What Is a Tuck in Cheerleading?

Quick answer: a tuck (or back tuck) is an airborne tumbling skill in which the athlete performs a backward flip with the knees drawn tightly to the chest - usually the first airborne skill a team adds after a back handspring.

What Does It Look Like?

Taking off from both feet, the athlete jumps backward and up, pulling the knees up to the chest to rotate quickly through a full backward flip, then opens back out to land on both feet.

Who Is Involved?

Tumbling is performed individually, though multiple athletes typically perform tucks together, in unison, at the end of a connected tumbling pass.

Where It Fits in a Routine

A tuck is most commonly the final skill in a running tumbling pass, following a roundoff and back handspring - for example "roundoff, back handspring, back tuck."

How the Term Is Used

"Tuck" is often used as shorthand for a "back tuck," though the tucked body shape can technically apply to front flips too; in cheer, "tuck" almost always refers to the backward version.

Related Skills

The tuck is the entry point into airborne tumbling, typically learned before more advanced shapes like a layout, which requires a straight body line rather than a tucked one.

Level / Division Context

A back tuck connected after a roundoff and back handspring is commonly introduced from around Level 3, once running tumbling is established.

What Judges Look For Conceptually

Judges are generally looking for good height, a tight and controlled tuck shape, full rotation, and a stable, controlled landing.