pioneers, who believed that physical training–including tumbling classes–should be part of education. German immigrants brought this philosophy to the United States in the 19th century, popularizing what were called Turner clubs, from the German word for “gymnast.” The Turner clubs became the nucleus of gymnastics and tumbling in the United States, and fifty-four still exist today.

The Turner clubs and groups like the YMCA preserved gymnastics in the United States until World War II, when many schools began to incorporate gymnastics into their educational programs. After the end of the war, American gymnastics grew rapidly. The unprecedented perfection of Nadia Comăneci at the 1976 Olympics and the stellar performance of the 1984 US Olympic Team accelerated this growth. Today approximately 4.5 million Americans participate in artistic gymnastics, the most popular form of gymnastics, which includes tumbling.

Cheerleading

Cheerleading was originally the use of organized crowd cheers to boost the morale of sports teams. Today it has broadened to include tumbling, stunting (combinations of tumbling and acrobatics, such as stunts involving human pyramids), and dancing, and it has become a competitive sport in its own right.

Cheerleading was invented in 1883 by University of Minnesota football coach Thomas Peebles. Peebles pioneered the use of organized crowd cheers. His idea caught on in 1898 when University of Minnesota student Johnny Campbell led a crowd in a cheer, “Rah, Rah, Rah! / Ski-u-mah, Hoo-Rah! Hoo-Rah! / Varsity! Varsity! Varsity / Minn-e-So-Tah!”

Cheerleading was dominated by male participants until World War II, when women began to replace men who were away serving in the military. At that time there were no collegiate sports for women, but women could participate in cheerleading. Since World War II women have become dominant in cheerleading at all levels except the collegiate level, where the gender ratio is about even.

Tumbling became increasingly part of cheerleading after 1948, when former Southern Methodist University cheerleader Lawrence “Herkie Herkimer formed the National Cheerleaders Association as a way to hold cheerleading clinics. Herkheimer introduced a number of innovations to cheerleading that encouraged the incorporation of more athletic moves into cheers. The concept of cheerleader clinics caught on, and in the 1960s high school girls flocked to learn the art of cheering. Organized cheerleading competitions began, and in 1965 the vinyl pom-pon was introduced.

Modern cheerleading emerged from the adoption of professional cheerleading squads by the National Football League in the 1960s. The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders changed the image of cheerleading by emphasizing revealing outfits and sophisticated dance routines, popularized in Super Bowl X in 1976. Collegiate and high school cheerleader squads began to emulate professional cheerleaders, and cheerleading began to incorporate more athletic routines and dangerous stunts. To prevent injuries, governing bodies began introducing safety standards in the 1980s. Today there are an estimated 1.5 million American participants in the most popular form of competitive cheerleading, all-star cheerleading.

Getting Started

If you or someone you know is interested in getting started in tumbling or cheerleading, the foundation of both is solid tumbling skills, so acquiring these is the first step. Most schools offer programs teaching these skills, and many private tumbling and cheerleading classes are also available. Instructional books and videos can help students get the most out of their lessons. For a strong physical foundation to acquire tumbling skills, it’s a good idea to start on a stretching routine to improve flexibility, especially in the shoulders, wrists, stomach, back, sides, groin, hamstrings, calves, Achilles tendon, and ankles. Taking dance lessons can also provide an edge for competitive cheerleading.

Worthy of a Cheer

American Turners
USA Gymnastics
National Collegiate Acrobatics and Tumbling Association
United States Trampoline & Tumbling Association
National Cheerleaders Association

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