Returning to Cheerleading After a Concussion
Cheerleading is a competitive, fun, and popular sport for many ages. Competitive cheerleading can start as young as five years old and continue through collegiate levels. Most school affiliated cheer teams begin in middle or high school. Cheerleaders are often divided into two main categories based on which skills they perform: flyers and bases. Flyers are the athletes who are lifted or tossed into the air or on the top of stunts. Bases are the athletes who perform the lifting or toss, and they catch the flyers. Both flyers and bases perform tumbling passes.
How to Rock Your Cheerleading Tryouts
Cheerleading has become one of the fastest-growing sports, and it is no surprise why! Cheerleading has evolved into an activity involving gymnastics, stunts, jumps, and dance jam-packed into a three-minute routine, while most times simultaneously cheering for your school. We hope these tips help you feel more prepared for your big day!
How Shoulders Can Affect the Low Back in Cheerleaders
Cheerleading is a popular sport in high schools and universities, and a competitive all-star sport. All-star teams are comprised of a variety of ages; they can be co-ed and practice multiple days per week for competitions. Cheerleading athletes are more susceptible to certain injuries, including a high incidence of low back pain.
5 Exercises to Improve Core Strength for Cheer Stunting
The core is the foundation for your entire body. Your core is much more than just abdominal muscles; the core includes the whole trunk, including the front, back, sides, and pelvic floor, and it spans from your shoulder blades to your hips. Every movement for a cheerleader starts at the core. If cheerleaders are not activating the core, then all movements, including running, squatting, basket tosses, and stunting, could be weaker, slower, or lead to injury.
4 Ways Cheerleaders Can Get Higher Jumps
Many cheerleaders want to achieve higher and more powerful jumps. Jumps take practice and repetition. Jumping also involves the whole body, requiring strength in your legs, hips, core, back, and upper body. These four focus areas may help you achieve your high jumping goals!
Cheerleading Safety Tips
Cheerleading is a potentially high risk sport and it involves extensive and consistent training.
Participation in cheerleading ranges from young kids through collegiate athletes. The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) estimates approximately 400,000 students participate in U.S. high school cheerleading annually, including competitive squads.1 Cheerleaders can be found at the elementary, junior high, high school, and collegiate levels as well as at park districts or private competitive gyms. Cheerleading squads can be all-girl or co-ed.
Spotting Safety During Tumbling
With many tumbling sports, such as gymnastics and cheerleading, one of the most obvious risks for injury is to the athlete doing the tumbling skill. However there is also a risk for the spotter.
The spotter is usually a coach or teammate who works to make sure tumbling skills are performed safely. For many coaches, the ratio of athletes to coach is such that they can be performing many repetitions of the same movement during a single practice. This can place added stress and increase the risk of injury to the spotter’s shoulder, wrist and low back.
Stretch Rx for Achieving the Splits
Is your goal to learn the splits?
Beyond just improving flexibility, this skill can be useful for athletes in a variety of sports – from gymnasts and cheerleaders to hockey goalies. However, learning to safely perform this movement takes a lot of practice and consistency. See below for recommended stretches and some evidence-based tips for improving your flexibility and achieving this goal.