Cheerleading Info Center

How to Improve Your Beginner Tumbling Skills for Cheerleaders

By: Joanna Grossman, CI C Contributor

Beginners/ Level 1

Everyone starts somewhere, perfecting your basic skills will help you reach your tumbling goals. As you begin to learn your forward rolls, handstands, and several other beginning tumbling skills, practicing good technique is essential to safe and quick progression.

1. During a forward roll, be sure to make eye contact with your belly button area. Yes, your belly button! This will allow your body to arch your back leading to a more comfortable forward roll, as well as protection for your neck. The closer your knees are to your chest the better. Rolling in an open body position will make it almost impossible to stand up.
2. When attempting a handstand be sure to keep your hands close together. Shrugging your shoulders to ears will make it much easier to hold your weight. If balancing is an issue, attempt donkey kicks or handstands against a wall until you learn to better squeeze your body.
3. Your starting position of a cartwheel should consist of a deep lunge with straight arms by ears as your body faces forward. During your cartwheel, your dominant hand should be out straight as if you’re giving somebody a high five. Your other hand should be turned sideways, fingertips turned towards the dominant hand. In your lunge, quickly drive up your back leg in order to gain power. Throughout your cartwheel your legs should be in a straddle position.
4. During front and back walkovers be sure to make eye contact with your hands. From start to finish, keep your arms locked and shoulders shrugged to prevent arms from collapsing.
5. As you improve your tumbling skills, having a powerful round off is extremely important. A round off consists of a cartwheel and a handstand snap down. In order to gain power, snap down with straight legs from your handstand position. Your goal is to get your toes under you, not in a push-up position. 

Overcome Your Fear of Tumbling

It is completely normal to be scared to try tumbling for the first time.   Or, maybe you got hurt and that injury created that fear.  Remember, you can get hurt doing almost anything, and you can not allow the fear to stop you.   Here are some things to remember to help you get over your fears:

1. Always be cautious.

2. Do not tumble without a professional there.

3.  Use specific equipment provided in a professional gym to learn.  For example,  a trampoline is an excellent tool to use.   It gives you an extra bounce and allows you to get the feeling of how its supposed to feel when you do that trick on the floor.   Also, if you fall on a trampoline, is doesn't hurt like it would if you were on the floor.

4. Always stretch before you do anything as stretching helps prevent injuries. 

5.  Visualize yourself doing the skill.  Picture yourself not only completing the trick, but doing it well.  Feel what it is like to be in the air and what it is like to land it safely!

6.  BE CONFIDENT!  Being confident can also help prevent injury as tumbling is at least 50% mental.  If you believe you can do it, train hard, and give it your best, chances are you can.

So, before you just try something, use your head and ask yourself:   "Is this a safe situation for me?" if the answer is yes.  GO FOR IT!

 

 

How to do a Back Tuck

 Written by:  Coach Sari

To begin, if you do not have a Back-hand-spring yet then you are not ready for a Back Tuck.   Once you have mastered the Back-hand-spring, you will be ready to learn your Back Tuck.

Here are the steps for your Back Tuck:

1.  To begin, you start with your hands by your sides, standing straight up. Do NOT sit back like in a back-hand-spring.

2.  Jump STRAIGHT UP with your hands swinging by your ears like the touchdown
motion.

3.  When your body is as high as it can jump, tuck your legs into your chest. DO NOT have your legs bent behind you.   Also, DO NOT throw your head or chest backward, tucking your legs in will give you the flipping momentum.  For the tuck you can grab you knees and pull them inward.

4. When you land, absorb the landing with your knees bent and feet together.  To clean, stand up straight.

Here are some exercise to help you build your up your muscles to get a great Back Tuck:

*  You can do squats to build the muscles in your legs so you can jump higher. 

*  Try standing against a wall in a sitting position for one minute.

Also, check out our CHEERLEADING CONDITIONING section for more exercises.

How to do a Back Handspring

 Written by:  Coach Sari

Are you ready to start your Back Handspring?  Here are some things you should know:

Prerequisite:  Back bend or bridge.

Remember:  If you do not have a back bend or bridge yet, then you are not ready for a Back-Hand-Spring.

1. First you start with you hands by your sides, standing straight up.

2. Sit back like you're about to sit in a chair.

3. Then at the part where you're about to fall because there really is no chair there, jump back.

4.  While jumping back, swing your arms up over your head.  Your arms should now be squeezing your head tightly and your elbows locked out.   If you bend your elbows you WILL hit your head on the ground.

5.  After jumping back onto your hands, you should be in a handstand position.   Now, snap your feet down hard for the landing.

Here are some tips to remember:

· Squeeze your abs the entire time.

· DO NOT try this by yourself.  Only learn with a qualified coach.

· You should first try it with a spotter on a trampoline or cheese mat.

· Once you have it on a cheese mat by yourself, you can work your way down the mat onto the floor.  The further down the mat, the harder it gets and it allows your muscles to get used to doing it.   It is like lifting weights,  you begin with light weights and work your way up as you get stronger.