Key Takeaways
- Flyers need core strength, leg strength, flexibility, and balance to perform confidently in the air.
- Practicing stunt positions on the ground can help build muscle memory before taking skills into the air.
- Small technique reminders, like locking knees, keeping feet level, and trusting the bases, can support cleaner stunt execution.
- Flyers should work closely with coaches, bases, and back spotters when troubleshooting balance issues.
Even though stunting is a cheer team involvement and flyers would be nothing without their back spotters or bases, there is still a huge responsibility of performance on the individual flyer. You not only need to have core strength, strong legs, and extreme flexibility, but cheer flyers also need to have impeccable balance techniques to help make the bases’ jobs easier and prevent injury.
Below is a compiled list of exercises you can do on your own to increase your core and your balance techniques. Plus, these are tips you’ll need to know once you’re in the air to prevent your team from looking like a pile of dominoes!
Exercises to Practice on Your Own
Practice the liberty position
Practice standing on one foot in the liberty position. Start on the floor and use a chair if you need extra stability. As your balance progresses, you can take this exercise to the next level by using a safe and stable object to stand on, such as a parking spot curb or a soup can. The best way to gain balance is to actually put it into practice and gain muscle memory.
Also, whether you’re practicing on the ground, on an object, or in the air, don’t look down. This will throw off your balance. Try choosing a steady focal point straight ahead so your body can stay lifted and controlled.
Build comfort with flyer body positions
Once you have mastered the above exercise, practice standing and holding your position in liberties, arabesques, heel stretches, bow and arrows, and scorpions on the floor. You need to feel comfortable performing these movements on the ground before you can take them to the air.
Once your muscle memory has developed and you can easily perform each of these positions, practice transitioning between combinations of movements. Depending on how advanced your squad is, flyers may be expected to perform multiple positions in one lift.
If you are still learning basic stunt technique, it can also help to review Omni Cheer’s guide to basic stunts and dismounts so you understand how flyer balance connects with the rest of the stunt group.
Tips to Remember When You Are in the Air
- Make sure to lock your knees.
- Don’t try to balance yourself. You may overcorrect and cause injury to you and your team. The bases will balance you and you’ll need to trust them. Staying tight and controlled can help your bases do their job.
- If the ball of your foot is lower than the rest of your foot, lift your big toe to lift the front of your foot.
- If you’re heel-heavy and your toes are higher than the rest of your foot, curl your toes or push them downward to level your feet. You want to keep your feet as flat as possible and provide your bases with a platform that’s easy to work with.
- If you roll your ankles when in the air, you need to spend time strengthening them. This can cause serious injury that can prevent you from flying in the future. See the past article about strengthening your legs. If you are in the process of strengthening your ankles and you’re still having issues, you can curl your toes under while in the air. Also, your back spotters should have a firm grip on your ankles.
- Remember to lock your legs after push off and pinch your booty together. This will stiffen your legs and help your center of balance.
- If you collapse at the top of your stunt, you could be not locking your legs soon enough. Work on locking your legs immediately after you push off and make sure your butt isn’t below your knees during loading into the stunt.
- If you’re just not able to hit the stunt at all, have your coach and back spotters time your group on the lift and work on hitting your times in unison. Practice counting and mimicking the motions on the floor before actually putting it in the air.
- If you don’t feel balanced once you’re up and you’ve tried all of the above, it could be the way the bases are holding your feet. Have your coach and back spotters make sure both feet are being held at the same level and the bases are actually making a platform with their hands.
Keep Practicing Flyer Balance
So there you have it. A list of everything you need to have in your arsenal to be a successful flyer. Add these tips and exercises to your daily fitness regimen to see specific results for your position on the cheer squad.
As you practice, remember that flyer balance is not just about standing still. It is about staying tight, trusting your stunt group, listening to your coach, and building consistent body control from the ground up.