Cheer stunting can be both an exhilarating and terrifying experience. Executed properly, a stunt draws gasps of amazement and awe from a crowd. But if every movement and action isn’t performed properly, it can be both dangerous and frightening.

There are two components to a stunting team, the bases and the flyers. Both members must know and be comfortable with each step of the process. All stunts should be practiced and performed on an even surface with proper spotting.

Starting from the elevator position…

Bases:

The bases should stand in a shoulder to hip width stance, squarely facing each other (see step1). They should decide on a designated count series such as one, two, down, up to ensure synchronized timing. This is called the dip and pop (see steps 1 through 3). The dip and pop must be done using the muscles of the legs and not the arms or back. At the moment of the pop (see step 3), the bases should powerfully explode in an upward motion to the point where their toes almost leave the ground. This is not a jumping motion.

Simultaneously, the bases’ arms should extend straight upward in a locked position to propel the flyer. The bases’ eyes must remain fixed on the flyer at all times. As the flyer descends, the bases catch her in an absorbing motion. To do this, it is important to catch her at the highest point possible to decelerate her landing (see step 5). The bases’ knees should bend with the catch(see step 6). After a brief pause, the bases will gently pop the flyer back into a standing position so that she lands in front of them.

Flyers:

A flyer should be comfortable with her bases and familiar with the beginning count series. During the entire stunt, the flyer should stay tight, keeping all muscles squeezed. On the pop, the flyer should pull herself upwards as she is being released from the bases’ arms. Her body should lean backwards (see steps 3 and 4), never forwards, with her back arched and belly facing the ceiling. Arm positioning is up to the flyer but must always remain tight and locked. Never pike during the stunt.

At the top of the toss, as soon as she begins to descend, the flyer should shift into a V position (see step 5), bending at the hips with her legs straight out and toes pointed. The flyer should always keep her abdominals engaged to support her back. She should catch herself on her bases, allowing them to pop her off into a sharp, finished position.

Remember that it is important for cheerleading teams that are active in stunting to have the proper shoes for support and to reduce injury. When looking for cheer shoes, it’s important to have finger grips, heel grooves, smoother traction on the bottom (flyers, your bases will be thanking you later), and flexible support. A recommended stunting shoe is the Asics Gel-Comp 2. They offer all of these features and are a good investment because they are durable. If the budget is a little tighter, the next best choice would be the Asics Cheer 5. It’s a comfortable shoe at a comfortable price, while maintaining quality.

Popularity: 38% [?]

Do you have what it takes to be a cheerleading flyer? A cheerleading flyer is the person at the top of the list for stunt performers. You have seen her in her cheerleading uniform. It is the girl who gets raised and thrown high into the air. It may be one of the most marvelous positions in cheerleading along with one of the more dangerous ones. It offers a sensational and electrifying feeling of flying through the air.

Cheerleading is a team sport. Each person on the squad is important. In order for a flyer to be successful, she must have great spotters. Weight and height do play a major role in whether you can be a flyer or not. However, if you have the awesome ability and the proper skills you could have what it takes to be a flyer.

An accomplished cheerleader should have what it takes to fill any job on her squad. Part of being a team player means doing the position your team needs you to do. Don’t set limitations by assuming you can only do one thing. You can do anything you set your mind to. However, there are skills and abilities that you will need to obtain to be a great flyer.

First of all, you need to be confident. Attitude can be everything in cheerleading. You must know in your heart that you can do it. If you think you can’t do something, you will sell yourself short in the long run. You must trust yourself and your teammates. You must know that if you fall, they will catch you. Knowing that your teammates won’t let you fall and that you won’t get hurt will help you to concentrate on getting the job done.
You must keep your hips and thighs stable. Don’t ever jolt your legs. You must be able to maintain your own weight. You have to be able to raise yourself with your arms. Maintaining your balance is very important. You must stay very stiff. Use your bases to keep yourself from wiggling. Timing is everything! You have to know what to do and when it needs to be done. Your job is to know when the correct level has been achieved to hit the stunt. You cannot have a fear of heights in order to be a flyer. It is important to keep eye contact with your audience. You will be the crowd motivator. Make sure to show the audience your beautiful smile!

