Being a cheerleader is challenging, and there’s always opportunity for improvement. No matter what level you’re at, you can be better. The same motions over and over make you feel comfortable and reassured about cheering, but then the unexpected happens‚ your coach throws a wrench in the routine with new stunts. The change-up means long practice hours, extra brainpower and coordination when you go full out, and heightened measures of faith that your stunt group will all be attentive so that no one ends up broken or busted. If you’re a flyer, this can sound terrifying, yet strangely stimulating. New ways to fly? What fun! If you’re a base, you automatically envision all the novel ways you can get kicked in the face‚ yet you’re determined to not let that happen. Since your mind starts racing at the mention of new stunts, these are the three main reasons why you secretly love to learn them at the same time. Danger is your middle name. Don’t tell your coach that (or your parents), but the element of impending danger makes learning a new stunt all the more enjoyable to do. You feel rebellious against gravity, against your body’s limits, against the cheer industry itself! What if no one has ever done a stunt like this before? Let’s make history happen, people! Obviously, you need to stay safe and take all the necessary precautions at practice while you work to conquer the stunt in order to not fall, break, or die. If you feel that your group isn’t at the level it needs to be before a run-through, tell your coach ahead of time to avoid hurting each other. The key to mastering stunts is working in baby steps, not biting off more than you can chew and ending up choking. Pain is progress. Throughout the time you work on a new stunt, you feel it EVERYWHERE. Your legs and arms burn more than they have in a long time, and anyone addicted to fitness will be thrilled! You’re getting more in shape than you already are because stunts require you to build up certain muscles. Yeah, you probably have way more bruises than normal and you might be terrified when your coach says to run it through again, but that’s all part of the process. You know that no stunt is too difficult to accomplish when your team is dedicated to the task. So what if you get some scrapes along the way, the end result is going to awe the masses! There’s no “I’ in “NEW STUNT’. Cheerleading is one of the most team-oriented sports in existence, one that requires everyone to be on point and working together in order to pull it off. When you’re on a cheer team, it’s nice to be reminded exactly how much you have to rely on your teammates; this is especially evident when you are asked to execute something you’ve never done before. Training for advanced stunting draws you closer to your teammates through communication and trust, which ultimately creates a better bond all-around. There aren’t any words to describe the exhilaration you get when you hit every mark in a performance and the final stunt you’ve been working so hard on makes the crowd erupt. What else do you secretly love about learning new stunts? What stunting tips do you have for cheer teams as they practice? Let us know in the comments!
Search results for
"stunts"
Stunting can be the
most intimidating part of cheer to coach, but it’s just about every cheerleader’s favorite thing to do. Cheerleading Blog contributor and coach
Kate Boyd is here to help with the release of her online course, Cheerleading Stunt School for Coaches. The course is a great resource for coaches who want to develop or improve their stunt coaching.Boyd says the course is “for coaches who desire to be better and push their teams on to bigger and better things.” In doing so, Kate says these coaches are “being real heroes of generations of young men and women through cheerleading.”
The course gives you access to lots of videos and printable resources. In the videos, cheerleaders from the University of Texas-Dallas demonstrate the stunts, while Kate walks you through them, step-by-step. The course includes these instructional videos on basic, advanced and elite stunts, as well as transitions and inversions. In addition to the how-to guides for stunts, there is a video series on how to coach stunts, from terms and safety to effectively teaching the moves.
Each video category contains a handful of instructional videos and printable guides. In Basic Stunts, for example, there are instructional videos on the thigh stand, gut stand, climb to shoulder sit, assisted shoulder sit, step lock drill, t-hang drill, and hang drill. The printable resources for that category are “Basic Stunt 8-Count Sheets,” “Basic Stunts: Common Mistakes Cheat Sheet” and “Progression Stunt Grip Photos.”
The videos include a list of the things you will learn from watching them. After watching the “Teaching Stunts” video, for example, viewers will know how to get everyone on the same page and count, how to make a new stunt easy to digest, and how to be as effective as possible when teaching something new.
For more information on Cheerleading Stunt School for Coaches and to access the free course, go to
www.cheerleadingstuntschool.com.UPDATE: This course now costs $149. Kate explained the cost on the website:
When you’re ready to change something about yourself, you typically need a little motivation-some skin in the game-to really make it happen. That’s one of the main reasons I charge for Stunt School. The other main reason is that it really is jam-packed with practical information about stunting. I’ve taken all the guesswork out for you, and it’s focused on the one area that you want most. You get the information you need to know about stunts and how to practically put it into use. $149 is an amazing value for the focused and action oriented information packed into stunt school. Plus, with lifetime access, you get all of the new stunts and info that may pop up as cheerleading stunts evolve.
