An overview of important vision skills for Cheerleaders

Core Visual Skills

While there are a number of vision skills that are important for cheerleaders, some are more crucial to performance than others.

Core vision skills for cheerleaders include:

• Eye-Hand-Foot-Body Coordination: A great amount of body control is required for cheerleaders, especially for the more complex performances put on by large cheerleading squads. Good coordination is important not just for performance, but also for safety.
• Visual Boundaries: This vision skill increases one’s ability to recognize the size of the space around them. For cheerleaders, this is important as the area in which they perform tends to be limited in size, and it is important, especially if they are involved in complex performances including any acrobatics, to be aware of the space around them.
• Visual Spatial Relations: This vision skill gives an athlete the ability to perceive the way to properly position themselves in relation to other people or objects nearby. For cheerleaders, this is an important skill when taking part in a performance with others.
• Visual Attention: Visual attention is the ability to maintain visual focus amid a stressful environment. For cheerleaders, improving this skill will help better maintain visual attention during a potentially stressful performance in front of a large crowd.