As a flyer, remember to keep your legs tucked in so your feet are off the ground. When this drill is mastered, you will be able to move into stunting. During each stunt, it is important for the flyer to remember to stand up as fast as possible, stay tight, and keep those legs straight!

You need comfortable clothes in cheerleading. When practicing, you should wear cheer shorts, cheer t-shirts, cheer stretch pants, and cheer sneakers. During performances cheerleaders will wear their team’s cheerleading uniforms. It is a good idea to wear a sports bra. If you have long hair you should put it in ponytail. Headbands are good if you have short hair. It is a good idea to have a cheer bag with clothes to change into after a game or the competition. Pom-poms are a great accessory for cheerleaders and are pretty much mandatory.

If you want to be a flyer, you should know that it would take hard work and dedication. It takes a special individual to truly trust your teammates when they are throwing you up in the air. Being a cheerleader is no walk in the park. Cheerleading is not considered to be a sideline activity anymore. This sport involves intense competition, dedication, hard work and a true love for the sport.

Popularity: 97% [?]

So you’re hot, hip, and one of the trendiest performers out there, you’re a cheerleader! If you answered yes to this then the first step is already achieved, now let’s get down to the nitty gritty of the situation.

One thing to remember about that lean, mean, cheerleading machine of yours, is that you have to maintain your core strength in order to keep your performance as smooth and flawless as possible. What is core strength, you might ask? Core strength is the overall stamina of your inner torsos’ muscles, and helps to maintain good posture, a tight and toned abdomen and back, and also regulates the strength of your limbs. You can achieve this with core conditioning, or, a regular exercise routine geared toward your core muscles. Without a toned and maintained core, your overall performance will be lacking due to less control over your muscles and less stamina after a peak cheerleading performance.

Let’s go over the major areas a cheerleader is affected by core conditioning: 1st the Rectus Abdominis, these muscles are the front muscles of your abdomen, sometimes referred to as a “six pack”, that is, if you are one of those “ripped” hotties that has achieved that look in your cheerleading uniform. Next there is the Erector Spinae; these are three separate muscles that support from your neck down to your lower back. Underneath that lies the Multifidus, these muscles are along your spine and they rotate and extend your back. Ever hear of the term “flexible as a cat”? You do not want to let these dandies stiffen up! Along the sides and the front of your abdomen are the External Oblique’s, and beneath them, but running in the opposite direction, are the Internal Oblique’s. Deeper still is the Transverse Abdominis, these are beneath the other abdominals and are the muscles of your waist, they ensure protection and stability of your spine.

Moving on to the lower regions we find the Hip Flexors, these include several different muscles that are located in front of your pelvis and on the fronts of your thighs. They allow for that awesome cheerleading swing and sway you have that you know gets you noticed! Gluteus medius and minimus are the muscles on the sides of your hips and the Gluteus maximus, also referred to as the hamstring group, is located in the back of your hips and along your upper thighs and legs. Lastly we have the Hip adductors that are along your mid thigh.

Now that we know which muscles make up your core, and where they are found, let’s talk shop about how you can strengthen and maintain these core cheerleading muscles.

There are many exercises that can help you to reach that goal, here are a few to get you on your way to performing like a star and looking great in that cheerleading uniform:

1st: a tight and toned abdomen can be strengthened with the use of an exercise ball while doing crunches. Lean across the ball on your lower back with your feet planted squarely on the floor for support. Next cross your arms over your chest to help maintain balance. Slowly raise your head, neck, and shoulders upward using your abdomen muscles to pull yourself forward, then slowly lower yourself back. Repeat this movement for 5 reps of 10.

2nd: How about some fun? A great way to help strengthen your core is with balance exercising. With balancing you can use such devices as a wobble board, a BOSU Balance Trainer, or even foam rollers. Trying to keep balanced for as long as you can helps to tone and strengthen your deeper core muscles (Transverse Abdominis), try at least 5 reps of balancing for at least 30 seconds each time. You should increase the difficulty after each rep with the addition of a medicine ball (switching from hand to hand), or closing your eyes. This exercise can be a lot of fun with a partner.

