Indicators to control and evaluate the acrobatic technical
component of the national Cheerleading teams of
Colombia

Abstract

The research took place in Colombia, a country where Cheerleading is widely accepted
in university sports; In this country, in this sport, a characteristic of the preparation of
its national teams is the training in periods of concentration, where the need to control
and evaluate the acrobatic technical component of these teams has been confirmed. To
satisfy
this
need,
it
was
essential
to
determine
the
indicators,
so
the
objective
was
specified:
to
define
the
quality
indicators
of
the
technical
acrobatic
actions
of
Cheerleading and their evaluation scales. To achieve this objective, a creative process
was used in which the members of the coaching group intervened as protagonists in the
production of knowledge, while their proposals were validated and corrected by the best
specialists in the country as experts. The quality indicators of the technical actions were
arrived
at,
a
classification
of
these,
unprecedented
for
Cheerleading;
as
well
as
the
execution
and
effectiveness
rating
scales
as
elements
to
consider
in
the
control
and
evaluation of that component in Cheerleading.

Keywords: Cheerleading, acrobatic technical component, indicators

Introduction

Cheerleading is an extremely complex sport that can involve a high volume of acrobatics,
jumps,
pyramids,
dances
and
animations
with
very
complex
and
varied
mechanical
structures (International Cheer Union [ICU], 2021; Sánchez and Elizondo, 2021). Their
competitive
exercise,
commonly
called
routine,
consists
of
carefully
designed
choreographies, involving pyramids, acrobatics, throws, catches, lifts, turns, jumps and
dance steps (Dugas et al., 2020; Synytsya et al., 2024; Xu et al., 2024 al., 2021).

In these routines, two fundamental roles are recognized when executing the different
technical acrobatic elements: the bases and the flying ones; In the case of the latter, they
carry out the flight phases resulting from launches and dismounts in search of the highest

possible height, so as to generate impact and projection on the public and the jury present
(Müller et al., 2024), therefore that the biomechanical factors of speed, trajectory and
angular
momentum
are
considered
decisive
for
its
successful
execution.
The
bases
support the postures, help in projections and placement, provide impulses in throws in
close coordination with the flyers (Donovan and Spencer, 2019).

The
present
investigation
takes
place
in
Colombia,
a
country
where
Cheerleading
is
widely accepted in university sports, which has allowed its participation in international
championships, with two Pan American championships and a world championship.

A characteristic of the preparation of the Colombian national teams of this sport is the
training in periods of concentration, since it makes it possible to bring together in them
the best cheerleaders in the country who are training in their departments and cities in
good technical and material conditions, and control the preparation received according to
high-level competitive demands, with a view to participating in official competitions of
the International Cheer Union (ICU) representing their country.

No information has been found in the literature studied about the particularities of training
in periods of concentration. However, there is a need to control and evaluate the acrobatic
technical component of the Colombian national Cheerleading teams, depending on the
training concentrations.

Harre (1983) points out that the planning and evaluation of training and competencies
constitute a unit within the framework of the direction of the training process by the
coach. The evaluation, in addition to serving to control the implementation of the plan,
has
the
primary
function
of
determining
the
degree
of
effectiveness
of
the
training
methods
and
means
applied. In
this
sense,
it
is
considered
that
in
order
to
meet
this
requirement, it is essential to search for forms of technical control in Cheerleading, to
record and evaluate the execution of the acrobatic elements in this sport and objectively
know the performance. of the athletes in this component.

On the other hand, and taking into consideration the results of a previous exploration
(from
the
specialized
literature
in
this
sport,
from
the
planning
documents
and
methodological guidelines for the concentrations of the Colombian national Cheerleading
team
and
informal
interviews
with
its
coaches),
it
was
found
that,
being
a
recently

approved sport, in its scarce scientific-technical bibliography, no training control and
evaluation systems have been found, duly endorsed or presented for discussion.

To design a control and evaluation system for the technical acrobatic component of the
national Cheerleading teams of Colombia, depending on the training concentrations, the
quality indicators of the technical acrobatic actions of Cheerleading and their evaluation
scales must be defined, and this is the objective of this work.

