Speaking of school sports days, there’s an event that’s almost as big as the competitions themselves: the cheer battle! Each class or team usually puts on a performance, but many people find it hard to decide what to do.
So in this article, we’ll introduce ideas for skits and performances that really hype up a cheer battle! There’s plenty to choose from—dances and songs, of course, plus cheers using props and classic ideas from sports cheering.
Be sure to showcase a unique, original performance that’s just for your class or team!
- [Sports Day Cheer Songs] A roundup of classic cheer songs and recommended tracks for parody versions
- [Dance Songs] Recommended for school sports days and athletic festivals! A curated selection of popular tracks that are fun to dance to
- Let's send our teammates a powerful cheer! A roundup of cheer calls for sports day.
- Top Songs to Hype Up Sports Day and Athletic Festivals [2026]
- Elementary schoolers can dance to it! Recommended dance songs and choreography for sports day
- Cheer songs to hype up the sports day! A collection of motivational tracks recommended for kids
- [Boost Your Energy] A Collection of Cool and Funny Team Huddles
- [Sports Day] Get Fired Up! Cool Phrases Recommended for Cheer Squads
- Get hyped! A collection of Vocaloid songs to energize your sports day and athletic festival
- Get Fired Up! A Collection of Anime Songs to Hype Up Your Sports Day and Athletic Festival
- Songs that hype up Sports Day and Athletic Festivals: Japanese Music / J-Pop Artist Rankings [2026]
- Recommended Songs for Group Gymnastics: A Collection of Tracks to Elevate Your Routine [2026]
- Songs that hype up the athlete entrance at school sports festivals
[Sports Day/Field Day] Hype-Creating Cheer Battle Ideas & Performances (1–10)
switch pieceTesesaku ch
Let me introduce the TeseSaku Channel’s cheer song, “Switch-it Peace.” It’s a short piece under one minute, but every part is packed with a message of encouragement.
When you’re feeling down after a mistake, doesn’t it lift your spirits just to hear “Switch it up!” and “Peace!”? When the “peace” part comes, let’s all make peace signs together and get excited.
The lyrics and rhythm are simple, so you’ll pick it up quickly.
It could also be fun to arrange the lyrics and create different versions.
Towel dance
At sports days and athletic festivals, a towel for wiping away sweat is an indispensable item.
Let’s create a sense of unity with choreography that incorporates the towels everyone is likely to have.
The key is to get everyone involved while building excitement by choosing music that fits and deciding how to move the towels.
Spin-the-towel moves that heighten the energy, towel-based stretches—use the towels in a variety of ways from different angles.
Clapping and call-and-response
The clapping and chants you see at baseball and soccer games are incredibly synchronized, even though people haven’t gathered to practice beforehand.
I’m not sure if it’s related, but I’ve heard that countries with active agricultural work are also skilled at collaborating.
So why not try cheers that focus on clapping and call-and-response? Some schools prohibit instruments or noisemakers in cheering competitions, so this is especially recommended for those schools.
Let’s create synchronized sounds with handclaps, stomps, or patting your thighs.
The actions are simple, but the thrill when many people sync up is greater than you’d expect!
Performance using cloth
You sometimes see this at the Koshien high school baseball tournament: students wearing the same color hats, neatly forming the initials of their school in the Alps stands.
Chiben Gakuen and PL Gakuen are famous examples.
In mass performances, there are also routines that use color boards or fabric.
If you can secure plenty of practice time, why not try a performance using fabric? A performance that uses many colors requires a fair amount of preparation, but the sense of accomplishment when you pull it off will surely be huge.
Start by skillfully recreating formless elements like waves, wind, or flames to add energy to your cheers! And if you can recreate an anime character, that would be the best.
Mega Hon Dance
When you think of watching sports and cheering, megaphones probably come to mind.
People use them to amplify their voices or as noisemakers.
How about using those megaphones to cheer with a “megaphone dance”? Use megaphones in your team’s colors as an accent, give them an occasional shake or tap, and shout call-and-response lines through the megaphone while you dance.
It looks vibrant and makes for an incredibly exciting cheering performance.
Try dancing to your favorite songs!
Umbrella performance
A variety of props are used in performances, right? Fans, swords, and flags are common, but if you want a distinctive prop that won’t overlap with others, how about using an umbrella? A traditional Japanese oil-paper umbrella (wagasa/bangasa) suits the Japanese aesthetic of the performance, and incorporating your team colors will help it match perfectly.
Opening and closing the umbrella can add movement beyond fixed forms, too.
You could even customize a bangasa with patterns or stylishly write your slogan on it!
body slap
Body slapping is making sounds by hitting your body or stomping on the ground.
Think of the feel of Queen’s classic “We Will Rock You” to get the idea.
You can create lots of variety by changing which body parts you use, the number of performers, and how you combine patterns.
Adding dance elements makes it even more engaging to watch.
A structure of rhythm only—or rhythm with singing or chants—works especially well to bring out the strengths of body slapping, and is highly recommended.