3rd: Who says that it has to be difficult or extravagant to be effective? Come on Cheerleaders, try these little numbers on for size, abdominal braces are not only easy, but they create results! This is actually one of the main techniques to use during core training. All you have to do is contract your abdominal muscles. Imagine you are pulling your belly button in toward your spine, not by sucking in air of course, don’t hold your breath, but by tightening your muscles to achieve this bracing effect. Hold your muscles tight for as long as you can, trying to increase your times with each rep. Remember you should be able to breathe easily during this routine for the best effects.

4th: Another tried and true method for an overall core strengthening workout is the basic push up. That’s right squads, these dandy’s aren’t just for soldiers, doing pushups properly can effectively help to create and maintain a fit and healthy core. Pushups 101: lie down on your belly, with your hands on the floor a little wider apart than your shoulders, raise up onto your toes, keeping your body straight (no butts in the air). Push yourself upward with your arms and tighten your core muscles as you do this, raise yourself upward until your arms are straight but do not lock your elbows. Now lower yourself until your elbows are in a 90 degree angle, repeating this process for as many reps as you are able to. Exhale as you rise up, and inhale while you lower yourself. Remember to keep your core muscles tight throughout this routine.

Keeping your body fit is an important task that you should take seriously if you want to be a successful Cheerleader, of course too much work and not enough play can really bum you out, so be sure to make your work out as fun as possible! Group cheerleading routines have lots of potential to get downright silly, dancing is great for those core muscles and can also keep your cheer routines new and exciting, so liven it up and have a blast!

Popularity: 34% [?]

Do you often hear people say “Cheerleading is not a sport”? We here that, and our response is “Well, yes cheerleading is most definitely a sport.” According to a report just released by the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research (NCCSIR) Cheerleading is one of the most dangerous sports that girls participate in.
Sports require active participation, physical exertion and levels of completion. Cheerleading meets all of these criteria and is for sure a healthy and fun and team building sport.
Being a sport and listed as a sport that is dangerous just reinforces how important it is for all levels of Cheerleaders to be health conscious and like all other contact and extreme sports you must focus on your cardio, strength and flexibility if you want to excel and have a long future in cheerleading.
These are the three areas of physical conditioning all cheerleaders must focus on in and out of cheer season.
CARDIO
Cardio refers to the aerobic exercise, which increases blood flow to the heart. Cheerleading routines are usually only several minutes long but time intensive practices and routines require lots of stamina. Cheerleaders who tire out after 30 minutes can cause a team to falter or a teammate to get hurt. Stamina helps cheerleaders perform the dance, stunts and tumbling flawlessly. Some suggestions for improving stamina are walking, running, biking, swimming or any other exercise done for long periods of time that cause you to sweat and increase breathing.
STRENGTH
Cheerleading uses every muscle in the body. Particularly important is the core, or midsection. The core consists of the abdominals, oblique’s and lower back. A strong core allows a cheerleader to balance and tumble. Flyers are able to balance better and bases are able to support more easily. Strength is also needed for fumbling. Hurling your entire body around in mid-air required tons of muscle strength. Some suggestions for improving strength are weight training doing just a few exercises a day with hand and leg weights. This will increase the muscle strength needed to cheer.
FLEXIBILITY
Flexibility refers to the ability to flex, or bend one’s body. Obviously, cheerleaders need to be flexible. Splits, heel stretches, high kicks, backbends, and jumps can only be executed well if a cheerleader has the flexibility to do so. Some suggestions for improving flexibility are to complete a series of stretches every day and hold those stretches for 30 seconds.
Cheerleading has come a long way since its first showing in 1898 when Johnny Campbell stood before a crowd during a Minnesota football game and lead the first organized group yell. Today, cheerleaders still yell, but they also jump, dance, stunt, stretch and perform all types of gymnastics. All of which require the use of a cheerleader’s entire body. So, yes Cheerleading is definitely a sport!

For all your cheer sports needs: http://www.cheerleadingonline.com

Popularity: 14% [?]