Methodology

To fulfill the objective of the study, the following algorithm was established:

a) Analysis of technical documents to extract the proposal of indicators for the evaluation
of the technical quality of the cheerleaders in their performances.

b)
Application
of
the
expert
judgment
method
(Delphi)
to
evaluate
the
proposal
of
indicators.

c) Definition of the indicators of the acrobatic technical component in Cheerleading.

d) Application of the expert judgment method (Delphi) to assess the organization of the
indicators in joint and individual actions that are presented in the competitive exercises
(routines) of Cheerleading.

e) Determination of the evaluation scales of execution and effectiveness of the defined
indicators.

The documentary analysis, the participatory work with the technical group of the national
Cheerleading team in Colombia, together with the evaluation by the selected experts,
allowed
us
to
determine
the
necessary
indicators
in
the
evaluation
of
the
acrobatic
technical component, as well as the evaluation scales of the quality of execution and
effectiveness, as elements to consider in the control and evaluation of that component in
Cheerleading.

Results and discussion

- Results of the analysis of technical documents to extract the proposal of indicators for
the evaluation of the technical quality of the cheerleaders in their performances.

The information regarding the judging manuals and evaluation forms of the International
Cheer
Union
(ICU,
2021)
was
reviewed
as
it
is
the
entity
that
organizes
the
World
Championship for national teams and the International All Star Federation (IASF, 2020),
which are the existing normative documents and codified evaluation systems most used
today in the field of Cheerleading.

From
there,
the
elements
related
to
the
indicators
that
are
evaluated
of
the
acrobatic
technical component in Cheerleading were collected. The requirements to belong to the
Coed premier teams were also reviewed, a document that was promulgated by circular
003
in
June
2017
by
the
Colombian
Cheerleading
Federation
FEDECOLCHEER
(Circular No.003, June 4, 2017. Call for Try Outs Selections Colombia., 2017) which
specifies the requirements for the technical skills that athletes must have at the time they
present themselves to be evaluated with the purpose of having the possibility of belonging
to the national team.

Other
existing
documents
were
reviewed
that
allowed
an
analysis
regarding
the
competitive technical-acrobatic evaluation and frequently used in other tournaments of
this sport, such as the regulations of the International All Star Federation (IASF, 2020),
and U.S. companies. All Star Federation (USASF, 2020), which are references in their
judging system for many of the championships held in Colombia; It is necessary to clarify
that there is not yet a unified regulation for all national and international Cheerleading
competitions, which is why this search was necessary in order to achieve the greatest
possible number of indicators to be taken into consideration in the proposal.

Assessment of the proposed indicators by the experts

The experts answered a questionnaire related to the definition of quality indicators of the
acrobatic
technical
component
to
be
considered
in
the
control
and
evaluation
of
that
component in Cheerleading.

An initial list of possible indicators was sent to them digitally, proposed based on the
review explained in point a), and endorsed by the national team coaching team, to define
the quality of execution of the technical acrobatic component. , with the instruction of
issuing their criteria according to the scale explained in the corresponding questionnaire.

The
processing
of
this
survey
through
tables
of
absolute
and
relative
frequencies
expressed in percentages, made it possible to select the quality indicators to be used in
the control and evaluation of the acrobatic technical component.

- Definition of the indicators of the acrobatic technical component in Cheerleading

The use of theoretical methods, the results of the interviews carried out and the expert
criteria applied, allowed the different indicators to be classified into joint and individual
actions.

Because it is a team sport where the acrobatic exercise is developed from the coupling of
two athletes: one in the role of flyer, and another as a base and in correspondence with
the
phases
of
each
acrobatic
exercise
(initial,
main
and
final)
where
The
technical-
acrobatic
actions
(indicators)
already
defined
are
executed,
the
following
order
is
established. (Table 1)

Table 1. Indicators of joint actions in the acrobatic component of Cheerleading

Execution phase Indicator

Indicator

Ascent

(Initial Phase)

Synchronization

Height

Rhythm

Transitions

Permanence

(Central phase)

Stability

Projection

Markings

Clearance

(Final phase)

Control

Projection

Subsequently, taking into account the role played by each athlete in the development of
the actions of the acrobatic component (base or flying) and considering that the actions
of each of them must be observed separately, to ensure an individual assessment of the
actions in the role that corresponds to each one, these individual indicators are ordered
for each corresponding role, which is seen in table 2.

Table 2. Indicators of individual actions in the acrobatic component in Cheerleading

Role of the cheerleader

Indicator

Base

Grips

Receptions

Postural Control

Flying

Spins

Investments

Postural Control

Body and Facial Expression

In figure 2, with the integration of the two previous tables, an unprecedented classification
in this sport can be seen, which systematizes the results presented in the two previous
tables. For this, the classification criteria of joint actions and individual actions were
applied, based on the tables presented previously.

