Stunting takes cheerleading to a whole new level. It moves beyond crowd leading and displays the technical and athletic components of cheer.
Before your team begins to stunt, it's important to reiterate how dangerous stunting can be if steps and positions are not planned out right. Teammates need to communicate and work together to ensure the safety of the flyer.
Select Stunt Groups
Make sure your stunt groups are consistent as a team. You want to have your groups grow together as a team, make sure you don't "stack" one group with the best bases, tops or back-spots. This group will excel much farther than the other groups, but will cause team tension. In addition, you can utilize your premier stunters to advance the other stunt groups by distributing them evenly among the team.
More: The Basics of Cheer Stunting
Planning
Plan your stunt progression and stick to it. As a coach, you'll need to be consistent with the progression.
Set goals for the stunt groups and the team. Make short-term goals for simpler, quickly attainable skills, and long-term goals for the harder skills.
When setting these goals make sure you list how you plan to achieve these goals, as a stunt group and as a squad.
Spotting
Explain to your squad how stunts can be dangerous when not done correctly.
The bases and back spots are responsible for the top person's safety while in the stunt.
Spotting drills are important to build trust within the team. These drills also familiarize the cheerleaders with how to catch a person safely.
More: How to Do a Shoulder Sit
Stunting
Use a stunt progression to build the fundamentals of stunting. Focus on perfecting the easier stunts. By doing this the more difficult stunts will be easier to learn.
As a coach you're responsible for the safety and well being of your team members. By using the spotting drills, stunt progression and proper techniques in the stunts, you can feel more confident in your team's skills.
More: Conditioning Exercises for Cheerleaders
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