Cheerleading Coaching Center

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Beginning Stunt Progression – How to Know When to Progress with Your Beginning Cheerleaders

One question that we get A LOT has to do with beginning stunts and where to begin with stunting; here is a question from Coach Lisa from Cleveland Ohio:

“… I am a Pee Wee Coach and I need some stunts that my girls can do and do SAFELY.  What stunts should I begin with and when should I progress with them?”

Thank you Coach Lisa for your question as we have TONS of tips to help you have a safe and amazing season with your team; check out our tips below:

  1. We suggest that you start with the perfect beginning stunt, the Pony Mount, as it is super simple and a great way to master the 3 parts of a stunt ( base, flyer, and spotter ).  For all of the details on How to Do a Pony Mount, CLICK HERE.
  2. The next stunt you should teach your team is the Double Thigh Stand. This stunt is SO VERSITILE that you can use it for all of your routines and just add the variations and it looks GREAT! Also, this stunt is great to teach your flyers how to climb as well as teaching your bases to hold your flyer and learn dismounts.  For all of the details on How to do a Double Thigh Stand, CLICK HERE.
  3. Beginning Stunt Progression: The best way to decide when to progress to the next stunt is to MASTER your current level stunt and then move on. For example, when you MASTER your basic Double Thigh Stand, then you can start Double Thigh Stand variations like the L Stand, Liberty Stand and more.
  4. Here is an example of a Beginning Stunt Progression, CLICK HERE for full details:
    • Pony Mounts
    • Curtsy Sit
    • Knee Sit
    • L Sit
    • Hanging Stag
    • Hand Stand Liberty
    • Double Thigh Stands
    • Double Thigh Stand Variations:
      • L Stand
      • Thigh Stand Hitch
      • Thigh Stand L
      • Thigh Stand Lean Over
      • Thigh Stand Liberty

So how do you know you have mastered your stunt?

  1. When your flyer is tight and does not wobble while in the stunt. Also she lands with both feet together and is clean all the way through the stunt.
  2. Your bases should be REALLY STEADY and not wobble. They should be comfortable with the flyer climbing on them and feel comfortable with the dismount.
  3. When ALL of the members of your stunt group what to try something new and are comfortable with their positions.

The most important tip to remember about stunting is to not compare your team to any other team.  Just focus on where your team is and continue to make progress.  With proper technique, patience and A LOT of practice, you will master your stunts and do it safely!

For TONS of tips, exercises and stretches to master stunting,

JOIN the Cheerleading Coaching Center TODAY!

Happy Stunting 🙂