What Is a Whip in Cheerleading?

Quick answer: a whip is a fast, low-flipping tumbling skill performed with no hands touching the ground - similar in shape to a back handspring, but a genuine aerial rotation rather than a hand-supported spring, used to connect other elements within a pass without losing speed.

What Does It Look Like?

Rather than rising high into the air, a whip stays low and fast, rotating quickly backward close to the ground with no hands touching down, before immediately continuing into the next connected skill. It looks similar to a back handspring at a glance, but a back handspring pushes off the hands, while a whip clears the ground entirely - which is what makes a whip the harder of the two skills despite its low profile.

Who Is Involved?

Tumbling is performed individually, though multiple athletes typically perform whips together, in unison, as part of a connected tumbling pass.

Where It Fits in a Routine

Whips are almost always used as a connector within a longer tumbling pass - for example between two back handsprings, or setting up into a higher skill like a tuck - rather than as a stand-alone or finishing skill.

How the Term Is Used

"Whip" describes this specific low, fast connecting style of flip, valued for how it maintains and builds speed through a multi-skill pass rather than slowing it down.

Related Skills

A whip is often used alongside back handsprings within a pass, and shares some technical foundation with the entry used for skills like an Arabian.

Level / Division Context

Because it demands strong technique at speed, a whip is generally introduced once an athlete has a solid, consistent back handspring and tuck, often from around Level 4–5 depending on governing body.

What Judges Look For Conceptually

Judges are generally looking for speed and momentum maintained through the skill, correct low-flip technique, and a smooth, controlled connection into whatever skill follows.