You may not have to hang around the All Star Cheer world for that long before you hear a coach get on an athlete or team of athletes to be “clean”.

In All Star cheerleading, “clean” means that every move is done correctly, with no mistakes or sloppiness. The phrase “Clean It Like You Mean It!” reminds cheerleaders to focus on the small details that can make a big difference in their performance and score.

All Star Cheer is a highly competitive sport where teams perform routines filled with stunts, tumbling, jumps, and dance. Judges score routines based on difficulty and execution. While challenging skills like “fulls” and elite stunt sequences can boost a team’s score on the higher levels within the sport, they won’t mean much if they aren’t done well. A team that performs simple but clean skills often scores higher than a team attempting advanced skills with mistakes or that looks like a ‘hot mess’.

Clean It Like You Mean It!

To truly clean a routine, athletes must focus on three key areas: motions, stunts, and tumbling.

Motions

Motions in cheerleading should be sharp, precise, and strong. This means no bent wrists, floppy arms, or lazy movements. Every motion should hit exactly on the right count.

Teams often practice drills to perfect their motions, one example would be holding a high V for 30 seconds without shaking:

Keep arms locked out – No bent elbows unless the motion requires it.

Fists should be tight – Loose hands make motions look weak!

Hit motions exactly together – The entire team should look identical.

Stunts

In All Star Cheer, stunts are one of the most important skills in a routine. A team can lose points if stunts look messy, even if they don’t fall. To keep stunts clean:

Flyers should stay tight – A flyer who is wobbly makes the whole stunt look unsafe.

Bases should be solid – No bent arms or uneven grips.

Dismounts must be controlled – Landings should be smooth, not shaky.

One way teams practice cleanliness is by “drilling” stunts in slow motion before adding speed or even “marking” their routine in general. This helps build muscle memory and keeps the routine looking polished.

Tumbling

Tumbling is another area where “cleaning it like you mean it” is important. Tumbling skills like back handsprings and fulls must be done with perfect form to avoid deductions.

• Pointed toes and straight legs make skills look controlled.
• Land with feet together – A sloppy landing can ruin a perfect pass.
• Set before flipping – Rushing through skills can cause falls.

Judges look for confidence and control, so even advanced tumblers must work on keeping their skills tight and sharp.

To make routines look effortless, teams may practice “cleaning” sessions where they go through their routine slowly and in sections. They may:

• Watch videos of their performance and note mistakes.
• Practice without music to focus on technique.
• Use counts instead of beats to ensure timing is perfect.

Cleaning a routine takes time, patience, and repetition, but it is the best way to stand out at competitions.

Judges in All Star Cheer don’t just score difficulty; they also score execution. A team with an impressive routine that is messy may lose points to a team that does simpler skills cleanly. That’s why teams work hard to clean routines before adding difficulty.

In a competition, the best teams aren’t just the ones with the hardest skills—they are the ones who perform with confidence, energy, and precision.

“Clean It Like You Mean It!” isn’t just a saying in All Star Cheer—it’s a mindset. It reminds athletes to take every motion, stunt, and tumbling pass seriously. A clean routine can mean the difference between first place and last. By focusing on sharp motions, solid stunts, and controlled tumbling, cheerleaders can show the judges they are ready to win!