The document provides descriptions and instructions for various cheerleading hand motions and positions: - A fist should have tucked-in fingers with the thumb wrapped around. It should continue in a straight line from the arm. - For a clasp, hands are cupped below the chin. Elbows are tucked in and hands don't open wider than shoulders. - A punch has one arm straight up with a fist and the other on the hip. It indicates left or right. - A T has arms straight out to the sides with fists facing front. A scoop T bends the elbows so fists hit in front of armpits. - A touchdown has arms straight overhead with

13. The hands will be in a fist for a majority of
cheerleading motions. A good cheer fist has the fingers
tucked in tight with the thumb wrapped closely around
the fingers. It should continue in a straight line from the
arm without any breaks at the wrist. Depending on the
motion, different parts of the fist may face the crowd.
For this post, I refer to this view of the fist as “big circle”,
and the pinky side of the fist as the “little circle”.

14. A clasp should be just below the chin with hands
cupped. The clasp is used during chants and cheers to
create sound. Keep the elbows tucked closely into the
sides at all times and never open the hands wider than
the shoulders. The tighter, the better!
The clasp can also be performed in an overhead or low
variation by extending the arms straight up or down.

15. A clap is very similar to the clasp, however, this time
the hands are in blades. Claps are not very loud and
should be used more for stylistic purposes rather than
for sound.
Claps can also be performed in an overhead variation.

17. This one is pretty self-explanatory. Hands should be in
proper fists sitting right on the hip bone. Make sure the
wrists do not bend forward or backward.

18. A clean is the position when a cheerleader is standing
with both feet together and arms squeezed tightly to
their side.

19. For the High V, both arms extend up at about a 45
degree angle. Hands should be in tight fists, wrists
straight, with big circles facing the front. The motion
should be slightly in front of the body, so that the hands
can be seen from the corner of the eyes.

20. For the Low V, both arms extend down at about a 45
degree angle. Hands should be in tight fists, wrists
straight, with big circles facing the front. The motion
should be slightly in front of the body.
The Low V can also be performed in a “broken” variation
by bending the elbows so that the fists are almost
touching the armpits.

21. In a punch, one arm extends straight up, while the
other sits on the hip. Both hands should be in fists. The
arm in the air should stay close to the ear, little circle
facing forward, with fist flat across the top. The arm in
the air determines whether it is a “right” or “left”
punch. This is sometimes called a “Go” motion.

22. In a T, both arms extend straight out to the sides
parallel to the ground. Big circles should face the front
and the arms should be slightly in front.

23. Take the T and simply bend the elbows all the way in.
Fists should hit right in front of the armpits with little
circles facing out.

24. Just like the hand signal referees do when there is a
score, a touch down motion consists of both arms
extending straight overhead parallel to each other. Fists
should be flat on the top with little circles facing the
front, and the arms should stay tucked in close to the
ears. Take care to not shrug the shoulders too high.

25. The opposite of a touchdown motion is the low
touchdown. A low TD motion consists of both arms
extending straight down parallel to each other.Big circles
face the front, and the arms should squeeze in together.

26. This motion is essentially a broken low touchdown.
Though daggers is probably the more common name, I
generally do refer to it as table top when teaching
younger cheerleaders. Make sure the elbows stay in
tight to avoid it becoming a broken low V, and that the
top of the fists stay flat.

27. For buckets, both arms punch straight out in front,
parallel to both each other and the ground. Fists should
face downward as if holding buckets of water. Don’t let
the wrists bend – these buckets aren’t that heavy!

28. Candlesticks is the same as buckets, except for the
hands. This time, the hands should rotate so that big
circles are to the sky as if you were holding lit candles
and don’t want to drip wax on the floor.

29. For this motion, one hand stays on the hip or clean to the side while the other
crosses in front of the body. The motion can also be performed in a high variation and a
low variation.