How to pass the cheerleading and dance tests!

When was the last time you tried out for a team and didn’t make it? Did you leave that day feeling disappointed wondering where you went wrong? Or did you leave thinking you just didn’t have what it takes? Either way, you’re in luck. There is a real way to pass the tests that many people are unaware of. Before we get too far ahead of ourselves though, let’s start with the basics.

In this article we are going to talk about the natural break. There are actually three categories of test scores. These are the top tier scores (basically the contestants who have made the team), the bottom tier scores (contestants who are eliminated in the first round), and finally the natural break scores (competitors who are among the first round). highest and lowest scores). Essentially, we can call the participants in the natural rest category the maybes. Why do we say that; because they are about to make the team.

So what does all this mean to you? Based on the stage of the test you reached, you can tell where you sat. If you were let go in the first round of testing (lower scores); You are at a stage where you need to strengthen your skills. From this stage on, you really need to shoot to get into the natural break at the very least. Don’t worry as you can be ahead of the game if you want. Try writing down the skills you were asked to perform and go to a local gym or studio to work on these skills. Or as a cheaper alternative, you can always try to find a friend to teach you as well. Either way, you need to work on your skills and get into that natural rest.

For those of you in the natural rest category (or later rounds in testing), you are in the most competitive place. You are literally fighting for a spot that ten or more entrants are also fighting for. What this means to you is that you need to find a way to outperform your competition. And how to do it couldn’t be simpler. Earn more points than your competition. Participants who succeed in the natural break can literally do so for one point.

So how do you get those extra points? That’s always the million dollar question; however, the answer is simpler than you ever thought. But, to show you how easy it really is, let me ask you a question. What area of ​​testing did you focus on the most? For cheerleaders, their approach generally falls into a few categories: stunting, tumbling, or cheer. But, nine times out of ten, most cheerleaders fall victim to focusing too much on stunting. As for the dancers, they again fall into some of the same problems as the cheerleaders, be it choreography or a certain skill set.

What is happening to us is one of the most common misconceptions about testing. Most test takers believe that judges are more concerned with one aspect of the tests than with all areas combined. Unfortunately, this is not true. While certain areas of the tests may contain more points than others, that doesn’t rule out all other points. The problem starts when you see the actual score sheets behind the evaluation. Stunting, choreography, skills, cartwheels, playfulness, etc. usually only make up a small part of the overall score. Sometimes these only make up 30 percent or less of the overall score.

You have now forgotten about 70 percent of your test. And I’m sure many of you thought, I’m good at the other parts, so why not focus on the main areas? What you have done is eliminate the possibility of extra points in each category. Remember, we said that natural break winners can literally win by one point. Well, if you had concentrated on a points battle, you would have been the one in the winning seat.

What you have to do is max out the points across the board. Really focus on getting every point out of what you excel at. Don’t leave anything on the table. In the areas where you are weak, get as many points as you can. Sometimes this means leaving the higher skills alone and performing the skills you can do at your highest level. A fall or wobble at a higher skill level can reduce points much more than leading with a lower skill.

Follow the above, and your next test could be the one you’ve been looking for.