Cheerleading Gear: Cheer Shoes, Home Mats, Ankle Braces and Recovery

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The night before a competition, the cheer bag gets packed on the living room floor: white shoes wiped clean, the bow in its own box so it doesn’t crush, an ankle brace, a water bottle, snacks, and slides for the ride home. Cheerleading gear is simpler than in most sports, but a few things matter a lot: shoes that grip in a stunt, a brace if an ankle has rolled before, and, if your athlete practices at home, a mat and some rules about what happens on it. This guide covers cheer shoes, bows and uniforms, home tumbling mats with the safety notes that matter, ankle braces and recovery gear.

Prices change often. The prices below are what we saw at the maker or a major retailer in October 2026; check the current price before you buy.

Our top picks

What the rules say about gear

Under the 2025–26 USASF all-star rules, athletes must compete in soft-soled shoes with a solid sole; dance shoes, boots and gymnastics slippers aren’t allowed. Jewelry of any kind is banned, including clear plastic pieces, and can’t be taped over (medical ID tags are the exception); rhinestones are fine on the uniform but not on skin or hair. Braces and soft casts that are unaltered from the maker’s design need no extra padding, while altered ones must be padded, and an athlete in a hard cast or walking boot can’t stunt, tumble or toss. School rules are similar. More in our cheerleading rules guide.

Cheer shoes

Cheer shoes are lighter and more flexible than running shoes, with grippy rubber where bases hold a flyer’s feet and where tumblers push off. Fit them snug, and check the size advice: many cheer shoes run small. Many teams choose one model so everyone matches.

• Nfinity Vengeance (about $130): synthetic, with an open mesh upper that shows a colored sock, three rubber pads in high-wear areas and bubble laces that stay tied. The listing advises ordering one size up for women and two sizes up for men.
• chassé Apex (about $53–68): built for sideline and competitive cheer, with a TPU support system tied into a metal-eyelet lace system and textured gripping panels for stunting. There’s also an Apex Youth version in kids’ sizes.

Nfinity says the Vengeance is made for indoor use on cheer mats and gym floors and that rough outdoor surfaces can wear it out early, so keep a separate pair of sneakers for the walk to the gym. Replace cheer shoes when the grip wears smooth.

Check the Nfinity Vengeance price on Amazon

Check the chassé Apex price on Amazon

Bows and uniforms

Uniforms and bows are almost always ordered through the team, so you rarely buy them yourself. USASF’s standards ask that bows not be excessive in size, be secured well and never fall over the forehead into the eyes; hair goes up and off the face in a simple style. Uniforms must cover the athlete properly, with briefs under skirts and a minimum inseam on shorts, and exposed midriffs are only allowed in certain older divisions. Have the coach check fit early: a uniform that rides up or a bow that slips is a distraction in a stunt.

Mats for home tumbling: safety first

A folding mat at home is great for stretching, conditioning, jumps, handstand holds and cartwheels a coach has already taught. It is not a place to learn new tumbling or to stunt. A few rules many coaches use: no stunts, tosses or flips at home, nothing new without a coach, an adult nearby, clear space all around, and a flat floor under the mat. Cheer’s own rules ban stunts and tumbling on hard or uneven surfaces and say carpet over a hard floor isn’t enough, so a thin mat doesn’t make a garage floor safe for big skills. The American Academy of Pediatrics strongly discourages home trampolines.

The BalanceFrom 4-panel mat is 10 × 4 feet and 2 inches thick with a vinyl cover, folds to 4 × 4 feet, weighs 15 lb and has hook-and-loop ends to join more mats, at about $103. It cushions floor work and drills; it’s not a landing mat for flips.

Check the BalanceFrom folding mat price on Amazon

Ankle braces and wrist supports

The ankle is among the most often injured areas in cheer: in a survey of high school cheerleaders it was the top injury site (24.4% of injuries). The National Athletic Trainers’ Association’s position statement recommends that athletes with a previous ankle sprain tape or brace for all practices and games, and notes lace-up and semirigid braces reduce repeat sprains, alongside balance training. The ASO EVO ankle stabilizer (about $42) and the McDavid 195 (about $35, a light brace with figure-6 straps that mimic athletic tape) are common choices. Compare more in our ankle brace guide.

Wrists take the weight in tumbling and basing. Some tumblers wear gymnastics wrist supports such as Tiger Paws (about $65 a pair), but a 2023 study in young gymnasts found supports change how force moves through the wrist on landing, so they’re not a fix for pain. Wrist pain with weight-bearing, or an ankle that keeps rolling, needs a sports medicine doctor, physical therapist or athletic trainer; see cheerleading injuries.

Check the ASO EVO price on Amazon

Check the McDavid 195 price on Amazon

Flexibility and recovery gear

Flyers live on flexibility, and many stretch daily with a strap. The OPTP Stretch Out Strap (about $16) is a 6-foot nylon strap with ten loops and a 40-page exercise booklet, made in the USA. After long practices and competition days, soft slides like the OOFOS OOahh (about $60, APMA Seal of Acceptance, machine washable) feel good on tired feet, and a foam roller such as the TriggerPoint GRID 1.0 (about $40) works for calves, quads and upper back. Older athletes may like a small massage gun like the Theragun Mini (about $220). These are comfort tools, not treatment; SafeSport’s rules say coaches shouldn’t massage minor athletes, so kids should use them on their own or with a parent. Compare more in our best recovery shoes, best foam rollers and best massage guns guides, and see the cheer recovery page.

Check the OPTP Stretch Out Strap price on Amazon

Check the OOFOS OOahh Slide price on Amazon

The cheer bag checklist

• Cheer shoes (clean), and socks.
• Uniform or practice wear, bow, hair ties and pins; no jewelry.
• Ankle brace or tape, if your athlete uses one.
• Water bottle and real snacks (see our game day and competition day guide).
• A warm layer for long waits between warm-up and the routine.
• Slides for after, and a stretch strap.

Back to the cheerleading hub, or see youth cheerleading, cheerleading training and, for comparison, gymnastics gear.

Cheerleading gear questions

Can I wear regular sneakers for cheer?

For a first practice, usually yes. For competition, USASF requires soft-soled shoes with a solid sole, and cheer shoes are lighter and grip better in stunts. Dance shoes and gymnastics slippers aren’t allowed.

Do cheer shoes run small?

Many do. The Nfinity Vengeance listing recommends one size up for women and two for men, and chassé suggests measuring with its size guide. Try them on in socks you’ll wear.

Is a 2-inch mat enough for tumbling at home?

It’s good for stretching, conditioning and basic skills a coach has taught. It isn’t enough for flips or new skills; those belong in the gym on a spring floor with a coach.

Can cheerleaders wear an ankle brace in competition?

Yes. Under USASF rules, braces unaltered from the maker’s design need no extra padding. Altered braces must be padded, and hard casts and walking boots aren’t allowed in stunts, tumbling or tosses.

Can I tape over earrings for cheer?

No. USASF rules require jewelry to be removed and specifically say it can’t be taped over. Plan new piercings around the season.