Tips and Techniques for Improved Stunting: Flying

Ask any cheerleader what the most exciting part of cheerleading is and chances are they will say it’s stunting. Ask the same cheerleader what one of the most challenging parts of cheerleading is and chances are they will say it’s the stunting. However, just because stunting is one of the most exciting elements of cheerleading, does not mean it necessarily has to be the most challenging.

Let’s take a look at the core concepts and training tips that all flyers should know and practice to improve their skills.

First, and most importantly, flying is not balancing. Balancing requires a person to shift their weight in different directions to remain in one place. Since balancing is not the fundamental goal of flying, top girls should stop thinking that balancing is what they need to do to stay in the air.

Instead, think of flying as lifting. By lifting up and taking the weight out of the legs, thighs and hips, flyers can make it easier for bases to do their job. Flyers should tighten their abdominal muscles and shrug their shoulders, lifting up through the mid-section all the way through the top of the head. Think of a single string being pulled up through the middle of the body; everything lifts and rises to the top.

Training Tip #1: Practice step-up drills onto a sturdy chair, training box or step with light weights in your hands, no more than five pounds each. As you step up, immediately shrug through your shoulders, contracting your abs and lifting through the top of your head. This simulates the concept of standing up and immediately lifting your weight out of your lower half.

The next set of core concepts flyers must learn is to keep their arms pinned to their side, their legs glued together and their knees locked out at all times. It sounds simple and is taught all the time, however these mistakes tend to be the major problems flyers face. By bringing the arms and legs together while building or transitioning to a stunt, the flyer creates a single point in her feet for the bases to focus on. Every time a flyer moves her arms away from her side or separates her legs – even a little – the flyer causes a shift in the direction in which her weight is moving, essentially putting the brakes on the stunt.

Training Tip #2: Work on drills to improve body control. Start with the basic hollow hold. Have a partner try to pull your legs apart at the ankles, while you squeeze your inner thighs and legs together. After a couple sets, try the reverse; have a partner try to push your ankles together as you resist. To make this exercise more challenging, try to perform it on an incline. Have your partner lift you by the ankles, while staying in a plank position. In order to accomplish this, you must contract your core and lift your hips. You want to avoid any bending at the waist.  

Finally, to improve flexibility and leg strength for better body positions in the air, flyers should be sure they are stretching consistently and correctly. This means committing to a certain amount of time each day stretching. Along with improving flexibility, stretching regularly will help keep the muscles healthy and better prepare the body for harder workouts.  

Training Tip #3: Take ten minutes to warm-up the body before stretching. Once you start stretching, be sure not to bounce. Hold each stretch for at least 15 seconds, breathing deeply into the muscles. Use a partner to help you stretch as they will be able to help with resistance stretching. To improve leg strength, be sure to work your hip flexors. Leg raises, fire hydrants, leg extensions and leg kicks are all great exercises to strengthen the hips and rear.

If flyers can learn and master these core concepts and training tips, their skill and confidence in the air will begin to improve dramatically. Make sure you check back in a couple weeks when I go through the core concepts and training tips of basing!

Article Written by David Kirschner – President, The Spirit Consultants, LLC www.thespiritconsultants.com