There are other free resources for cheerleading coaches at
kateboydcheerleading.com.When cheerleading first began, the main goal was all about building team spirit. When stunting was incorporated into sideline chants and cheers as a new way to entertain the fans, it also allowed cheerleaders to show a new level of talent and be recognized in a different and innovative way. This free guide details the step-by-step instructions for some of today’s most popular cheer stunts and dismounts. Each stunt and dismount is broken down by position (flyer, base or spotter) and includes coordinating visuals guides! It’s a great resource for anyone looking to break into cheerleading, take their skills to the next level, or even a coach looking for a resource to help them teach.
Fill out the form below to get your free copy now, and easily save, print and share this guide with your cheer community!
Omni Cheer Blog does not sell your contact information. See our privacy policy.
Preview
History
Learn how cheerleading stunt got started, and about how the rules and regulations for skills were developed – and how they are changing.Calling Stunts
Before any group attempts a stunt or dismount, they should discuss and decide on a standard count series. Each and every stunt and dismount a group performs should be done on counts. Learn the basics of calling stunts and access some examples.Positions
There are 3 main positions in a stunting group: flyers, bases and spotters. Each has their own responsibilities within the group. Learn about each and get position-specific tips for each.Stunts
Stunting for cheerleading can be both an exhilarating and terrifying experience. Executed properly, a stunt draws gasps of amazement and awe from a crowd. Check out these how-to steps for an L thigh stand, shoulder sit, shoulder stand, an elevator and a basic extension.Dismounts
Once the flyer is in position for the stunt, what next? Well, she needs to be able to come back down to the ground safely, and the dismount should be performed as cleanly as the stunt itself. Check out these how-to steps for pop downs, cradles and more!Download your FREE copy of the guide now to access all the tips and step-by-step visuals for all the most popular cheerleading moves!
There are a lot of fun, amazing, physic-defying things that happen in cheerleading, and at the top of the awesome list is stunting! Over the years, cheerleading has morphed to include jaw-dropping moments that are far cries away from where the sport started, waving poms on the side of collegiate football games. Instead, cheer teams go full out in new and creative ways with every fresh routine that comes along, and stunts are starting to be more and more intricate. Some stunts remain classic though, so we put together lists for why each one is an oldie, but goodie.
- First up on the list of awesome stunts, the pyramid! What’s a cheer team without a big doggy pile of teammates? You can’t build a pyramid with only one person, so the pyramid stunt really brings your team together in the middle of any routine. Plus, there are so many ways to assemble one! With how much the crowd gets pumped for pyramids, we’ve made a list of 5 Reasons Why Doing Pyramids are AWESOME. Oh, and we decided to put GIFs to it, too!
- Conversely, some stunts you can pull off all by yourself. You might not think of scorpions as stunts, since they resemble more of a backwards heel stretch, but they are indeed considered a stunt! It takes a lot of dedication to thread that needle and really make your scorpion tight, so we have compiled 4 Reasons to Love Doing Cheerleading Scorpions‚ because it’s going to be a little frustrating at first, as you force your flexibility in a very unnatural way‚
- Some stunts and jumps have history embedded right into them, and you perpetuate their tradition every time you do them in a routine. One such cheer historical jump is the Herkie, which is actually named after a real person! Even though it is only one jump (versus a long, complex tumble combination), Herkie jumps are harder than they appear. We reveal the Herkie’s long backstory in our article 4 Reasons to Love Doing Herkie Jumps. It’s never too late to learn more about your sport, and Lawrence Herkimer is one name to know!
- We, as Americans, live in a great country, and one of the main patriotic symbols of our freedom is the Statue of Liberty. Speaking of Lady Liberty, the liberty stunt really gets any audience going‚ with your flyer standing tall and proud atop a sturdy base group! What other stunt announces to the world more that you’re a cheerleader, and you are proud of it? In order to truly be a cheerleader for American teams and dreams, you have to be able to land a liberty. Well, just in case you need to be convinced, we assembled 4 Reasons to Love Doing a Liberty.
There are many other stunts, tucks, and tumbles out there to love‚ these are just a few! As you consider your cheer goals for your next season, keep these jaw-dropping stunts in mind to really hammer them down!
Is your favorite stunt, jump, or motion not on this list? Tell us what it is in the comments for next time!
A cheerleading flyer is the gravity-defying individual you see being thrown into the air or contorting their bodies into ridiculous shapes while balancing on a bunch of hands. It is one of the more dangerous positions on a squad. If you want to be a flyer, you should know that it takes hard work and dedication. This guide will help flyers prepare for their position, and also includes step-by-step visual guides for some of the most popular flyer stunts!
Fill out the form below to get your free copy now, and easily save, print and share this guide with your cheer community!