In the joint actions, the criteria used to group the indicators of the acrobatic technical
component
were
the
execution
phases
of
those
actions
and
in
the
case
of
individual
actions, the role played by the cheerleaders in those actions. The figure presented allows
a
better
understanding
of
the
composition
of
the
indicators
in
the
joint
actions
and
individual actions during the technical-acrobatic execution.

Figure
2.
Proposal
of
indicators
of
the
acrobatic
technical
component
in
Cheerleading

- Assessment of the organization of the indicators in joint and individual actions that are
presented in the competitive exercises (routines) of Cheerleading by the experts

After
having
defined
the
indicators
with
the
first
questionnaire
by
means
of
a
list
reduction, the experts are asked to assess their organization in joint and individual actions,
according to flight and bases and they are presented with the general classification of the
selected indicators.

The majority of the experts agreed in recognizing the value of the organization of the
indicators of the acrobatic technical component in joint actions and individual actions for
the
acrobatic
technical
component
of
Cheerleading,
all
recommended
the
use
of
this

classification in the control and evaluation to be considered in the control and evaluation
of that component and expressed the following criteria:

- Determination of the evaluation scales of execution and effectiveness of the defined
indicators

Once the indicators were obtained for the control of the acrobatic component, it was
decided after consultation on various sports that share some of their characteristics with
Cheerleading (among them, the need to give quantitative value to qualitative criteria of
the
quality
of
the
technical
elements
that
make
it
up).
compose),
adapt
the
quality
evaluation
scale
taken
from
the
development
and
high
competition
program
for
age
groups in Rhythmic Gymnastics built by Dias et al. (2019), specifically in its section on
testing
technical
ability,
since
it
was
considered
relevant,
by
the
technical
group
of
coaches
of
the
Colombian
national
team,
for
its
application
in
the
evaluation
of
the
indicators of the acrobatic technical component during the preparation of Cheerleading
athletes in national team concentrations. This scale, shown in table 3, has already been
sufficiently
presented
and
validated
in
Rhythmic
Gymnastics,
with
reviews
and
applications around the world, since 2019.

Table 3. Quality evaluation scale of acrobatic technical indicators

Description

Scoring range

Not completed. The stunt being attempted is not recognizable

0,0 -1

The stunt is barely recognizable. Poor technique, incorrect body position
(posture) or fall.

1,5
–
2

The essential technical characteristics have been achieved. Poor technique
and execution.

2,5
–
3

The stunt is shown with acceptable technique and execution; controlled.
It can be introduced in a competition exercise.

3,5
–
4

The acrobatics is shown with very good technique and execution. There
are no development or completion errors.

4,5
–
5

Note: For a more precise assessment of quality, half-point grades may be awarded (e.g. 1.5; 2.5; etc.). Table
adapted from the development and high competition program for age groups in rhythmic gymnastics (Dias
et al., 2019). The evaluation of the quality of technical execution = VC Quality Value is given in increments
from 0
–
5 points.

To determine the level of effectiveness of the athletes in performing the same acrobatic
element, the technical quality evaluation will be recorded in three consecutive executions,
adding the results obtained, where the maximum possible score will be 15 points, which
will be equivalent to 100 % effectiveness of the element executed.

Table 4 makes it possible to estimate the percentage of effectiveness of the same acrobatic
element according to the result of the sum of the scores obtained in the three consecutive
evaluations of acrobatic technical quality:

Table 4. Rating scale of the effectiveness of acrobatic technical indicators

Sum of points obtained

Effectiveness in
%

Category Evaluative

14,40 a 15

96 al 100 %

Excellent

12,15 a 14,39

81 al 96 %

Good

9,15 a 12,14

61 al 80 %

Regular

9,14
and below

Less than
61 %

Bad

Conclusions

The quality indicators of the technical acrobatic actions and their evaluation scales of
execution and effectiveness were defined on the basis of the differentiation of the base
and flying actions, through the participation of the coaches and the criteria of experts,
taking into account the competitive demands of Cheerleading and constitute elements to
be
considered
in
the
control
and
evaluation
of
the
acrobatic
technical
component
in
Cheerleading.

References

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K.,
&
Spencer,
K.
(2019).
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