Omni Cheer Blog does not sell your contact information. See our privacy policy.
Preview
Prep Steps
The first step for a cheer flyer, before ever even performing a stunt, is to work on her balance and flexibility. Check out our preparation section which includes stretches and balancing techniques developed specifically for flyers!How To Do Flyer Skills
This section includes step-by-step instructions and tips, along with visual guides, for performing the most popular flyer stunts. You’ll learn how to master the liberty, arabesque, scales, heel stretch, scorpion, needle and bow and arrow.The bonus section includes tips for having a safe season!
Download your FREE copy of the guide now to access all the tips and step-by-step visuals for all the most popular flyer moves!
Want stunting advice and tips for cheerleading or gymnastics? Then you’ve come to the right place! Check out all of Cheerleading Blog’s how-to articles on stunts and tumbling. We’ll walk you through the basics, from simple cheerleading jumps, like herkies, to advanced tumbling, like handsprings. If you’re wondering how to do a scorpion – a popular move for gymnasts and cheerleaders – then read out to see how to prepare for this stunt and how to do it step-by-step.
The scorpion cheerleading stunt takes an incredible amount of flexibility and balance. The following exercises and stretches will help you get close to your goal of performing the scorpion. Remember to always warm your muscles up before exerting your body in any serious stretching.
The first great stretch to do (and this will probably yield the highest success rate) is the splits. The leg that you will be pulling up into the scorpion should be behind you with that leg’s knee facing the ground. The leg that you will be balancing on will be in front of you with the knee facing up and your toes pointed up as well. Finally, lean back into your split and gently arch your back. The next step in the split is to continue to lean the body back with you body tilted a little to the side and grab your ankle that is behind you. Slowly bend your knee and raise your calf to your head while leaning back. The goal of this stretch is to eventually get you foot to touch your head.
Try using a stunt strap, dog leash, anything that has a loop at both ends (one to put your foot through and the other to grab with you hand and pull up). Make sure that it is strong enough and that it will not snap while stretching. Put your foot that will be going behind your head through one loop and take you’re hand that that is on the same side of the body as the leg going behind your head and grab the other loop. Start pulling your foot towards your head with the pulling device. This is a great way to train for the scorpion because you not only stretch out muscles, but this stretch helps build muscles in the other leg for balancing. If you are having trouble balancing, use a wall to help stabilize your muscles.
Having a coach or fellow cheerleader stand by to help you stretch can also yield good stretch techniques. Try facing a wall and press your palms against it. Bend the leg going behind your head and have your partner slowly push it towards your head as high as it will possibly go.
Backbends are also important for stretching. Flexibility in the back muscles are ideal for the stretch, but are often forgotten. Also keep in mind that when you are finally performing the stunt, that it is not your hands that are pulling you into the scorpion, rather your hands are merely a guide for the leg that is lifted behind the head. This will help you lift your leg into a higher stance and make a “tear drop” appearance.
When doing complex stretches like the scorpion, it’s equally important to wear comfortable
cheer clothing, like Chasse’s new
Multi-Color Lycra Racer Tank and
Lycra Wrap Skirt. The racer tank is a great top for practice and features lightweight breathable accents, as well as a built-in shelf bra for extra support. The lycra wrap skirt is another excellent selection in practice wear and comes complete with elastic waist and built-in lycra shorts. Together, the multi color lycra racer tank and the wrap skirt create the perfect exercise outfit, providing support and comfort where it is needed most.As a cheerleader, another very important consideration is
cheerleading shoes. Narrow down your search for the perfect shoe with the
Nike Cheer Flash Shoe – a perfect fit for any cheerleading team focused on stunting. With midfoot strapping for support, phylon midsole for lightweight cushioning and all around traction, this cheer shoe is perfect for any weather. The Cheer Flash is not only comfortable, but durable and has functional grips for bases’ hands.For those more focused on tumbling, the
Chasse Performer is a great option for any cheerleader who demands high quality at an affordable price. The Performer weighs only 6.3 ounces and its ultra low profile and rubber outsole allow for better floor control and secure traction. Recommended for springboard floor use, the Performer is available in youth and adult sizes.When cheer takes over your daily routine, you can really use a small series of hacks just to function through everyday life. With all the hours of practice and what goes into…
Want stunting advice and tips for cheerleading or gymnastics? Then you’ve come to the right place! Check out all of Cheerleading Blog’s how-to articles on stunts and tumbling. We’ll walk you through…
Whether you are looking to start a co-ed cheerleading teams at your school or you are joining a co-ed team, here is a review of some of the pros and cons that…
Trying out for cheer for the first time can be scary and nerve-racking, whether you’re trying out for your middle school squad or are going out for the high school team. You must be prepared…